“Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty.” We all remember Jo March‘s passionate monologue in the movie “Little Women” (2019), don’t we?
Current as ever, empowering as ever, the speech on women extends and includes every field and horizon, to recognize and value them “simply” for what they are, and for what they have, as Jo March says. Even in the book industry, the names of female authors who have made the history of literature and fiction have always stood out: of course, we all think of examples such as Jane Austen and Natalia Ginzburg, or, without having to go too far back in time, talents such as Elena Ferrante, Joan Didion or the phenomenon Sally Rooney.
It is a dialogue that knows no limits or boundaries and is extremely personal: for this reason, while I was looking at the shelves of my library and thinking about my latest readings, I realized that there have been female authors who, recently, with their books have left a mark on me. Inspirations change, motivations and genders also as well but, from my humble passion for reading, I would like to share the names of 10 women of the contemporary book industry to consider if you are looking for new inspirations with which to fill your TBR of 2024. And remember: “Who run the world? GIRLS!”
Dolly Alderton
Known for: “Everything I Know About Love,” “Ghosts”
Next release: “Good Material”
Born in 1988, journalist, columnist for The Sunday Times, podcaster, and, of course, author. Dolly Alderton ended under the spotlights in 2018 with “Everything I Know About Love,” a memoir dedicated to the adventures of a young woman struggling with everything that her 20s represent and bring with them, for which she won the National Book Award. With an intelligent, funny, explosive, and heartening style and stories, Dolly reminds us of the importance of affection, the shades of love, and what it means to be a millennial woman.
Olivie Blake
Known for: “The Atlas Series”, “Masters of Death”, “Alone With You in the Ether”, “One for my Enemy”
Next release: “The Atlas Complex”, “Twelfth Knight”
Olivie Blake is the pseudonym of Alexene Farol Follmuth, an author who went viral with the “The Altas Series”, dedicated to a group of six young magicians who find themselves involved in a prestigious magical society full of secrets, deceptions and ambitions. The fantastic, supernatural and gothic element is a common thread of her novels, with settings that refer to the contemporary world or, on the contrary, to the literary works of the past, such as those of Shakespeare. Her books revolve around the collective experience of being human (or not) and the endless and unpredictable complexities of life and love.
R.F. Kuang
Known for: “The Poppy War”, “Babel”, “Yellowface”
Next release: “Katabasis”
Perhaps the most impressive talent for me in recent years. Not only for the titles published so far (all absolutely worth reading and for totally different reasons), but for the skill and dedication of the writer herself: at 27 years old, R.F. Kuang has degrees from Georgetown University, Cambridge and Oxford, while she is now doing a doctorate at Yale. She was named to the 2023 Time100 list and in the Forbes 30 Under 30 of 2024. Her novels talk about justice, discrimination, power, ambition, between fantasy, historical and, unfortunately, painfully current elements. A strong, compelling, and original style and narrative, not to be missed.
Coco Mellors
Known for: “Cleopatra e Frankenstein”
Next release: “Blue Sisters”
British by birth but living in Los Angeles, her debut novel, “Cleopatra and Frankenstein” was one of the revelations of 2023, so much so that it is already being adapted as a TV series. A story of an intense and disastrous love, as full of hopes as it is of secrets, it was an intriguing and compelling debut, representing a marriage, two generational mentalities and a perfectly flawed society. The curiosity about her upcoming titles is certainly high!
Emily Henry
Known for: “Beach Read”, “Book Lovers”, “Happy Place”
Next release: “Funny Story”
Each of her books climbs the New York Times rankings to the first place, confirming Emily Henry as one of the queens of romance in recent years. Comfortable, funny and hopeful love stories, with a summer mood, with bookish references that are always present and confirming that the “enemies to lovers” dynamic is the supreme one. The perfect holiday books, full of characters to fall in love with, realistic and emotional that remind us of the value and unpredictability of feelings.
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Known for: “Daisy Jones and the Six”, “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”, “Malibu Rising”, “Carrie Soto is Back”
4 books, 4 publishing phenomena that in the past 6 years have been viral all around the world. The author said she wanted to take a break before embarking on her next project, so it is the perfect time to catch up on the 4 titles dedicated to 4 important female figures who, in totally different sectors, have marked history. The plot twist: these are 4 fictional stories, but so rich in historical details and populated by extremely realistic, ambitious and flawed characters, that while reading you really believe that the protagonists really existed. A compelling and original narrative style that makes her one of the most interesting authors of recent years.
Elizabeth Day
Known for: “Scissors Paper Stone”, “The Party”, “Magpie”, “Friendaholic”
A successful journalist, author, and podcaster, Elizabeth Day writes fiction and non-fiction novels, psychological thrillers, confessions about friendship, abuse, uncomfortable truths, families, and social constructs in a realistic, deep, and thoughtful way. With a string of bestsellers under his belt, it’s impossible not to be captivated by his writing and fiction. At the same time, her podcast “How to Fail” is equally interesting, where with different guests she dialogue, in each episode, about the experience of failure and its related lessons.
Ottessa Moshfegh
Known for “Eileen”, “My Year of Rest and Relaxation”, “Lapvona”
Author and screenwriter, she is known for her intriguing style and dramatic, disturbing and controversial stories. Paranoia, abuse, addiction, drama and loneliness characterize the dirty realism of her stories, with seemingly ordinary, dissatisfied and self-destructive characters characterizing the plots. An intriguing and original narrative, also developed in the two films she wrote, “Eileen” (an adaptation of her novel), and “Causeaway“, both recently released.
Sarah J. Maas
Known for: “Throne of Glass”, “A Court of Thorne and Roses”, “Crescent City”
Next release: “House of Flame and Shadow”
12 million copies sold worldwide and translated into 37 languages: Sarah J. Maas’ books are such a phenomenon that they are recognized as the Maasverse, a multiverse where the characters of her sagas meet, of theories, fanfiction, social reactions and constant updates. A more than deserved recognition, which has led her to be one of the undisputed queens of contemporary fantasy (both YA and adult). Action, love, plot twists and complex adventures do not give an idea of the impact and involvement that the stories of Aelin Galathynius, Feyre Archeron and Bryce Quinlan tell. Real narrative and emotional journeys that keep readers glued until the last page, or rather, line: the long-awaited final chapter of the Crescent City trilogy will be released in January 2024. Are we emotionally ready? No. Will it be one of the books that will mark us the most? Of course, like all her previous novels!
Cassandra Clare
Known for: “The Shadowunters Chronicles”
Next release: “The Sword Catcher”, “The Wicked Powers”
Leading author of the YA genre, contemporary and urban fantasy, Cassandra Clare has marked the collective imagination with the Shadowhunters saga, with protagonists some demon hunters who, for centuries, have protected the world secretly, reaching as far as the New York and Los Angeles of the present day. An extremely successful saga marked by prequels, sequels and spin-offs, with characters who, as they discover love, friendships, betrayal and their personal strength, find themselves traveling between demonic dimensions and serving the angels as knights against darkness. Waiting for what, we already know, will be the emotional final trilogy dedicated to the world of Shadowhunters, Cassandra Clare returns to bookstores with a new adult fantasy series, “The Sword Catcher“: intrigue, magic, freedom, duty and a forbidden love thwarted by an increasingly noisy conspiracy that threatens to change the fate of the protagonists and their kingdom forever. The premises for a new literary obsession are all there!
