It’s the last day of National Library Week — here are 8 must-read new books by women

We’re reaching the end of National Library Week for 2017, and we hope that you’ve had time to avail yourself of some of the ~amazing~ literature gracing the shelves at your local library. One thing we try to do from time to time, though, is make sure that we’re consuming enough stories written by women.

Since what’s considered “literature” is often so male dominated, it’s easy to read a ton and not realize how limited the diversity of what we’re reading is. So, in order to combat that, here’s a list of 10 recently published books written by women, about women, to add a little girl power to your reading resume.

Difficult Women by Roxane Gay

This book, from award-winning author Roxane Gay, follows a series of women from different backgrounds fighting through their lives in real, quirky, and very human ways. “From a girls’ fight club to a wealthy subdivision in Florida where neighbors conform, compete, and spy on each other,” there’s definitely something for everybody in this book.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Pachinko tells the story of one Korean family through generations, spanning from the 1900s in Korea to present-day Japan. It tells the story of the family enduring “harsh discrimination, catastrophes, and poverty, [and] great joy as they pursue their passions to rise and meet the challenges this new home presents.”

The Lucky Ones by Julianne Pachico

The Lucky Ones takes place over two decades, and captures the “intensity of life” in Colombia amidst the guerrillas, drug traffickers, and paramilitaries who tear the country apart. All the reviews rave about the beauty of the writing in Pachico’s novel, and it’s such an unusual and complex setting to tell the story of a teenage girl, so it’s def going on our reading list.

A Book of American Martyrs by Joyce Carol Oates

If you haven’t read Joyce Carol Oates, you absolutely need to add her to your list. A Book of American Martyrs tells the story of Luther Dunphy, a devout Evangelical who thinks he’s acting out God’s will when he murders an abortion provider in Ohio. It’s a really timely book about the rift in our country ideologically, and it’s going on our reading list ASAP.

The Possessions by Sara Flannery Murphy

It’s always exciting to find a new genre book written by a woman, since the lists you see so often focus on books by men. The Possessions follows a young woman who channels the dead, and a (fictional) private service that “allows grieving clients to reconnect with lost loved ones.” It sounds like a really new, interesting, and engaging world that uses its sci-fi bent to address the difficulty and complexities of grief and letting go.

How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell

Cat Marnell was called “New York’s enfant terrible” by The Telegraph, so right away we’re on board. This memoir follows her through the uber glam world of ~fashion~ and New York night life as she struggles to maintain her glitzy big city life with an addiction to prescription medication. Praised as gritty and truthful, this is the sort of story we feel like men get to tell all the time, and so rarely hear from women.

I Got This by Laurie Hernandez

A book from Olympic medalist and America’s sweetheart Laurie Hernandez? Enough said.

We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere by Gillian Anderson and Jennifer Nadel

Gillian Anderson — yep, The X-Files‘ Dana Scully — and journalist Jennifer Nadel wrote a book together about things they wish they’d known to live a meaningful life. We’ve always felt like Dana Scully had a lot to teach us about the world, so we’re really excited to dive into this.

Happy reading!