Shady Ladies List: October 2019
It’s officially tailgating season here in Michigan!
For some people that means football games and cookouts. But for a #booknerd? A book, a dog, a picnic and a thermos of cocktails.
And as the days get darker and the whimsy of summer fades, I gravitate toward sweeping family sagas and deeply reported works of nonfiction. My brain is ready to re-engage after all those summer beach reads. (There were many!)
To help you find your next great read, Shady Ladies is reintroducing its monthly #ShadyLadiesList.
Each month we scour publishers’ catalogues to find the books being published by emerging women writers. That way, you can find your next great read AND support a new author.
Below you’ll find the October jackpot. Titles are organized by publication date.
See something you like? Call your local bookstore and place an advance order. It helps authors tremendously with early buzz and the possibility of making the New York Times Bestseller List.
💋 Amy
P.S. 💖 = Can't wait to read it
NONFICTION 💖
SAVING AMERICA’S CITIES
By Lizabeth Cohen
Farrar, Straus & Giroux | Oct. 1, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
The prizewinning historian follows the career of Edward J. Logue, a rival to Robert Moses, and his attempt to rebuild America’s cities. “Today, when inequality is on the rise, Saving America’s Cities warns against easy solutions while offering hope ..." ― Ann Forsyth, Harvard Magazine
FICTION
RIGHT AFTER THE WEATHER
By Carol Anshaw
Atria Books | Oct. 1, 2019
Listen to an audio excerpt.
“Anshaw crafts an engaging narrative with her customary precision and tart humor. Another treat from the great Anshaw: sharply observed, unsentimentally compassionate, always cognizant of life's complexities.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
NONFICTION
ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL
by Meaghan Winter
Bold Type Books | Oct. 1, 2019
Listen to an audio excerpt.
"In this rousing debut...Winter's account is well-reported and reasonable...With its emphasis on the power of long-term organization and incremental change, this book will speak deeply to aspiring activists."—Publishers Weekly
ESSAY
EROSION
By Terry Tempest Williams
Farrar, Straus & Giroux | Oct. 8, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
“Terry Tempest Williams’s voice in the clamor is like a hot desert wind blowing away the litter in a crowded room and leaving behind only what has weight, what is essential. These are essays about the courage to face what is most brutal and monstrous, by finding what is most beautiful and merciful.” —Rebecca Solnit, author of Call Them by Their True Names
FICTION
THE GIVER OF STARS
by Jojo Moyes
Pamela Dorman Books | Oct. 8, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
The bestselling author is back with a classic drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. (No, she’s not emerging...but we needed some fiction on this list!) “Moyes writes delicious plots, with characters so clearly imagined they leap off the pages in high-definition prose.” —USA Today
MEMOIR
GOOD HUSBANDRY
By Kristin Kimball
Scribner | Oct. 15, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
A decade ago, she left Manhattan to start a farm upstate New York. Her first book was a runaway hit. Now we find out what happens after ever after. "Kimball’s superb memoir chronicles the evolution of a farm, marriage, family, and her own personal identity with humor, insight, and candor.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
MEMOIR
THE FIRST CELL
By Azra Raza
Basic Books | Oct. 15, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
"The First Cell is the rare book that brings both a personal and scientific experience of cancer together. It questions the profiteering that floods our environment with carcinogens in the first place, and also those that profit from treating it. Azra Raza puts our focus where it should be: on prevention and early detection." — Gloria Steinem
BIOGRAPHY
JANIS
By Holly George-Warren
Simon & Schuster | Oct. 22, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
“I’ve been waiting for the right person to write the definitive biography of Janis Joplin! All fans should be grateful it’s finally here. Janis lives and breathes freedom and soul, and Holly George-Warren captures that spirit perfectly.” — Rosanne Cash
MEMOIR
BLOOD
By Allison Moorer
Da Capo Press | Oct. 29, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
The memoir of a singer/songwriter whose father shot and killed her mother -- and then himself.
"There is much wisdom in her experience as well as in her reflections on what she has read and heard....Much different from most musicians' memoirs and of much interest to all who wrestle to understand tragedies of their own."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
NONFICTION
SHADOW NETWORK
By Anne Nelson
Bloomsbury Publishing | Oct. 29, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
“If you like being scared, read Anne Nelson's Shadow Network. It's the alarming story of how Christian fundamentalists coalesced into a political force and have essentially taken over the Trump administration. . . . The task of putting this whole story together is nothing shy of monumental.” – San Francisco Review of Books
MEMOIR
THINGS WE DIDN’T TALK ABOUT WHEN I WAS A GIRL
By Jeannie Vanasco
Tin House Books | Oct. 1, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
“It’s hard to overstate the importance of this gorgeous, harrowing, heartbreaking book, which tackles sexual violence and its aftermath. Vanasco is whip-smart and tender… the perfect guide through the minefield of her trauma, and ours.” — Carmen Maria Machado, Bustle
MEMOIR💖
FAIR PLAY
By Eve Rodksy
G.P. Putnam’s Sons | Oct. 1, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
Heard about the Sh*t I Do List? This is the woman who created it hoping her husband would see everything she does. "A hands-on, real talk guide for navigating the hot-button issues that so many families struggle with." — Reese Witherspoon
COOKING 💖
BUTCHER + BEAST
by Angie Mar
Clarkson Potter | Oct. 1, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
“At New York’s iconic Beatrice Inn, [Angie’s] menu ranges from 75 Day Lavender Aged Butcher’s Steak to Muscadet Vine Smoked Rabbit. So it should come as no surprise that her debut cookbook, Butcher + Beast, showcases that passion.”—Food & Wine
MEMOIR
TOUGH LOVE
By Susan Rice
Simon & Schuster | Oct. 8, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
Yes, that Susan Rice. Benghazi Susan Rice. “Susan Rice provides a compelling look at what it is really like to work in the inner sanctums of the White House… Reading Tough Love is like taking a master class in how to be a powerful woman. I was riveted from the first page.” — Shonda Rhimes
MEMOIR
WHAT IF THIS WERE ENOUGH?By Heather Havrilesky
Anchor | Oct. 8, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
The advice columnist behind Ask Polly looks at our need for self-improvement. “Wise, wry essays on the false promise of self-help, the emptiness of materialism, and the beauty of the ’imperfect moment.’” —People
MEMOIR/TRUE CRIME
THE LESS PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT US
By Axton Betz-Hamilton
Grand Central Publishing | Oct. 15, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
The tension of a thriller...[and] jaw dropping revelations. Astonishing and disturbing, this emotionally resonant book is perfect for true crime fans."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
MEMOIR💖
LIFE UNDERCOVER
By Amaryllis Fox
Knopf | Oct. 15, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
Fox spent 10 years in one of the CIA’s most clandestine ops units, hunting terrorists and raising a family.
“Gripping…Fox masterfully conveys the exhilaration and loneliness of life undercover, and her memoir reads like a great espionage novel.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
MEMOIR 💖
FOR SMALL CREATURES SUCH AS WE
By Sasha Sagan
G.P. Putnam’s Sons | Oct. 22, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
Yes, it’s Carl Sagan’s daughter! “An eye-opening book for those who might question traditional religious celebrations but feel connected to the community, rituals, and comforts they provide, this is a refreshing, intelligent examination of faith, religion, and the many wonders of science worthy of celebration.” —Booklist (starred review)
NONFICTION💖
HOME NOW
By Cynthia Anderson
PublicAffairs | Oct. 29, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
The story of Lewiston, Maine, and how 6,000 refugees changed a town.
"A compassionate and insightful account of the human stories behind one of the most divisive issues in American politics." —Farah Stockman, Pulitzer Prize winner
NONFICTION
GENUINE FAKES
By Lydia Pyne
Bloomsbury Sigma | Oct. 29, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
“Lively, thought-provoking, and consistently surprising, this book forces us to think deeper about what authenticity and fakery really mean, at a time when such matters could hardly matter more. Lydia Pyne is the real deal.” – Ed Yong, author of New York Times bestseller I Contain Multitude
FICTION/THRILLER
LOOKER
By Laura Sims
Scribner | Oct. 1, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
One of the most anticipated books of 2019, according to Vogue. "In prose that moves between lyrical and caterwauling, the poet Laura Sims has pulled off the high-wire act of making bitterness delicious." —Vogue
NONFICTION
RADICAL
By Kate Pickert
Little, Brown Spark | Oct. 1, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
Looking at the state of American politics through the lens of three battleground states: Missouri, Florida, and Colorado. "A compassionate, lucid, and well-researched account of historic and ongoing attempts to combat breast cancer."—Publishers Weekly
SHORT STORIES💖
SALT SLOW
By Julia Armfield
Flatiron Books | Oct. 8, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
This collection of short stories is one of the most anticipated books for fall. “Visceral, fierce and beautifully unsettling, Armfield’s writing has an astonishing power. This collection haunted me with its brilliance.” —Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory
MEMOIR
MUSIC TO MY YEARS
By Cristela Alonzo
Atria Books | Oct. 8, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
Sad that Showtime cancelled I’m Dying Up Here? Maybe this will be your fix of the comedic life. “Cristela’s real life evolved into her comedy and her comedy informed her sense of right and wrong—but more than anything, Cristela has remained real and funny. Read the book. You’ll understand.” —Whoopi Goldberg
NONFICTON 💖
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
By Melanie Mitchell
Farrar, Straus & Giroux | Oct. 15, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
Yes, this is written by a computer scientist. But it’s supposed to be very readable! "Melanie Mitchell writes about AI with a warm, friendly voice and an unpretentious brilliance that no machine could hope to match...for now." ―Steven Strogatz, professor of mathematics, Cornell University
MEMOIR💖
A YEAR WITHOUT A NAME
By Cyrus Grace Dunham
Little, Brown and Company | Oct. 15, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
Dunham brings us inside the chrysalis of gender transition. "'Devotion is the closest thing I've known to a stable gender,' Dunham writes in this deeply intimate memoir. Lucid, unvarnished prose makes the book compulsively readable even as it wrestles with the weightiness of transition and identity."—O MAGAZINE
NONFICTION
STOP BEING REASONABLE
By Eleanor Gordon-Smith
PublicAffairs | Oct. 22, 2019
Listen to an audio excerpt here.
"I knew how piercingly smart Eleanor Gordon-Smith is, and what a curious and resolute interviewer. But I was unprepared for how entertainingly she writes! I read this with pleasure." —Ira Glass, host of This American Life
COOKING
NOTHING FANCY
By Alison Roman
Clarkson Potter | Oct. 22, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
“The title of this book says it all. Alison Roman delivers relaxed-but-impressive, easily executed, people-pleasing food like single-pot dishes of aromatic coconut-braised chicken and chickpeas and sheets of lemon turmeric tea cake.” —Forbes
MEMOIR💖
ORDINARY GIRLS
By Jaquira Diaz
Algonquin Books | Oct. 29, 2019
Read an excerpt here.
Being compared to Tara Westover’s Educated; loved by Sandra Cisneros.
“[A] strong debut . . . gripping . . . Díaz’s empowering book wonderfully portrays the female struggle and the patterns of family dysfunction.” —Publishers Weekly
Caveat 1: I do my best to make this list as complete as possible, but I may miss a few. Hit me up if you know someone who should be included. Caveat 2: I don't feature self-published authors. Caveat 3: I don’t keep a list for poetry or genre (romance, horror, etc.). It’s not because they aren’t worthy. They are. I just don’t prefer them. Caveat 4: If you see 📚, it means I was provided an advanced review copy of the book free of charge or promise of coverage. Caveat 5: Support your local bookseller!