Women in Books Pt. I + a Playlist
Words by: Maggie Laubscher | Music by: Abby Yemm
New year, new book list. We want to help make yours. So, we are highlighting eight brilliant books to recommend. They all lean female -- written by women and featuring strong females at their center. They all debuted in the past year and, while celebrated, they are not the main bestsellers of 2020. Oh! And most important, they are all smart, fun, and beautiful.
We go in waves with our reading, sometimes burning through books and other times lingering over one. Our books are a constant companion, a portal from which to escape or learn or grow -- or all three. It’s a comfort zone we will never turn away. And whatever our reading mood may be, it’s always a terrible waste to choose a shoddy book.
So, we are here to prevent that. Keep scrolling for our picks. There’s something for every mood. And then head to Ink and Fable’s Instagram for more book inspo, plus go book shopping at Bliss Books & Wine or Afterword Tavern & Shelves.
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Vibe: fantasy fiction
Read this if you want an adventure. The Guardian described Mexican Gothic as ‘Lovecraft meets the Brontës in Latin America’ - yes, please! Set in glamorous 1950s Mexico, the novel follows socialite and amateur sleuth Noemí as she tries to rescue her cousin from a secluded mansion where she lives with her odd, charismatic aristocrat husband. Noemí navigates the odd and mysterious throughout the book, a brave heroine through and through.
Author: Sarah Smarsh
Vibe: Biography
Read this if you want to feel empowered. Dolly Parton was a hero of 2020 and this book only ups that feeling. The biography not only covers Dolly and her life work, but also the progress of women over the recent decades. Dolly has always sung for those who have been ignored and forgotten: women in poverty, women struggling, women surviving. This book is an insightful look at those women and their patron saint: Dolly.
Author: Linda Bostrom Knausgaard
Vibe: psychological fiction
Read this if you want a thoughtful, creative exploration of mental illness. The Helios Disaster is a mythological origin story set in modern times. The novel reimagines the goddess Athena as a 12-year-old girl confined to a small Swedish village. The story called to mind The Bell Jar and Girl, Interrupted for us. The reader accompanies the young goddess in her teenage struggles with depression and self-realization. It’s a quick and wild read.
4) Hamnet
Author: Maggie O'Farrell
Vibe: historical fiction
Read this if you want to go on a journey of romance and a woman’s life. Agnes is the heroine to follow in this poetic novel. She’s wild and off-center and carries a pet falcon on her walks. She is a natural healer and if she was alive and breathing today, she would definitely have a prominent crystal collection. Agnes is also a protective lioness of a mother and wife. Hamnet is a story of falling in love and living life loud and moving through grief: in short, it’s about life.
Author: Vanessa Hua
Vibe: short story collection
Read this if you want to empathize with immigrants. This collection of brief stories can be picked up on any page and will resonate. Author Vanessa Hua writes with empathy and humor, centering her stories on immigrant families and their traditions and experiences navigating America.
Author: Laura Hankin
Vibe: satire fiction
Read this when you want to take a break from life. Happy and You Know It is a dark satire binge read set on Park Avenue in New York. It centers on Claire, a struggling musician, who gets enveloped in a group of chic mamas and all their drama and secrets.
Author: Daven McQueen
Vibe: YA (young adult) fiction
Read this if you want to have a heartfelt cry. This novel is set in Alabama over a single summer. It’s about the friendship between two kids, with Juniper as the female lead. She’s a free spirit but in a real way deeper than a typical manic pixie dream girl. They have all the adventures you want kids to have - a la the Now & Then movie - but also confront racism and what it means to be Black in America.
Author: Ruby Hamad
Vibe: historical non-fiction
Read this to keep learning and growing. The book deftly explains how white feminism has been used as a weapon of white supremacy and patriarchy and has left BIPOC women behind. Author Ruby Hamad brings modern topics into the conversation, making the read easy to identify with and incredibly powerful.
