GoodReads Hit List
If you seek out deep insights or compelling storytelling, you'll probably like my book vibe. This list will evolve over time with more of my favorites and wishlist books.
The Complexities of Women
I'm a fan of narratives that explore the multifaceted experiences of women. This list includes profound and provocative works that delve into themes of identity, motherhood, sexuality, and the complexities of the human psyche.
Incredibly funny, a little odd, and very erotic story about food, sex, and God. It's a tender telling of our human appetities for food, sexual desire, and longing.
I've been dying to read this but it's still on my wishlist. It's an investigation of what Lydia Davis has called the "expressive power of fetishism" how a seemingly irrelevant aesthetic detail may cause the eruption of sublimity within the mundane.
Another on my wishlist. Within I'm A Fan, a single speaker uses the story of their experience in a seemingly unequal, unfaithful relationship as a prism through which to examine the complicated hold we each have on one another. With a clear and unfor... herself as a vital new voice in literature, capable of rendering a range of emotions, visceral experiences on the page. Sex, violence, politics, tenderness, humor – Patel handles them all with both originality and dexterity of voice.
One of the most influential thinkers of her generation draws us into the lives of three women, all past their first youth, all facing unexpected crises in these three "immensely intelligent stories about the decay of passion" (The Sunday Herald Times...
From Lisa Taddeo, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller and global phenomenon Three Women, comes an "intoxicating" (Entertainment Weekly), "fearless" (Los Angeles Times), and "explosive" (People) novel about "what happens when women are pushed b...
An ambitious mother puts her art career on hold to stay at home with her newborn son, but the experience does not match her imagination. Two years later, she steps into the bathroom for a break from her toddler's demands, only to discover a dense pat...
A darkly comedic novel about a young woman's attempt to escape the pressures of life by embarking on a year of self-imposed hibernation, exploring themes of trauma and mental health.
A poignant memoir that explores the author's experiences with loss, identity, and the healing power of food and culture.
A collection of short stories that blend the surreal with the familiar to explore the realities of women's lives and bodies. Machado's writing is both haunting and insightful, offering a unique perspective on gender, identity, and the body.
A semi-autobiographical novel, this book follows the life of a young woman named Jacaranda who navigates the bohemian and artistic circles of Los Angeles and New York. The story explores themes of self-discovery, ambition, and the pursuit of pleasure...
A collection of nine short stories, "Black Swans" spans the 1960s to the 1990s, offering a retrospective look at Babitz's experiences and the cultural shifts she witnessed. The stories cover a range of themes, from love and loss to the changing socia...
This novel tells the story of two women, Sophie and Lou, as they navigate their lives in Los Angeles. It delves into themes of friendship, identity, and the pursuit of happiness amidst the city's eclectic and often superficial culture.
A seminal work that examines the intersections of gender, race, and class, exploring how these elements have historically shaped the experiences of women, particularly women of color. Davis's incisive analysis provides a comprehensive look at the str...
A collection of erotic short stories that explore human sexuality with literary grace. Nin's stories are rich with sensuality and psychological depth, making them timeless pieces of erotic literature.
An accessible argument for why feminism should be an inclusive and universal movement, addressing issues of gender inequality.
"Intoxicating, sumptuous, and savage."--Alexandra Kleeman, acclaimed author of Something New Under the Sun Still reeling in the aftermath of the deadliest war the world had ever seen, the small town of Pont-Saint-Esprit collectively lost its mind. So...
Julia Fox is famous for many things: her captivating acting, such as her breakout role in the film Uncut Gems; her trendsetting style, including bleached eyebrows, exaggerated eyeshadow, and cutout dresses; her mastery of social media, where she ente...
"An irreverent intergenerational tale of race and class that's blisteringly smart and fan-yourself sexy." --Michelle Hart, O: The Oprah Magazine No one wants what no one wants. And how do we even know what we want? How do we know we're ready to take ...
King has tenderly staked out a territory for his wife and three daughters, Grace, Lia, and Sky. Here on his island, women are protected from the chaos and violence of men on the mainland. The cult-like rituals and therapies they endure fortify them f...
In 1473, fourteen-year-old Blanca dies in a hilltop monastery in Mallorca. Nearly four hundred years later, when George Sand, her two children, and her lover Frederic Chopin arrive in the village, Blanca is still there: a spirited, funny, righteous g...
Set in a place beyond good and evil---literally in Hollywood, Las Vegas, and the barren wastes of the Mojave Desert, but figuratively in the landscape of an arid soul---it remains more than three decades after its original publication a profoundly di...
Frances is a coolheaded and darkly observant young woman, vaguely pursuing a career in writing while studying in Dublin. Her best friend is the beautiful and endlessly self-possessed Bobbi. At a local poetry performance one night, they meet a well-kn...
In this breathtakingly inventive autobiographical novel, Eileen Myles transforms life into a work of art. Told in her audacious voice, made vivid and immediate in her lyrical language, Chelsea Girls cobbles together memories of Myles' 1960s Catholic ...
A revolutionary memoir about domestic abuse by the award-winning author of Her Body and Other Parties In the Dream House is Carmen Maria Machado's engrossing and wildly innovative account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mecha...
2024 Stonewall Honor Award for Nonfiction The future of Black, queer, and trans liberation explored by a legendary transgender elder and activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy is a veteran of the infamous Stonewall Riots, a former sex worker, and a transg...
"There is a girl, and her name is Sam." So begins Allegra Goodman's moving and wise new novel. Sam is seven years old and living in Beverly, Massachusetts. She adores her father, though he isn't around much. Her mother struggles to make ends meet, an...
The Virgin Suicides meets The Florida Project in this wildly original debut--a coming-of-age story about the crucible of girlhood, from a writer of rare and startling talent We would not be born out of sweetness, we were born out of rage, we felt it ...
Blake Butler and Molly Brodak instantly connected, fell in love, married and built a life together. Both writers with deep roots in contemporary American literature, their union was an iconic joining of forces between two major and beloved talents. N...
From one of our fiercest stylists, a roaring epic chronicling the life, times, and secrets of a notorious artist. When X--an iconoclastic artist, writer, and polarizing shape-shifter--falls dead in her office, her widow, CM, wild with grief and refus...
A pithy and brilliant introduction to Susan Sontag's writing on women, gathering early essays on aging, equality, beauty, sexuality, and fascism Susan Sontag was one of the most formidable, original, and influential thinkers of the last century. "The...
Art and Activisim: The Transformative Power of Art in Crisis
In times of crisis, art serves as a beacon of hope, a tool for resistance, and a medium for expressing the inexpressible. I put together a grouping of books that highlight works that examine the role of art in responding to emergencies, challenging s...
A thought-provoking collection of essays that explore how art can act as a lifeline in times of personal and political turmoil. Laing examines the works of various artists and writers, revealing how creativity can offer solace and provoke social chan...
Laing's exploration of urban loneliness through the lives and works of artists such as Edward Hopper and Andy Warhol. This book delves into how art can reflect and alleviate the isolating experiences of city life.
A memoir by musician and artist Patti Smith that chronicles her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the vibrant art scene of 1960s and 1970s New York City. The book highlights how their creative partnership helped them navigate the ...