I consumed The White Hot (publication day 11/11/25) by Quiara Alegría Hudes in one sitting, completely engrossed in the short novel (176 pages). It’s told as a letter from a young mother to her daughter for her to read when she turns 18. April Soto had her daughter, Noelle, at 16 and dropped out ofContinue reading “The White Hot”
Tag Archives: women’s fiction
A Murderous Business
For an intriguing historical feminist mystery, I recommend A Murderous Business (publication day September 16, 2025) by Cathy Pegau, which I hope becomes book one of a series! It’s 1912, and Margot Harriman is running her father’s business empire after his passing–a canning company on Long Island that also manufactures and sells other prepared foods.Continue reading “A Murderous Business”
The Many Mothers of Dolores Moore
I really loved The Many Mothers of Dolores Moore (publication day September 16, 2025), Anika Fajardo’s debut novel! Though the theme of grief after losing one’s last living parent was difficult, I loved how Fajardo used magical realism with Dorrie’s ancestors a constant chorus in her head, the interludes about mapmaking, and chapters from theContinue reading “The Many Mothers of Dolores Moore”
The Hotel Nantucket
The Hotel Nantucket (2022) was Elin Hildebrand’s 28th book and the first one I’ve read that’s she’s written. A good summer choice by my library book group, Hildebrand centers the story on 19-year old chambermaid, Grace Hadley, who died in 1922 in a fire that gutted the hotel and has haunted it since, hoping forContinue reading “The Hotel Nantucket”
Wayward Girls
I was completely captivated by Wayward Girls (publication day July 15, 2025) by Susan Wiggs! It’s an epic story of friendship and survival despite the horrific conditions some girls in the United States were subjected to as recently as 50 or 60 years ago. As the book opens in 2020, we know that a fifty-yearContinue reading “Wayward Girls”
The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits
The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits (publication day April 8, 2025) by Jennifer Weiner is the kind of book I typically gravitate to. It’s about sisters, and music, and it has a fat main character, who is also likely on the autism spectrum. One sister is fat and very talented, the other is conventionally attractive butContinue reading “The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits”
The Cemetery of Untold Stories
Julia Alvarez’s newest novel, The Cemetery of Untold Stories (2024) was a delight! I so loved her In the Time of the Butterflies and Afterlife that I knew I couldn’t miss this one. Alma, the celebrated writer known as Scheherazade, is in the twilight of her career, and has boxes and boxes of unfinished draftsContinue reading “The Cemetery of Untold Stories”
The Bird Hotel
The Bird Hotel (2023) is my first Joyce Maynard book, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that she has written a lot of books, and has been a regular columnist and reporter as well. The Bird Hotel follows Irene, starting with her unusual childhood as the daughter of an itinerant singer in the lateContinue reading “The Bird Hotel”
Fat Girls Dance
I was on a roll last month with fat positive books, culminating in Fat Girls Dance (publication date October 22, 2024) by Cathleen Meredith. Semi-autobiographical based on the FatGirlsDanceMovement on Instagram, and told from the perspectives of three fat women in New York City: Liv, Reese, and Faith, it’s an inspiring story that illustrates theContinue reading “Fat Girls Dance”
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
As usual, Lisa See has crafted an engaging historical fiction novel centering on women and their relationships in Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (2023). In the late 1400s, in China during the Ming dynasty, child Tan Yunxian witnesses her mother’s death because of infection in her bound feet and the lack of medical care forContinue reading “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women”
Reading While Fat 