Do you find yourself yearning for a great read but yawning through the second page every time you pick one up? Time to shake up that book list with some titles that will bring out the brazen in you. Read: You’ll be hooked. Fast and furious. On fantastic female stuff.
Book are our best friends by far. So get ready to feast your eyes and feed your soul. Compiled by none other than Annie Bouza, here are some mighty fine kickass books that will do their part to keep you reading.
7 BRAZEN KICK-ASS BOOKS ABOUT WOMEN
I love a kick-ass woman. And I’m not talking about a superhero or crime fighter (although they’re really cool too). I’m talking about a woman who knows her worth in the workplace, who can hang with the boys and weep with the girls, who can collapse a stroller with one swift hand, and who knows when someone really needs a pick-me-up.
If you’re a woman with the same M.O., here are seven books in different genres that showcase dynamic women or are written by a dynamo author.
1. That Other Me by Maha Gargash
Released in January 2016, That Other Me by international bestseller Maha Gargash takes an exhilarating look at Khaleeji (Gulf-Arab) culture with Majed, an authoritarian father; Dalal, a rebellious abandoned daughter; and Mariam, his vulnerable niece. As Majed increasingly tries to exert his authority over Dalal and Mariam, both girls resist aspiring for more than being the wife in an arranged marriage. The outcome is explosive. It’s Majed’s wife, who defies her husband to change the doomed path of one girl’s life, that we really cheer for.
2. Don’t Jump: Sex, Drugs, Rock ̍N Roll…and My Fucking Mother by Vicki Abelson
Released in late 2015, Don’t Jump: Sex, Drugs, Rock N Roll…And My Fucking Mother is a hilarious and tasty tale told a la Carrie Fisher with the kick in the stomach panache of a Sandra Bernhardt. It is a story of a good Jewish girl’s redemption told with a wink of the eye, a sly sense of humor and…a toke. While we love protagonist Andi Stone, it’s author Vicki Abelson we really admire. Her celebrity-driven literary salon—Women Who Write—in Los Angeles is the talk of the town. She gives writers big and small a chance to showcase their hard work.
3. The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight
New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight was inspired to write her debut YA series, The Outliers, out in May, as a warning—and a promise—to her daughters. Already optioned for film, this first book in the series is about a troubled teenage girl trying to overcome her fears and find her missing best friend. The book’s heroine, Wylie, is a character that every reader will want to believe in, as she finds herself in a world where female intuition is a scientific fact. The Outliers is not just for teens. It’s about claiming your rightful place in the world by accepting the truth of who you are. And it marks the beginning of a journey about what it means to be a girl—for better and for worse.
4. The Year We Turned 40 by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
Liz and Lisa are BFFs who have an established women’s fiction blog and who write, well, seriously awesome books best consumed with a chilled glass of rosé. The Year We Turned 40, out in April, is a heartwarming and hilarious novel that features three best friends who get the chance to return to the year they turned forty—the year that altered all of their lives, in ways big and small—and also get the opportunity to change their future. I just so happen to be turning 40 this year, and this story really resonates.
5. Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own by Kate Bolick
Last spring, you couldn’t pick up a magazine without reading about Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own. Why was this book such a hit? Harper’s Bazaar said it best: “Kate Bolick explains why she has consciously opted out of coupling.” You’re lying if you say you don’t judge the single. You’re also lying if you’re not at times entirely envious of their passionately lived lives. Spinster is an inquisitive memoir and a broader cultural exploration that asks us to acknowledge the opportunities within ourselves to live authentically.
6. Remember the Ladies by Gina L. Mulligan
In an election year, debut novelist Gina L. Mulligan brings us a book that serves as necessary reminder of the all-consuming passion of a group of dedicated women who fought for the right to vote. Set in the extravagant Gilded Age, Remember the Ladies, out this May, explores the conflict between the sexes with delightful writing and elegant descriptions, which brings the reader back to a time when the struggle for women’s equality had just begun. This is one of the best debuts I’ve read in a long time. Mulligan is also the founder of Girls Love Mail, a national nonprofit that gives handwritten letters of encouragement to women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.
7. Banished Threads by Kaylin McFarren
Continuing with her action-packed mystery series, Kaylin McFarren releases the much-anticipated Banished Threads this March—the third book featuring treasure hunters and adventure seekers Rachel Lyons and Chase Cohen. While vacationing at the Cumberforge Manor in Bellwood, England, Rachel and Chase attend an elegant dinner party hosted by her uncle, Paul Lyons, and his aristocratic wife, Sara. Before the evening ends, a priceless collection of Morris Graves’ paintings are stolen from her uncle’s popular gallery, throwing all suspicion onto his wife’s troubled granddaughter Sloan, and turning Rachel and Chase into crime-stopping sleuths. McFarren’s sharp, fast-paced mystery will keep readers guessing as to whodunit.
Annie Bouza writes, PRs and Facebooks in New York City.
