Top 10 Books Every Woman Should Read
One of the best activities you can partake in is reading. It stimulates the brain, helps to keep your vocabulary sharp, and can keep you connected to your imagination. There are some really life-changing books that every woman should check out. These books are exciting and inspirational, and will make you think differently about life. And while these books may be great for women, guys will likely enjoy these options as well. If you are ready to deep dive into the best titles, check out these top 10 books every woman should read.
My Brilliant Friend
This book is a great title, and it is one of a series of four amazing books. So be prepared to want to binge-read them all! This book is a New York Times bestseller and details the friendship of almost sixty years of Lila and Elena, who both grew up together in the 1950’s in Naples. Reviews describe the book as “an intoxicatingly furious portrait of enmeshed friends.” And it will leave you feeling the love of beautiful friendship in the best way.
The Year of Magical Thinking
This book by Joan Didion is a memoir chronicling the year after her husband John Gregory Dunne passed away. The way she shares and makes herself vulnerable about grief is astounding. She talks about how she had a span of “magical thinking” that led her to believe that her husband would one day just walk back through the door and everything would go back to the way it was.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
This inspiring book is one that details the amazing yet tragic life of Henrietta Lacks, and the deception of the medical field during the 1950’s. Henrietta Lacks developed cancer, and without her knowledge, doctors extracted her cells from a cancerous tumor. The cells were the first to ever be cloned and were extraordinarily unique, as the building blocks of several vaccines and scientific breakthroughs. Her family never gave permission for Lacks’ cells to be used, and never received any compensation, recognition, or benefit from her part in such groundbreaking research.
The Bell Jar
The Bell Jar is an autobiographical book by Sylvia Plath, who examines mental illness and the lives of women in the 1950’s. She sheds light on anxiety, depression, and the pressure that women had to maneuver during this time, from society and impossibly sexist standards. Her work through this book is still instrumental and impactful today.
We Were the Mulvaneys
Joyce Carol is known for her breadth of work, having written 58 novels. She has written all sorts of books, from short stories, plays, nonfiction, and poetry. John Updike of The New Yorker said, “If the phrase ‘woman of letters’ existed, [Joyce Carol Oates] would be, foremost in the country, entitled to it.” This particular novel is about a seemingly perfect family that is stricken with suffering, love, and plenty of ups and downs.
Wild
Cheryl Strayed writes a beautiful book in Wild, chronicling her journey to healing after her mother passed away from cancer. She went through a bout of self-destruction, falling into a life of drugs and unhealthy habits. She decides the only way to right her course is to hike the entire Pacific Crest, all alone.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
This autobiography by Maya Angelou is a beautifully transcendent book that chronicles the hardships she had to overcome in her life. From racism and family trauma to emotional abuse and sexual violence, Angelous endured things that many people cannot even fathom. This book is both heartbreaking and inspiring in every way possible.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Many people have already seen the television series adaptation of this book. But everyone knows the original book usually details so much more than the adaptation. Give this book a try and you will be engrossed until the very end.
The Age of Innocence
This historical fiction made Edith Wharton the very first woman to ever win the Pulitzer Prize. It is set in the 1870’s and chronicles the lives of upper-middle-class socialites in New York City.
The House of Spirits
This book will take you to a magical place that could make you question what is reality and what is fiction. If you love spirituality and exploring the esoteric side of life, you will absolutely love this read.