With women writers dominating the list of top ten best-selling authors of 2017 in the UK according to the Guardian, it is clear that female authors are shaping the current literary landscape. As it’s International Women’s Day, here is a list of 5 recently published must-read books written by female authors, covering a whole host of relevant issues ranging from feminism to mental health and race.
Laura Freeman – The Reading Cure
Laura Freeman’s first book is a positive, inspiring personal account of how reading cured her anorexia. Diagnosed aged 14, Freeman struggled through the majority of her teenage years. In this book, she describes the chaotic and miserable way in which those with detrimental eating habits think and illustrates her personal journey of recovery through reading. With the help of Dickens’s sumptuous descriptions of Christmas feasts, to Siegfried Sassoon’s humble boiled egg, Freeman regained her appetite and began to enjoy eating again. A beautifully written book detailing a journey from unhappiness and hunger to recovery and hope
Reni Eddo-Lodge – Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race
Award-winning journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge’s book Why I’m No Longer Talk To White People About Race is an extremely relevant and necessary book expressing frustrations about the way in which racism is dealt with in Britain. Her emotional exasperation on the topic, as expressed in the title, manifests itself in a convincing and rational explanation of race relations today. With succinct chapters covering an eradicated British black history, white privilege, systematic racism, feminism and the inextricable links between class and race, she creates an accessible and essential read describing the types of racism permeating society, and how to acknowledge and counter them.
Leila Slimani – Lullaby
A gripping psychological thriller that you won’t be able to put down; the award-winning Franco-Moroccan writer Leila Slimani creates an unforgettable tale of a beautiful, loving family torn apart by a nanny they come to trust and love. A work of fiction that manages to combine discussions of race, class, and gender disparities all under the guise of a harrowing murder story, Slimani’s writing is a riveting emotional rollercoaster.
Dolly Alderton – Everything I Know About Love
A must-read for anyone in need of some comfort, or even just a laugh – Dolly Alderton’s debut novel manages to cover a whole host of the most pervasive and relatable anxieties felt by women in their twenties. Discussing her own experiences with dating, partying, drinking, eating and with everything relating to love; this book reminds you why loving, respecting, and valuing not only your friends and family but also yourself, is so important.
Madeline Miller – Circe
Following the success of her debut novel, The Song of Achilles, the international best-seller which won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012 (according to madelinemiller.com), Madeline Miller’s new book Circe comes out on April 10th. Hailed as the ‘must-read book of 2018’ by The Guardian, The Independent, the Mail on Sunday, the Sunday Express and Stylist, Circe is the story of a mythological witch, based on Homer’s Odyssey. With a BA and an MA in Latin and Ancient Greek from Brown University, and experience at Yale School of Drama specialising in adapting classical tales to a modern audience, Miller makes it clear that this highly anticipated novel is not one to miss.
image: Mark Ramsey via Pixabay