This idea of being intentional when selecting books was intuitive before it was a conscious decision. It started near January of this year and swelled right before the wedding: I found myself choosing books specifically by women. Some of the books that I’ve read this year that I fall into the criteria I’ve selected moving forward (books by women and/or books that will help me become a strong leader and professional) include:
Memoirs/Biography
- She Matters: A Life in Friendships- Susanna Sonnenberg (***)
- Drinking: A Love Story– Caroline Knapp (*****)
- I Feel Bad About My Neck– Nora Ephron (*****)
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks- Rebecca Skloot (*****)
- My Beloved World- Sonia Sotomayor (*****)
- Let’s Pretend this Never Happened (*****)
- I Am Malala– Malala Yousafzai (****)
- Flappers: 6 Women of a Dangerous Generation– Judith Mackrell (****)
- My Year with Eleanor– Noelle Hancock (*****)
- Everything is Perfect When You’re A Liar– Kelly Oxford (*****)
- Orange is the New Black– Piper Kerman (****)
- Save the Date- Jen Doll (****)
- I Don’t Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star– Judy Greer (*)
- Her Best-Kept Secret– Gabrielle Glaser (***)
Fiction
- Americanah- Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche (*****)
- Oranges are Not the Only Fruit– Jeanette Winterson (****)
- The Possibilities- Kaui Hart Hemmings (*****)
- The Longings of Wayward Girls– Karen Brown (**)
- A Circle of Wives– Alice LaPlante (****)
- Frog Music– Emma Donoghue (**)
- Not Without You: Harriet Evans (**)
- Turn of Mind- Alice LaPlante (*****)
- The One & Only– Emily Giffin (****)
- Heartburn– Nora Ephron (*****)
- Instructions for a Heat Wave– Maggie O’Farrell (*****)
Business
- Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office- Lois P. Frankel (****)
- Executive Presence: What No One Ever Told You About Getting Ahead– Sylvia Ann Hewlett (***)
- How to be Successful at Sponsorship Sales- Sylvia Allen (***)
- Thanks for the Feedback– Sheila Heen & Douglas Stone (*****)
Mystery/Thriller
- The Girl with All the Gifts– M.R. Carey (*****)
- Sister– Rosamund Lupton (*****)
- Ripper- Isabel Allende (****)
- The Boy in the Suitcase– Lene Kaaberbol (****)
- The Weight of Blood- Laura McHugh (****)
- Invisible Murder- Lene Kaaberbol (****)
- Death of a Nightengale– Lene Kaaberbol (****)
- Into the Darkest Corner- Elizabeth Haynes (****)
- Elizabeth is Missing– Emma Healey (***)
- The Fever– Megan Abbot (*)
- Cartwheel by Jennifer DuBois (*****)
Star ratings are out of 5 possible stars. Decision is based on a) writing style b) ability to entertain/inform c) that intuitive & difficult to articulate post-book feeling
So where should I go from here? I’m looking for books that do some combination of the following: inform me, entertain me, stretch me, expose me to ideas & cultures & perspectives that are new to me, make me an overall better human being, make me laugh so hard I pee my pants a little. And, of course, written by women. Recommendations, please!
Currently reading:
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton (running audiobook)
The Runner’s World Big Book of Marathon and Half Marathon Training by Jennifer Van Allen , Bart Yasso, and Amby Burfoot
