Nothing beats snuggling up on the couch under a blanket, sipping on a hot cup of tea or mulled wine, and reading a good book. Over the next few months, this is where you’ll find me.
If this sounds like your ideal winter day, this book list is for you. These are our picks—all written by women—for new and upcoming releases.
1. You Know You Want This by Kristen Roupenian
Last December, The New Yorker published Kristen Roupenian’s short story “Cat Person”, and it went viral. It’s not the storyline or the writing style that garnered so much attention but the author’s candid exploration of sex from a female’s perspective.
While the highly believable “Cat Person” is included in the collection, Roupenian has a lot more in store for readers with You Know You Want This. Stories span a range of genres and topics, woven together by one common thread: the horrors committed by and done to women.
Release Date: January 15, 2019
Get it on Amazon
2. In This Together by Nancy D. O’Reilly, PsyD
We’re in the heyday of the female empowerment movement—a theme explored through In This Together: How Successful Women Support Each Other in Work and Life. The book rounds up advice and stories from 40 successful women (authors, actresses, CEOs, professors, and more) on how we can all work together to tackle gender inequality.
Release Date: January 1, 2019
Get it on Amazon
3. Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
This novel has everything you need to transport yourself into a fantasy world: folklore, science, magic, myth, suspense, romance… Set against the river Thames, Once Upon a River tells many stories as families and individuals try to pin down the identity of a mystery child who appears out of nowhere.
Release Date: December 4, 2018
Get it on Amazon
4. Feeding You Lies by Vani Hari
In her second book, Vani Hari “The Food Babe” addresses the many contradictions surrounding the food industry. Her goal with Feeding You Lies: How to Unravel the Food Industry’s Playbook and Reclaim Your Health is to help you choose foods and nutrition habits that truly nourish you and support your health.
Release Date: February 19, 2019
Get it on Amazon
5. The Witch’s Book of Self-Care by Arin Murphy-Hiscock
If you’re making resolutions for 2019, add improving your self-care practice to the top of your list. The Witch’s Book of Self-Care isn’t just for witches, but also for the woman with an interest in magic or the metaphysical. Pamper your mind, body, and spirit with spells, meditations, mantras, and powerful activities.
Release Date: December 11, 2018
Get it on Amazon
6. I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening) by Sarah Stewart Holland
Talking about politics with anyone you care about is a risky venture. Whether it’s your roommate, coworker, mom, dad, cousin, or friend, you know who you can’t talk to without butting heads.
This book, I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening): A Guide to Grace-Filled Political Conversations, was written to help you navigate those conversations without biting each other’s heads off. It seems especially useful for those of you who are the political black sheep of the family.
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Get it on Amazon
7. Never Tell by Lisa Gardner
Lisa Gardner is the best-selling author of thrillers like Look for Me and Right Behind You. Fans of Gardner’s work will recognize characters D. D. Warren and Flora Dane as they investigate a case involving a dead man and his pregnant wife. Expect lots of secrets, lots of drama, and lots of suspense.
Release Date: February 19, 2019
Get it on Amazon
8. Stress Less, Accomplish More by Emily Fletcher
For workaholics and busy people (which is most of us), meditation might not be our first choice for coping with stress and long to-do lists. Why should we sit down and do nothing when we have a million things we could be doing instead?
In Stress Less, Accomplish More, Emily Fletcher demonstrates how the practice of mindfulness or meditation can actually help improve productivity, professional performance, clarity, wellness, and sleep quality. Fletcher teaches how to practice brief, yet powerful, exercises that won’t waste your valuable time.
Release Date: February 19, 2019
Get it on Amazon
9. Busy As F*ck by Karen Nimmo
Speaking of being busy and having too much on our plates… New Zealand clinical psychologist Karen Nimmo examines how we often hurt ourselves and others in the process of trying to do too much. She then offers tips, tools, and tactics to guide your own journey of living a healthier, less crammed life.
Release Date: February 18, 2019
Get it on Amazon
10. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
Fans of murder-mysteries and thrillers will dive right into this new book by Lucy Foley. The premise: a group of college friends is snowed in at a hunting lodge. And then one of them dies.
So, which one of them did it?
Release Date: February 12, 2019
Get it on Amazon
11. Don’t Wake Up by Liz Lawler
A debut novel by author Liz Lawler, Don’t Wake Up is a terrifying tale of victimhood, abuse, and the discrediting of women in our culture. Main character Dr. Alex Taylor suffers a horrifying attack, but with no proof of it, no one believes her. And then another victim surfaces… We’re already hooked.
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Get it on Amazon
12. When You Read This by Mary Adkins
When You Read This is a story about loss and how to move forward after losing someone. It’s a novel told in an unconventional way—emails, blog posts, online therapy submissions, text messages, legal correspondence, home-rental bookings, and other communications.
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Get it on Amazon
13. Notes From a Black Woman’s Diary by Kathleen Collins
Kathleen Collins was an artist, filmmaker, and writer who died in 1988. Nearly 30 years after her death, a collection of her short stories called Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? was published. Now, the world gets to read even more of Collins’ works—including work for the film and stage and writings from her personal diaries.
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Get it on Amazon
14. Craftfulness by Rosemary Davidson and Arzu Tahsin
Meet the most scientific and insightful book about crafting you’ve probably seen. Rather than a how-to guide to creative hobbies, this is an exploration of the benefits of making something from scratch. Using mindfulness, neuroscience, positive psychology, and creativity research, Craftfulness shows how the simple act of creating something can have a positive effect on mental well-being. And now I’m in the mood to revisit my Pinterest boards…
Release Date: January 29, 2019
Get it on Amazon
15. Vacuum in the Dark by Jen Beagin
A job that introduces her to people’s darkest secrets (cleaning homes), a dangerous few boyfriends, and a troublesome childhood. Resident of Taos, New Mexico, Mona has had one hell of a life. Vacuum in the Dark is being called “a constantly surprising, laugh-out-loud funny novel” (via its Amazon description), and we can’t wait to go for a ride.
Release Date: February 26, 2019
Get it on Amazon
16. Rutting Season by Mandeliene Smith
This debut short story collection tells the stories of men and women in the midst of crises. Mandeliene Smith crafts complex characters and follows them through dark, funny, and moving situations. Her stories make poignant observations about harrowing situations such as the moral dilemma of killing farm animals, grappling with suicide, and race/class differences.
Release Date: February 12, 2019
Get it on Amazon
17. Girl Activist by Louisa Kamps
Designed for girls, tweens, and teens, Girl Activist is an illustrated look at some of the most influential women activists in history. No matter the reader’s age, it’s sure to be a fantastic depiction of women like Malala Yousafzai, Susan B. Anthony, and more.
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Get it on Amazon
18. Are u ok? by Kati Morton
Mental health is so, so, so important, and so is making sure you get help when you might need it. Written by licensed family therapist and YouTube personality Kati Morton, Are u ok? is an approachable take on mental health concerns and treatment. Morton addresses common concerns like the red flags of a mental health issue, how to find help, how to find the right therapist, and how to talk to your friends and family about mental health.
Release Date: December 11, 2018
Get it on Amazon
19. The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
Dog-lovers, prepare to bawl your eyes out. The Friend follows our narrator after she loses her best friend/mentor and is left to care for the Great Dane he left behind. It’s a tale of grief, a picture of the human-canine connection, and finding hope in the midst of trauma.
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Get it on Amazon
20. Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
We apologize for a lot. Best-selling author and entrepreneur Rachel Hollis wants us to stop. Girl, Stop Apologizing is all about judgment and our perception of ourselves in relation to others’ expectations (or what we feel might be expected of us).
Release Date: March 12, 2019
Get it on Amazon
21. The Clean Plate by Gwyneth Paltrow
A cookbook by Gwyneth Paltrow? Sold.
This one features specific eating plans focused on:
- Adrenal Support (with Dr. Alejandro Junger)
- Heart Health (with Dr. Steven Gundry)
- Candida (with Dr. Amy Myers)
- Heavy Metal Detox (with Dr. James Novak)
- Fat Flush (with Dr. Taz Bhatia)
- Veg-Friendly Ayurveda (with Dr. Aruna Viswanathan)
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Get it on Amazon
22. The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison
From the inspirational author of Beloved comes a collection of essays, speeches, and meditations called The Source of Self-Regard. Morrison’s latest work examines social justice issues like the foreigner, female empowerment, the press, money, “black matter(s),” and human rights.
Release Date: February 12, 2019
Get it on Amazon
23. Inheritance by Dani Shapiro
Anyone who has done a 23andMe test and been shocked by the results will feel for Dani Shapiro’s personal struggle after having her own DNA tested. Shapiro discovers the most shocking result of all: her father is not actually her biological father. In this memoir, she tells the story of piecing together her life and history after receiving such life-altering news.
Release Date: January 15, 2019
Get it on Amazon
24. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
Karen Thompson Walker is the author of science fiction novel The Age of Miracles, which is set in a hypothetical future where the earth’s rotation slows down. Her newest work, The Dreamers, also stems from a “what if?” notion. Characters in the novel start falling asleep, affected by an illness that seems to be spreading. The catch? Once asleep, people experience heightened brain activity and more vivid dreams than ever recorded.
Release Date: January 15, 2019
Get it on Amazon
25. Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi
From the author of Boy, Snow, Bird and What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours comes a new novel inspired by folklore such as “Hansel and Gretel” and the gingerbread man. The New York Times Book Review says, “Oyeyemi so expertly melds the everyday, the fantastic, and the eternal, we have to ask if the line between ‘real’ and ‘unreal’ is murkier than we imagined—or to what extent a line exists at all.”
Release Date: March 5, 2019
Get it on Amazon
26. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Best-selling author of The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas’s new novel, On the Come Up, follows sixteen-year-old Bri as she works toward becoming a prominent rapper. It’s a heartfelt ode to hip hop, an examination of the struggles faced by young black people, and a story about chasing your dreams.
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Get it on Amazon
