January 27, courtesy of NetGalley and Bloomsbury ANZ. 02 The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin The women But when three women, all strangers to each other, are invited to the reclusive, three-times-widowed But all of the women of the time have a great amount at stake: they could find themselves committed unvoluntarily A murder victim's DNA matches a long-dead serial killer, and a string of bodies hold clues that seem

gloriously unapologetic competitor, an emotionally closed off romantic partner, a dedicated daughter, and a woman And her dedicated manager Gwen is an inspiring, strong, independent woman who believes in any goal Carrie

have felt overused from use in other stories (a tough, closed-off investigator, broken by her past; a strong

Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman. Her nickname, Maame, has long conveyed upon her a womanlike responsibility about which she has mixed The issues of race and of young-woman Maddie making her way in the world in London in Maame reminded me somewhat of Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo's interconnected stories about Black women in

There's an enormous career shift that felt an awful lot like a woman giving up a career for a guy, although As a former Mainer, I loved that the book was set in Maine, but I didn't get a strong sense of the place

and I'm reading Kate Manning's Gilded Mountain (to be published tomorrow), historical fiction about a strong young woman and her mining community in 1900s Colorado.

attention to unspoken bonds, deep and unorthodox friendships, makeshift families, legendary dogs, and strong Kimmery Martin's Doctors and Friends begins with a group of seven women, friends since medical school For my full review, check out Doctors and Friends. 05 Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams Williams's In Beatriz Williams's historical fiction, Our Woman in Moscow it's 1948 and Iris Digby, her American Click here for my full review of Our Woman in Moscow. 06 Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr Doerr's Cloud

Julia Fine's Maddalena and the Dark is a gothic story set in 1700s Venice in which two young women's Yet she desperately yearns for some measure of independence, which is not easily available to the women But a young woman in that time has little say over her destiny.

As he becomes involved with the family whose daughter and ward died, Captain Jim's endearingly strong mission as he tries to save those in need and avoid becoming emotionally entangled with a smart young woman and class, a deadly fear of scandal, and terrible mistreatment of those in lower castes, especially women

Shipstead has created two independent, defiant, appealingly strong young women split by time. Shipstead has created two independent, defiant, appealingly strong young women split by time (and, secondarily

Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian Bohjalian's Hour of the Witch takes place in 1662 Boston, where strong-willed women like main protagonist young Mary Deerfield are suspicious and frequently considered dangerous. see Hour of the Witch. 02 The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent Martha Carrier was one of the first women historical fiction tale centered around Martha and the twisted paranoia of the time that was aimed against strong women, the unusual, and the unknown.

The Change explores the power of menopausal women and the poignant strength of friendship; supplies satisfying “Why do you think women are designed to outlive men? In Kristen Miller's novel The Change, set in Mattauk, Long Island, three women cope with various challenges The tone of The Change is largely campy, as middle-aged women heroines unite against the book's sometimes If you like books about strong women searching for missing girls, you might also like the book Before

Yet he is presented yet again as extremely desirable to beautiful women. The women who are of romantic interest in Cormoran's life are, as in prior books in the series, emotionally His main interest, Robin, is strong and savvy, yet even she is coping with trauma and the aftermath of

a recently published historical fiction story that spans World War I and the 1970s, when the first women real-life stories of the first female volunteer librarians during World War I, as well as the first women The story shifts between 1918, when a young woman at the Dead Letter Office bravely embarks on a dangerous to France to serve as a librarian near the front lines of World War I, and 1976, when another young woman Each women's secrets could be their undoing, and they must each fight harder for their rightful places

02 The Last Legacy by Adrienne Young In Young's story, loosely set in the world of her Fable series, strong I was thrilled to find that Young's wonderful, signature strong-young-female protagonist-in-a-man's-world A strange fellow offers to lead Ollie to Gwen. In Hartman's Tess of the Road, Tess doesn't fit the mold of an obedient, quiet young woman in her medieval

playful adventure with a vivid Western setting, some steamy scenes, an unwavering best friendship between strong women, and a satisfying ending you may anticipate but won't mind in the least.

Isola , based upon the story of a real-life sixteenth-century woman, shifts between details of a life These prescribed behaviors suggest a goal of women's disappearing into the background, serving as beautiful

But the situation isn't exactly what it seems, and when a woman comes to town using Evie's birth name I loved the key elements of this story: the capable con woman, the past coming back to haunt her, the

This is Ava Robinson's first novel. 03 I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman Forty women ( Male guards come and go, feeding the women minimal rations and never speaking. The women have no recollection of how they came to be in this place, and no information is forthcoming Then a blasting alarm sounds, the nearest guard drops his keys, and the women scramble for an escape Harpman's slim novel is mysterious, eerie, and strange.

Bohjalian's Hour of the Witch takes place in 1662 Boston, where strong-willed women like main protagonist Bohjalian traces infuriating injustices perpetuated against the female characters--who like the real-life women see Hour of the Witch. 02 The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent Martha Carrier was one of the first women historical fiction tale centered around Martha and the twisted paranoia of the time that was aimed against strong women, the unusual, and the unknown.

Simran is a strong female knight sworn to the queen, and Vina is a witch of the woods.

Women’s stories never are. I read Mary Sharratt's Revelations over the course of this "school year" with my women's group. (To say that producing this publication was a groundbreaking feat for a medieval woman who was stifled Our main protagonist puzzles and angers those around her by challenging the limitations of what women or say in the year 1400, and the Church is particularly galled and upset by the audacity of such a woman

You're Gonna Be Mine, and he has a new book coming out in fall 2022, Now Is Not the Time to Panic. 05 A Woman In A Woman Is No Man, Etaf Rum explores the often powerless and essentially voiceless status of her female A Woman Is No Man explores the incredible drive and bravery required by Rum's female characters to write For my full review of this book, please see A Woman Is No Man. 06 In Five Years by Rebecca Serle This She goes to sleep one night feeling satisfied, but she wakes up in another life: in a strange apartment

Stephenson was a con man and womanizer who had told enough enormous lies to reinvent himself into one He was no protector of women’s virtue, but a violent predator. But when he met a young woman and promised her career assistance, then abused his position, she threatened

a character-driven story of the shocking, widespread, deadly West Virginia Mine Wars and thousands-strong What brings the book to life are versions of the real-life figures of Mother Jones (the elderly woman once called The Most Dangerous Woman in America) and the sharpshooter Sid Hatfield; and characters like

For my full review, check out The Marriage Portrait. 02 A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock #1) by A Study in Scarlet Women, the first in her Lady Sherlock series, presents Charlotte Holmes, a clever, forward-thinking, independent woman trapped in the Victorian age, a time in which women have little to play roles as well as facilitate meetings and encounters), Charlotte reimagines what a Victorian woman Frankie and Zeke want to create something--something strange, something people will notice, yet something

The war and all its deprivations seem relentless, but for Cristabel, there is a strange and guilty thrill later timeline takes place in the time of World War II as Daphne, an intelligent and educated young woman Unsinkable. 05 Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino In Beautyland, Bertino offers a poignant, funny, strange Gwendoline has strong opinions and is feeling constricted in her prescribed royal role even without the

The young women's wartime experiences take Viv to glamorous Harrod's, settle Grace in a dusty old bookshop We see Grace become won over by the creaky old store and by her gruff boss, the shifting role each woman You might also like the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Great Stories about Brave Women During World

Click here for my full review of Nobody Will Tell You This But Me. 07 Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz In Beatriz Williams's historical fiction, Our Woman in Moscow, it's 1948, and Iris Digby, her American I loved Williams's immersive story so much, I was in for all of Our Woman in Moscow's elements: Russia For my full review, check out Our Woman in Moscow. 08 You Can't Be Serious by Kal Penn ​Penn's thoughtful I love a World War II story about strong women making a difference, but I admit that I was curious as

The Girl with the Louding Voice, Abi Daré's book about a strong young woman in rural Nigeria who shows emerge from her oppressive situation against all odds, and she's wonderfully spirited, creative, and strong Namesake by Adrienne Young Namesake is the second and final book in Young's duology about the wonderfully strong

reality that is more brutal and uncertain than the children and their parents may have feared. ​6 A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum ​ In A Woman Is No Man, Etaf Rum explores the often powerless and essentially A Woman Is No Man ultimately explores the superhuman drive and bravery required by Rum's female characters --but also many other real-life women in comparable situations--to write a new history, one in which For my full review of this book, please see A Woman Is No Man.

her inspiration in Harriet Tubman, Shut Up and Read ; I'm reading Charleen Hurtubise's novel about a woman In her journal, she began an imaginary conversation with Harriet Tubman about the woman's strength and

Vasya is an irresistibly and wonderfully strong and defiant main protagonist, and Arden includes lots Vasya is a young woman now, and she must consent to an arranged marriage or enter the convent--but Vasya Vasya is an irresistibly and wonderfully strong and defiant main protagonist, and Arden includes lots

But the situation isn't exactly what it seems, and when a woman comes to town using Evie's birth name Roy was shaped by the woman she calls "my shelter and my storm," and she tracks back to her childhood

Quinn The Diamond Eye is historical fiction about a real World War II figure, an unassuming Russian woman Click here for my full review of The Diamond Eye. 04 The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele I'm not sure why it took me so long to read Kim Michele Richardson's The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is set in 1936 in the rural Appalachians, centering around the character Click here for my full review of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. 05 Upgrade by Blake Crouch Main

Then a strange man comes to town, telling Vera an unbelievable story of her true origins and her destiny He says that she was placed in her current time to grow up in safety into the woman she needed to be.

The retelling swirls with family drama, intrigue, bravery--all centered around a young woman determined autonomy, for a voice, for strength, for knowledge--and she is determined to secure these for other women The people of Bharat have often blamed my father for my sins, as if a woman cannot own her actions. Kaikeyi endlessly reinvents herself--as a warrior, a queen, an advisor, and a voice for powerless women

of her fellow female students have to put up with from young men who won't hear no and don't treat women She's known for getting into tussles with men trying to prey upon women. aggressive, more entitled, and more dangerous, and Ellie can't fight off every man on behalf of every woman The college friends have strong bonds of loyalty; they sometimes behave impulsively; and they are appropriately to attacks by men, and the women's primary concern is keeping themselves and each other safe.

Victoria Christopher Murray's historical fiction based on the real figure of Belle da Costa Greene, the woman Greene was a fair-skinned Black woman who hid her heritage in order to serve in this powerful role—one that was unusual for a woman to serve in at the time, and which would have been all but impossible for a Black woman to fill because of racism and the race-based constraints of the day. Christie, The Only Woman in the Room, Carnegie's Maid, and Lady Clementine.

trilogy; and I'm reading the upcoming (January 9) young adult rom-com Dungeons and Drama, about a young woman Rachel Hawkins When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she's North Carolina's richest woman Strange murmurings about Ruby's past begin to surface, and Camden is forced to face questions about inheritance

Set in sixth century Scotland, The Forgotten Kingdom traces the story of Languoreth, a strong, imprisoned There's appealing feminism--there are cultures of Wisdom Keepers and islands of strong women training

But she's determined to follow her own path--and her strong-willed decisions fly in the face of rigid society's expectations concerning women, slavery, and appropriate marriage prospects.

Brodie's quiet little town, he's tediously searching for a stolen painting when he stumbles across a string The woman's greed and desire for greater social standing mean that Luzia attracts the attention of more

That first book in that space opera series offers diverse characters, strong women, a heist setup, and

The swirl of events draws other innocent young women into Miryem's complicated web and toward potential Ji Lin doesn’t fit the mold of a typical woman from 1930s Malaysia or that of the British colonists living She speaks her mind and ruffles feathers even as she exploits assumptions about women, sexual attraction The Dragon keeps them safe from the Wood, but at a high price: each year he demands one young woman from

I love a woman PI, unorthodox investigative methods, and a darkly playful tone, but I ultimately wanted I'm a big fan of a woman PI using unorthodox methods to solve a case, and Bloom offers that setup here

The women realize they may know too much about where the bodies are buried--literally--to be allowed I loved the women's complicated bonds, their crafty planning, their fights for justice, and their ability returns in all of her feisty, unconventional, clever glory, despite the significant constraints on women A Study in Scarlet Women is the first book in Sherry Thomas's gender-flipped Sherlock Holmes mystery I love a spy book, a book about Russia, and a feisty, strong young female protagonist, and The Traitor

This selection might be the perfect coffee-table perusal for the vinyl lover in your life. 06 The Only Woman by Immy Humes The Only Woman is made up of 100 group photographs, each showing a lone woman in a male-dominated present and from countries around the world, Hume highlights photos emphasizing the concept of "the only woman Visually striking, The Only Woman features unknown and famous women who are astronauts, conductors, writers

Alouette herself yearns for creative freedom, but as a woman with no standing, she is not allowed to and Violet Thistlewaite is determined to shed her identity as the Thornwitch, Shadowfade's right-hand woman

Cate Kay is a bestselling author--and a pseudonym used by a woman who's been running from her past for Cate evolves through the book: at first she's a big-hearted dreamer, then a devastated young woman, an