Move Over Men: 8 Books Written By Women You Should Read This Fall
Move over, Jonathan Franzen. Your latest book, “Purity,” is probably very well-written, enough to warrant its constant coverage from publication to publication in advance of its fall release, but I don’t wanna talk about you anymore. I want to talk about female authors and the incredible books I’ve already pre-ordered on Amazon. This fall is a great season for female writers, so fill up your shelves or save them for dreary winter days when you don’t feel like staring at Netflix.
Sloan Crosley, “The Clasp”
I fell in love with Sloan Crosley via her first collection of humorous essays, “I Was Told There’d Be Cake.” I bought a copy for each of my best friends, and I still send it to anyone who needs cheering up. Crosley has ventured outside the essay with her debut novel “The Clasp,” about three college friends, now in their late twenties, who go on an adventure to recover a valuable necklace.
Release date: Oct. 6
Mary Karr, “The Art of Memoir”
If you haven’t read poet/memoirist Mary Karr’s work before, get your ass to the bookstore right now and pick up “The Liar’s Club.” She’s incredible. Karr was one of the first to usher in the confessional memoir, and “The Liar’s Club” and its counterparts, “Cherry” and “Lit,” are must-reads if you enjoy memoir even a little. Karr’s latest book, “The Art of Memoir,” will help you write your own stories, and if her advice is anything like her writing voice (a little Texas tough, a little Ivy League polish), then you’re in for a complete joy. She’ll help you yank your best work out of your bones. It’s like attending one of her Syracuse classes, but it only costs $25.
Release date: Sept. 15
Lauren Groff, “Fates and Furies”
SJP instagrammed this one, so I knew I had to read it. It’s a big, complex story about a glamorous couple and their marriage over the scope of ten years; how do things change? How do the two of them change? What does a marriage look like from either partner’s point of view, and who do we become when we’re married?
Release date: Sept. 15
Claire Vaye Watkins, “Gold Fame Citrus”
If you like Margaret Atwood’s futuristic work about what could happen to our nation if we don’t start thinking about preserving our resources and limiting our technology, you’ll want to pick up “Gold Fame Citrus.” California has become a barren desert, and two of the young people living there fall in love and go searching for a better life. “Gold Fame Citrus” is about the resilience of human relationships even when the world is a scary, sad place.
Release date: Sept. 29
Margaret Atwood, “The Heart Goes Last”
You can pick up Atwood’s new book, “The Heart Goes Last,” alongside “Gold Fame Citrus. She’s the queen of the alternate-universe and her books, like “The Handmaid’s Tale,” chill readers even years after they’ve closed the covers. “The Heart Goes Last” will definitely do the same.
Release date: Sept. 29
Stacy Schiff, “The Witches: Salem, 1692”
Stacy Schiff’s biography of Cleopatra was absolutely stunning, so I’m so excited for her latest, a study of the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692. What was the true reason that 19 women and men were killed during the hysteria? Why did a town let a bunch of teenage girls convince them its elders and neighbors were witches?
Release date: Oct. 27
Eileen Myles, “I Must Be Living Twice: New and Selected Poems”
Have you ever read a poem by Eileen Myles? Well, if you haven’t, get to it. One randomly popped up on my Twitter feed and I’ve been devouring her work ever since. She moved to New York in the ‘70s to be a poet and has since published a huge amount of work, from poetry to nonfiction. Her poems are simple, conversational and raw. No matter what you’re looking for, you can find it in one line of Myles’ poetry. Read one of my favorites here, and then pre-order this book!
Release date: Sept. 29
Tracy Daughtery, “The Last Love Song”
OK, so this is technically a cheat, because Daughtery is a man. But “The Last Love Song” is a huge, juicy, delicious biography of the ultimate female writer hero, Joan Didion.
Release date: Out now 
