Love this list so much -- it's just what I needed to start off the summer! The other books I'll be reading (or re-reading!) include a glorious YA novel called the Girl Who Drank the Moon...all about magic and tragedy and matrilineal inheritance, and a non-fiction book called Empire of AI. I like my summer reading to be a mix of salty and sweet. My brain relaxes a bit in the summer but I'm also able to think harder about things because the busyness of the school year has slowed down! Thanks for these great ideas Lane and Shauna!
Please read "Sleep" by Honor Jones. Excellent novel about a woman whose childhood trauma information her adult relationships and motherhood. Just a beautifully written book.
I just looked this one up and it looks incredible! "From a dazzling new talent, the story of a newly divorced young mother forced to reckon with the secrets of her own childhood when she brings her daughters back to the big house where she was raised."
It also has the line: Every woman lives in two families, the one that she was raised in, and the one that she has made." And woof! That is RELATABLE.
Agree! And anything about queens, yes please. My daughter and I are working our way through studying the Egyptian queens and I love it. Women and power never gets old.
Looked up Cactus Country: "A striking literary memoir of genderfluidity, class, masculinity, and the American Southwest that captures the author’s experience coming of age in a Tucson, Arizona, trailer park." I mean, I'm intrigued!
And anything with the world "Bestiary" captures the imagination for sure.
Heavy summer reading: I finished Careless People last week. And it's VERY heavy. If you read Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In" and came away with that toddler sneer meme on your face, know that your skepticism was well-founded. As a person who purports to be speaking on behalf of women, Careless People showcases all the hypocrisy from Sandberg. I've had too many managers like her to be willing to give any leeway, especially in workplaces where women are already struggling to be recognized. And of course, it will hopefully also make you rethink general use of any social media.
I read Blind Spots before that, which was an utterly fascinating look into modern medicine, how data is manipulated, and more group-think issues. It touched on HRT, giving birth, and ovarian cancer (more accurately, it's "fallopian tube cancer"). Mainly it's encouraged me to continue researching health questions I have, self-advocate more, and if a doctor treats me in a condescending manner, it's time to say "bye".
After these two books, I need something fluffy. Looking forward to recommendations for fluffy.
Thanks for these great suggestions! Re: fluffy -- I just finished "Remarkably Bright Creatures" -- a quick and easy read that was substantial but not too substantial! With a bright light at the end :)
Just finished The Marriage Portrait--amazing. I'm still thinking about it, and just the whole plot structure to start with what it starts with.... I'm here for any book club discussions you want to organize!
What a great list of books to read this summer and beyond! I was glad to see Empire of AI included. I recently listened to an interview with the author, Karen Hao who is an incredible journalist with deep connections to the AI world and technology in general. It sounds fascinating and I’ve just started the book. So far, it’s very readable even for someone without a tech background like me 😊
Thanks for the recs! In the summer I read memoirs. (On my list are:
* An Actress of a certain Age by Jeff Hiller (co-star of Somebody, Somewhere on Max, which is one of my all-time fave shows ever and highlights the very best of friendship, sibling-hood, and the road to self-acceptance — but boo to Max for not renewing it for another season)
* Say Everything by Ione Skye (required reading for American women my age perhaps??)
* Not memoir, but I'm looking for women-centered crime thrillers/murder mysteries. I started The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins
FWIW I hated All Fours. Like HATED. Couldn't even finish it, which is rare for me. I've been thinking a lot about why I hated it so much, and I think it's because I could not warm up to the main character. I found her self-obsessed (which I guess was the point?), annoying, and stupid. 🤷♀️
Also, I think I disliked the book so intensely because it seemed so performative, and also like she was trying to get good reviews or illicit feedback along the lines of making perimenopausal women feel "seen." As much as I agree that midlife women don't get the credit we deserve for being awesome, at a certain point I think we just have to give ourselves the credit and enjoy life. Her character tried so hard to change her body to impress Davey(a boy!), who had already moved on with his life, and it just seemed so pointless. Miranda July gets credit for going there, but there were so many better novels written last year.
You might find some of your people here, haha. And if you search all fours you'll find all three of our discussions in the archive if you're curious :)
You shoulda been there when we did this last year!! lol. It took us THREE discussions to get through it all. There was so much good convo along these lines! I think they are all good points. I don't think it's "not feminist" not to like it at all. It's totally white and privileged, too. We def. had some discussion about whether rich people misbehaving should be "approved" just bc it's a female character (pretty obviously should not be). But also how half the white male canon features characters behaving like this one an no one bats an eye (Philip Roth alone, lol).
I loved the writing, which carried it for me. And I get the mixed reviews!!
And lol you def are not alone in this re: All Fours. So much love/hate when we did it for book club! We talked a lot about why male characters are allowed to be this way while women are not…
So true re: female characters. I also worried that by disliking her I was being disloyal to fellow women or not being a feminist. Ultimate I just made peace with the fact that while I encourage women to find sexual pleasure in whatever way works without getting hurt or hurting others, I don't really want to read about it in such great detail. (the tampon scene - ugh.) ;)
I’m several chapters in to Weyward by Emilia Hart and find it captivating. It’s historical fiction (spanning 500 years) about three women confronting patriarchal society and regaining control of their own lives. Apparently “witcherature” is a sub genre, and I’m here for it.
Love this list so much -- it's just what I needed to start off the summer! The other books I'll be reading (or re-reading!) include a glorious YA novel called the Girl Who Drank the Moon...all about magic and tragedy and matrilineal inheritance, and a non-fiction book called Empire of AI. I like my summer reading to be a mix of salty and sweet. My brain relaxes a bit in the summer but I'm also able to think harder about things because the busyness of the school year has slowed down! Thanks for these great ideas Lane and Shauna!
"Matrilineal inheritance"! I'm obsessed with this idea already.
Please read "Sleep" by Honor Jones. Excellent novel about a woman whose childhood trauma information her adult relationships and motherhood. Just a beautifully written book.
I just looked this one up and it looks incredible! "From a dazzling new talent, the story of a newly divorced young mother forced to reckon with the secrets of her own childhood when she brings her daughters back to the big house where she was raised."
It also has the line: Every woman lives in two families, the one that she was raised in, and the one that she has made." And woof! That is RELATABLE.
Thx for this!
The author, Honor Jones, is also an editor. So you will find that there is not one wasted word in this book!
Great bonus!
*informs
"The Last Queen" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni was an epic sweep! It's historical fiction based on the actual last Queen of Punjab.
Agree! And anything about queens, yes please. My daughter and I are working our way through studying the Egyptian queens and I love it. Women and power never gets old.
Love Historical Fiction! Thank you for this recommendation.
I've read many of her books she's amazing. I'm about to dive into her "The Palace of Illusions" which is an older book, also historical fiction.
Just finished “Cactus Country” by Zoe Bossier. It’s great! Also check out Eirren Caffal’s “The Mourner’s Bestiary.” Beautiful.
Looked up Cactus Country: "A striking literary memoir of genderfluidity, class, masculinity, and the American Southwest that captures the author’s experience coming of age in a Tucson, Arizona, trailer park." I mean, I'm intrigued!
And anything with the world "Bestiary" captures the imagination for sure.
Heavy summer reading: I finished Careless People last week. And it's VERY heavy. If you read Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In" and came away with that toddler sneer meme on your face, know that your skepticism was well-founded. As a person who purports to be speaking on behalf of women, Careless People showcases all the hypocrisy from Sandberg. I've had too many managers like her to be willing to give any leeway, especially in workplaces where women are already struggling to be recognized. And of course, it will hopefully also make you rethink general use of any social media.
I read Blind Spots before that, which was an utterly fascinating look into modern medicine, how data is manipulated, and more group-think issues. It touched on HRT, giving birth, and ovarian cancer (more accurately, it's "fallopian tube cancer"). Mainly it's encouraged me to continue researching health questions I have, self-advocate more, and if a doctor treats me in a condescending manner, it's time to say "bye".
After these two books, I need something fluffy. Looking forward to recommendations for fluffy.
Thanks for these great suggestions! Re: fluffy -- I just finished "Remarkably Bright Creatures" -- a quick and easy read that was substantial but not too substantial! With a bright light at the end :)
What a lovely title!
I loved RBC--we used to live near that area, and the descriptions were wonderful.
Ah, Careless People is the memoir from inside Facebook, right? What a great title.
Yes, it’s the FB book. the title comes from a line in the Great Gatsby and wow does it fit.
Just finished The Marriage Portrait--amazing. I'm still thinking about it, and just the whole plot structure to start with what it starts with.... I'm here for any book club discussions you want to organize!
Same to you, Emily!
Loved Margo and just read All Fours (fashionably late perhaps?)
For voicey, complicated female protags (my favorite)
Maggie, Or A Man and A Woman Walk into A Bar (a bit heavier than the others, but beautiful and excellent!)
The Rachel Incident
The Wedding People
I Hope This Finds You Well
Green Dot
Ah TY Abigail you know I love your book recs!
Loved Margo. And Maggie and Wedding People are also on my radar but I had not heard of the others!
hope you find something you like!
What a great list of books to read this summer and beyond! I was glad to see Empire of AI included. I recently listened to an interview with the author, Karen Hao who is an incredible journalist with deep connections to the AI world and technology in general. It sounds fascinating and I’ve just started the book. So far, it’s very readable even for someone without a tech background like me 😊
TY Margaret! We talk about AI a LOT at our house as uni profs!
Thanks for the recs! In the summer I read memoirs. (On my list are:
* An Actress of a certain Age by Jeff Hiller (co-star of Somebody, Somewhere on Max, which is one of my all-time fave shows ever and highlights the very best of friendship, sibling-hood, and the road to self-acceptance — but boo to Max for not renewing it for another season)
* Say Everything by Ione Skye (required reading for American women my age perhaps??)
* Not memoir, but I'm looking for women-centered crime thrillers/murder mysteries. I started The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins
FWIW I hated All Fours. Like HATED. Couldn't even finish it, which is rare for me. I've been thinking a lot about why I hated it so much, and I think it's because I could not warm up to the main character. I found her self-obsessed (which I guess was the point?), annoying, and stupid. 🤷♀️
Also, I think I disliked the book so intensely because it seemed so performative, and also like she was trying to get good reviews or illicit feedback along the lines of making perimenopausal women feel "seen." As much as I agree that midlife women don't get the credit we deserve for being awesome, at a certain point I think we just have to give ourselves the credit and enjoy life. Her character tried so hard to change her body to impress Davey(a boy!), who had already moved on with his life, and it just seemed so pointless. Miranda July gets credit for going there, but there were so many better novels written last year.
https://matriarchyreport.substack.com/p/summer-book-club-all-fours-the-beginning/comments
You might find some of your people here, haha. And if you search all fours you'll find all three of our discussions in the archive if you're curious :)
You shoulda been there when we did this last year!! lol. It took us THREE discussions to get through it all. There was so much good convo along these lines! I think they are all good points. I don't think it's "not feminist" not to like it at all. It's totally white and privileged, too. We def. had some discussion about whether rich people misbehaving should be "approved" just bc it's a female character (pretty obviously should not be). But also how half the white male canon features characters behaving like this one an no one bats an eye (Philip Roth alone, lol).
I loved the writing, which carried it for me. And I get the mixed reviews!!
Somebody, Somewhere is so good! !
And lol you def are not alone in this re: All Fours. So much love/hate when we did it for book club! We talked a lot about why male characters are allowed to be this way while women are not…
So true re: female characters. I also worried that by disliking her I was being disloyal to fellow women or not being a feminist. Ultimate I just made peace with the fact that while I encourage women to find sexual pleasure in whatever way works without getting hurt or hurting others, I don't really want to read about it in such great detail. (the tampon scene - ugh.) ;)
Not fiction but The Motherload by Sarah Hoover is something be devoured
You had me at “devoured”! Now that I’m looking at the description I’m surprised I haven’t already read this—haha
You're going to love Amy's book!
I think you’re right 😊
I’m several chapters in to Weyward by Emilia Hart and find it captivating. It’s historical fiction (spanning 500 years) about three women confronting patriarchal society and regaining control of their own lives. Apparently “witcherature” is a sub genre, and I’m here for it.
Ha! I love to know this genre exists, thanks for this!
The Watcher of Your Own Flame: Understanding and Nurturing Yourself After Trauma by Dr. Jessica Taylor
ooooh what a great list -- thank you so much for including Animal Instinct!
My pleasure!