Read all about it
Restrictions are (FINALLY) easing. Pubs are opening up inside, which is a bit of luck considering the weather. (Come on May, pull your socks up mate). People might even be starting to swap their bedroom to living room commute for the old faithful trains, tubes and buses.
Whether you need something to take your mind off your antics down the local, want something to read on the way to work, or just chuffing love books - this the article for you !
Scroll down for a compilation of our Ganter gang’s favourite reads so far this year by womxn writers - they’re all going straight on my TBR list:
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
(Written by Cecilie Fray)
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern is a truly magical book, here’s a little synopsis to get us started : 'When Zachary Rawlins stumbles across a strange book hidden in his university library it leads him on a quest unlike any other. Its pages entrance him with their tales of lovelorn prisoners, lost cities and nameless acolytes, but they also contain something impossible: a recollection from his own childhood.'
Initially I wouldn’t have picked this book up. Recently, I seem to only be picking up non fiction self-help books or modern books that with stories of ‘girl meets boy’. There’s nothing wrong with books like this, I recommend Ghosts by Dolly Alderton if you want more of a modern vibe. But this book took me by surprise because it really feels like a grown up fairy tale. In a world that sometimes seems a bit much at the moment this book was the perfect escape, and really, isn’t that what reading is all about?
Erin Morgenstern isn't new on the scene, her bestselling 2011 novel The Night Circus is highly reviewed. Admittedly I haven’t finished it but I’m pretty sure in 2011 I was too busy trying to be cool to be reading. Anyway, 10 years later I’m really back into reading, so here we are. Morganstern’s style in The Starless Sea is beautiful and so lovely to read. She intertwines characters and story lines with such ease with the motifs of the bee, sword and key running throughout. There is massive cinematic potential in this book, the way she creates the worlds are so vivid it would be amazing as a film. Although there are romance themes, the plot isn’t centred on this, which is refreshing and exciting. At some points you do have to concentrate as there are some confusing sections that go a bit bizarre, but overall I rated this book 5* and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
(Written by Charlotte Sagan)
When I picked up In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado I’d been in a reading slump for a while and was looking for something to shake me out of it. Not only did this book achieve that, it quickly revealed itself to be one of the best books I’d read in a long time. In this memoir Machado recounts the true story of her abusive relationship with a woman, centred around the Dream House in the title. This comes to represent not only the physical house in which a lot of the abuse took place, but also the psychological space the author returns to when recounting it.
One of the most interesting things about the book is how Machado plays with genre and structure. The chapters are very short and range from pages of more straightforward narrative, to poetry, to single lines, to a choose-your-own-adventure section.
References to folklore are listed in the footnotes throughout, which gives the story a fairytale-like overtone, making the realities of the abuse even more impactful. Having said that, it’s not at all graphic or gratuitous, so if, like me, you’re a bit of a wimp about violence, don’t be put off! It’s an excellent book I highly recommend to everyone.
Forget Me Not by Melissa Morgan
(Written by Ellie White)
The first book I read in 2021 was 'Forget Me Not' by Melissa Morgan and it’s a story that will stick with me forever.
I’m a sucker for a romance novel and the blurb had me hooked, I knew I needed to read more and to learn about these fictional people. What I wasn’t prepared for was how invested I would become in these characters lives and how much I would crave their happily ever after. I was sucked in from the first page and couldn't stop reading, each chapter made me hungry for more until I had finished both Forget Me Not and its sequel Forced To Forget.
In Forget Me Not, Melissa created a relatable heroine in Lizzie, a woman in her early thirties with fertility issues who just wants her husband to be happy, and a hero so caring and loyal to his wife in Charles that he quickly shot to the top of my ‘book boyfriend’ list. It wasn’t just the main characters that took a hold of me but the side characters too who we learn more about in book 2 of the series, Forced to Forget. The third book, Forgive, Forget, Fall is scheduled for release in October which I know is going to be the best yet!
Not only is Melissa a talented indie author, she’s also a wonderful friend and a valued peer. She has supported me on my own writing journey more than she will ever know and she never asks for anything in return. If I want to run an idea by her or need advice, she’s always there at the other end of a message, excited and willing to help. Even if its 1am, she’s there.
Most of all, she’s the person who is always there to lift me up when I get that crushing feeling of self-doubt and imposter syndrome, and I’m always there to do the same for her.
100 Nasty Women of History by Hannah Jewell
(Written by yours truly)
As a well-documented nasty woman myself, I knew I was destined to love this book the moment I saw the cover.
Written by Hannah Jewell (a former senior writer at Buzz Feed) this bold, satirical and informative read will have you laughing, whilst slapping you in the face with historical facts about nasty ass women of years gone by. If you, like me, are fascinated by the long and iconic lineage of fearless females that came before us - this is the book for you.
Honourable mentions
Below are all the others recommendations that came in as your fave reads by female authors so far this year. (If you’ve got one to add, pop em’ in the comments below. xoxo)
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Vanishing Half by Brit Benet (I’ve also read this and can confirm 10/10 would recommend)
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo (If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 1000 times - this is a MUST read)
Out of Love by Hazel Hayes
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner