So, it’s almost the end of the year. time to put your feet up, have a mince pie, and curl up with a good book.
In 2018, women published some really brilliant books; So many, in fact, that it was nearly impossible to narrow the list down to just 18 books.
You are reading: Best books for women 2018
but, here are 18 books that really stood out this year, grabbed our attention and we didn’t let go until we got to the last page.
here are 18 of the best books written by women in 2018.
1.
normal people
by sally rooney
Sally Rooney’s second novel, Normal People, is so damn readable. tells the story of two young people, both from very different backgrounds, who embark on a secret relationship. The writing feels so surprisingly intimate that you begin to feel deeply involved in the lives of Connell and Marianne as they leave the city they grew up in to begin their studies at Dublin’s Trinity College. It’s been a while since a book captured the complexity of millennials and their relationships in such a sensitive and intimate way.
2.
an american marriage
by tayari jones
This book tells the story of Celestial and Roy, two newlyweds who seem to have everything going for them. That is, until Roy goes to prison for something Celestial knows he didn’t do. As Roy serves out his 12-year sentence, Celestial seeks solace in his old friend Andre. But when Roy is released from prison after five years, things have changed.
3.
my year of rest and relaxation
by ottessa moshfegh
a bizarre, hilarious, and moving book about a young woman’s year of “narcotics hibernation,” which is precisely what you think it means. the unnamed protagonist enlists the help of the world’s worst psychiatrist to prescribe enough medication to lull her into a medicated sleep for many months. when she finally wakes up, the city she lives in, and indeed the world, is a very different place.
4.
Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower
by brittney c. copper
an important feminist manifesto emerging from the post-#metoo narrative. Brittany Cooper delves into the issue of black women’s anger, something that has historically been dismissed and distorted with racist stereotypes. Here, Cooper calls for reclaiming black women’s anger as something valid, worth listening to, and a powerful force for change.
5.
good and crazy: the revolutionary power of women’s anger
by rebecca traister
In an age where women’s anger is practically at boiling point, this book is a timely and important read. Traister, one of the most eminent voices in feminism, traces the history of women’s anger in America and how women have historically harnessed their anger to bring about social change.
6.
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florida
by lauren groff
A collection of oblique short stories that share a unique connection to Florida, this book explores motherhood, the power of nature, and the feeling of belonging to a place when you no longer live there.
7.
become
by michelle obama
Easily one of the most anticipated memoirs of 2018, this book tells the personal story of one of the world’s most inspiring women, Michelle Obama. In this memoir, the former Flotus tells the story of her life, beginning with her childhood on the South Side of Chicago, through her years living in the White House.
8.
look alive out there
by sloane crosley
From the author of They Told Me There’d Be Cake, this book delivers laugh-out-loud humor and heartwarming intimacy in equal measure. Crosley writes with his trademark wit about moments in life that are honestly so terrible they’re kind of funny. like accidentally putting very expensive human hormones in the freezer when he’s freezing her eggs. or the struggle of working from home with a relentlessly loud teenage neighbor who refuses to shut up.
9.
voice
by christina dalcher
Who doesn’t love a piece of Margaret Atwood-esque dystopian fiction? This time America is being ruled by the extreme religious right and a woman’s place is strictly limited to the home. under this regimen, women are limited to 100 words per day. if they exceed that limit, they receive electric shocks. Given that most of us speak around 16,000 words a day on average, the very thought of being limited to so few is pretty scary.
10.
compensation
by ling ma
Ling Ma’s debut novel separation is basically about someone who survives the apocalypse. it all begins when a plague known as shen fever arrives. this “repetition fever, of routine” that sees those affected repeat over and over again the mundane tasks of their daily lives until they rot inside and starve. The story’s protagonist, Candace, is one of the few remaining survivors.
11.
milkman
by anna burns
A book with no character names or paragraphs, milkman is unlike any other novel you’ve read before. Set in an unnamed town in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, the book tells the story of an 18-year-old girl who is harassed by a paramilitary figure, who is a significantly older married man. anna burns won the 2018 man booker award for this novel, making her the first winner of the award in northern ireland.
12.
everything I know about love
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by dolly alderton
It’s not often you read a book that makes you laugh, cry, and nod your head in extreme similarity, but this book does all three in spades. All I Know About Love is a book for anyone who had their heart broken in their youth and lived to tell the (pretty funny) story. Alderton tells the stories of his personal heartbreaks and the lessons he learned along the way.
13.
the chalk man
by c.j.
14.
not so bad
edited by roxane gay
a major collection of personal essays exploring rape, sexual harassment and assault and their impact on survivors. the essays also deal with the routine dismissal of survivors’ experiences, hence the title. Anyone who has ever shared their experience of sexual violence or harassment has likely encountered a degree of condescending, shaming, belittling, or blaming behavior.
15.
the pisces
by melissa broder
what happens when you mix group therapy with newt erotica? why, you get the pisces of course. Whether you’ve had your heart broken or just, you know, slightly bruised, this book will have you nodding in agreement. also… erotic newt. need we say more?
16.
rage becomes her
by soraya chemaly
If you’ve spent a lot of time this year feeling an unshakable sense of unbridled rage, you should read this book. Anger Becomes Her gives you a framework to harness that anger and turn it into tangible change. The book delves into the racial and gender stereotypes that fuel women’s persistent rejection of anger.
17.
the room of mars
by rachel kushner
This dark novel tells the story of Romy Hall, who is serving two life sentences in prison for killing her stalker. as he reflects on his life before prison, working as a stripper in the mars room, he struggles to survive the daily violence and hardships of prison life.
18.
the friend
by sigrid nunez
This is the story of a woman who suddenly loses her best friend and ends up as the unexpected caretaker of her late friend’s dog. As she navigates her grief, she witnesses the dog come to terms with her owner’s sudden absence. a moving read about loss, grief and love.
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