Here are 56 books that Flashes of Insight fans have personally recommended if you like
Flashes of Insight.
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I started reading thrillers when I was twelve—Grisham, Patterson, anything I could get my hands on. I learned quickly that in those stories, men were the ones doing the saving. They had the adventures; women were either the obstacle or the one being rescued. That’s why I love where the genre is now. I get to read stories where women take control—sometimes saving the day, sometimes going further than they probably should. It’s changed how I read, and honestly, it’s shaped how I think about storytelling. These are the kinds of books that made me want more—and made me want to be part of that shift.
As the kids would say, this book totally slaps—but it’s certainly not written for them.
I loved how unapologetically it speaks to women like me, navigating that strange, under-discussed territory of perimenopause and menopause. What hooked me is how it refuses to treat the “change” as something to manage quietly—instead, it turns it into fuel.
I felt the shift from discomfort to control, and then past control into something sharper, more dangerous. I couldn’t get enough of that energy: the anger, the dark humor, the sense that these women are done asking for permission and are willing to go further than they probably should.
It’s the kind of book I keep coming back to because it reminds me how thin the line is between reclaiming power and becoming something unstoppable.
'A perfect contradiction, existing in the shades of grey that real life is so often painted in . . . A story that's as furious as it is tender' Emily Henry
'A roar of rage, a pacy page-turner, I loved it with all my broken heart. Read it. You'll love it' Marian Keyes
'A propulsive plot and characters that roar off the page, this is a novel that's unafraid to take on societal misogyny while being satirical and even funny at the same time' Guardian
'An addictive, fast-paced crime novel like nothing you've ever read before' Red magazine
The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.
On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…
People, including me, can be so uptight about their bodies. Early on in my career, I found that writing about my shame (chin hair!) or embarrassment (dogs sniffing my crotch!) helped the stigma go away. Researching and learning about how amazing our bodies are helped empower me to feel confident and comfortable being fully myself. I think it can do the same for others, too. My takeaway: There is greatness in our grossness.
This book exploded my beliefs about breasts – all that they are and all that they’ve been through and where they are headed next. Williams is a fabulous guide, taking the reader on an adventure as she uncovers the anatomy and evolution of the breast, and even the pollutants found inside her own breastmilk. Knowing the vulnerabilities – and history! – of my rack made me appreciate it all the more.
Did you know that breast milk contains substances similar to cannabis? Or that it's sold on the Internet for 262 times the price of oil? Feted and fetishized, the breast is an evolutionary masterpiece. But in the modern world, the breast is changing. Breasts are getting bigger, arriving earlier, and attracting newfangled chemicals. Increasingly, the odds are stacked against us in the struggle with breast cancer, even among men. What makes breasts so mercurial-and so vulnerable?
In this informative and highly entertaining account, intrepid science reporter Florence Williams sets out to uncover the latest scientific findings from the fields of…
Growing up I never felt good enough. I was called ‘tubby’ and ‘little tubette.’ I tried to people-please my way to love and acceptance, being who I thought others wanted and needed me to be. I achieved. I followed (most of) the rules and was nice and polite. But none of that worked to cultivate a balanced or meaningful life. Not surprisingly, this led me to a career in psychology and a love of learning about how to help others with similar struggles. Reading and writing self-development books has completely changed my life for the better. I hope this list will help you do the same!
Ok, I know it seems like this book is only for middle aged ladies but hear me out. Half the population will experience menopause and it is impactful. And yet, it is talked about so very little.
So for those of you who are going through it or will go through it, this book is a must read. For the rest of you—you will work with, love, and/or live with people who go through it, so if you care about your relationships and want to demystify what is happening behind the curtain of those you love, this could be an incredibly valuable read for you too.
Not only is this science-based book chock full of must-know information, it is laugh-out-loud-with-tears-streaming-down-your-face funny.
“Hot and Bothered removes the shame, disdain, and mystery that’s surrounded menopause….An informative, entertaining and desperately needed book.” —Jen Sincero, author of You Are a Badass
When Jancee Dunn hit her mid-forties, she was bombarded by seemingly random symptoms: rampant insomnia, spring-loaded nerves, weirdly dry mouth, and Rio Grande-level periods. After going to multiple doctors who ran test after fruitless test, she was surprised to finally discover the culprit—perimenopause. For more than two decades, Jancee had been reporting on mental and physical health. So if she was unprepared for this, what about all the women who don’t write about health…
Jake Sledge, a rugged ex-cop turned private eye, teams up with his colossal partner Bobo to navigate the gritty streets of River City.
A murdered lawyer drags them into a web of political intrigue, neo-Nazi thugs, and bloody showdowns. With sharp wit and hard-hitting action, Jake tackles scumbags the only…
I started my motherhood journey when I was barely out of my teens. For the next two decades, I only knew myself as a wife and mother. As my brood of five children grew into adults, I found myself poorly equipped to parent independent Gen X and Z’ers. Then, at 46 years of age, when perimenopause hit me like a hurricane, I found myself evolving into another woman altogether. The good news was – I really liked her! I hope you enjoy these books about mid-life women parenting adult children and rediscovering themselves in the never-ever-done-aftermath of motherhood.
Enright’s middle-aged main character is richly drawn and every bit as gorgeous as her beautiful and troubled adult daughter.
This is a story about mothers and adult daughters building each other up and tearing each other to pieces at the same time. I laughed, I cried, and I read it all over again.
**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024**
Carmel had been alone all her life. The baby knew this. They looked at each other, and all of time was there. The baby knew how vast her mother's loneliness had been.
'A magnificent novel' SALLY ROONEY
Nell is a young woman with adventure on her mind. As she sets out into the world, she finds her family history hard to escape. For her mother, Carmel, Nell's leaving home opens a space in her heart, where the turmoil of a lifetime begins to churn. Over them both falls the long shadow of…
I have enjoyed writing and creating stories based on fictional characters since my writing assignments in elementary school. I can remember my teachers telling my mother that my stories were very captivating and that I would take my simple assignments to a level that they hadn’t expected. This love for writing led to a love for reading fiction books and a deeper love for urban fiction, women’s fiction, and erotic fiction. I enjoyed books so much that I became a bookseller at a local bookstore and moved up to a specialist who introduced customers to their next favorite book.
This book grabbed my attention from the beginning and had me locked in. It was written with so much detail that I felt there was no way the characters were made up. The main characters, Nate and Monica Kenny go through the toughest times after they marry. They quickly face challenges centered around miscarriages and premature menopause that make Nate’s long-time dream of becoming a father impossible.
I love how the story takes many twists and turns and introduces new characters like bad boy, low-income earning barber, Lewis, and adds him into the world of the rich and happy Nate and Monica.
Scheming to obtain a divorce without losing half of his millions by exploiting an infidelity clause in his prenuptial agreement, business entrepreneur Nate Kenny blackmails a down-on-his-luck man into seducing his wife, a plan that backfires in unexpected ways. 30,000 first printing.
I have been writing and publishing memoirs since I was in my twenties and working at The New York Times, where I learned the power of sharing what it is we know after what we’ve been through. What I now know is that memoir is the single greatest portal to self-discovery. I do not know how I feel about anything until I write it down. Teaching memoir for thirty years has allowed me to witness people reoccupy themselves after they take back the power of their stories from oppressors, abusers, medical trauma, and the other deep influences of life. Getting one’s story in one’s hands is the road to change. Memoir allows for that change, both for the reader and the writer.
For me, Nora Ephron is the epitome of humor and grace as she dishes up the very ingredients that go into being a woman in this crazy world. Humor is the hardest thing to write, and this author, who believed that everything is copy, brings to the book the full force of that life rule as well as an eye that is infallible.
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A candid, hilarious look at women of a certain age and dealing with the tribulations of maintenance, menopause, empty nests, and life itself.
“Wickedly witty ... Crackling sharp ... Fireworks shoot out [of this collection].” —The Boston Globe
With her disarming, intimate, completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Nora Ephron chronicles her life as an obsessed cook, passionate city dweller, and hapless parent. But mostly she speaks frankly and uproariously about life as an older woman. Utterly courageous, uproariously funny, and unexpectedly moving in its truth telling, I Feel Bad About My Neck is…
Caroline Herschel has always lived in the shadows. Beholden to her wildly popular older brother, William, who rescued her from servitude, she's worked hard to build a life for herself – one where she can go unnoticed and repay the debt she believes she owes him. But when her brother…
If one of the main reasons we marry is to raise a family, what happens to the couple once the children grow up and no longer need daily care?
A few years ago, I completed an MSc in Psychology, and my dissertation explored exactly this question. After interviewing many couples, it became clear that unless parents are emotionally prepared for life after children, the sense of loss can be overwhelming. That research raised deeper questions about why we commit—and what keeps us committed.
Reading this book made me blush, gasp and giggle—a lot!
Difficult to describe without spoilers—a literal and metaphorical road trip with surprises at every stop. The moving, shocking and very funny story follows 45-year-old Los Angeles–based multimedia artist, navigating midlife, parenting and a marriage that had lost its narrative under the weight of routine and thwarted expectations.
The New York Times bestselling author returns with an irreverently sexy, tender, hilarious and surprising novel about a woman upending her life
“A frank novel about a midlife awakening, which is funnier and more boldly human than you ever quite expect….the bravery of All Fours is nothing short of riveting.”—Vogue
“A novel that presses into that tender bruise about the anxiety of aging, of what it means to have a female body that is aging, and wanting the freedom to live a fuller life…Deeply funny and achingly true.” —LA Times
I’ve always loved fantasy books with female main characters, but as I’ve grown older, it’s been difficult to find contemporary women’s fantasy with main characters over the age of thirty-five. So when I discovered paranormal women’s fiction, a new genre label for stories of midlife women with magic, I was instantly hooked. I read everything I could get my hands on. After that, I was so inspired that I decided to write a contemporary fantasy series of my own, one in which every protagonist was a woman over the age of forty.
This was the first contemporary fantasy book I read with a female protagonist over the age of forty.
I love the Savannah, Georgia setting, and I think the blend of fantasy, action, magic, and humor is just right. It's got a touch of romance but isn't entirely focused on it. An all-around fun read!
When divorce comes your way, don't let the ex get you down. Get ready for a whole new laugh-out-loud adventure. Because life is just beginning . . . as a midlife bounty hunter of the supernatural!
# 1 in Women's Fantasy Fiction! #1 in Fantasy & Futuristic Romance # 1 New releases Werewolf and Shifter Romance
One day I’m married, living in Seattle, and magic isn’t real.
The next, I’m divorced and living in the guest room of my ex’s hotter- than-sin cousin’s place in Savannah . . . and talking to an animated skeleton named Robert.
For years, I suffered from extremely painful periods and terrible mood swings before my period. I chalked this up to being a bad person. When I was in my thirties, I found out I had PMDD: premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Researchers have known about PMDD for years, yet it still takes over a decade to get a diagnosis. I got mad, and I got curious. What was going on? I went hunting for books to explain what we know about periods and why we don’t talk about them. The books on this list answered many of my questions—I hope they answer yours.
In a world where women’s reproductive health is stigmatized, under-researched, and subsequently untreated, Dr. Karen Tang is a breath of fresh air. She’s the gynecologist we all deserve.
Her book walks through gynecological disorders in clear, easy-to-understand language, with doses of humor. I wanted to bring it with me to every appointment I’ve ever had (and maybe throw it in the face of one or two unsympathetic doctors.)
An inclusive and essential new resource for reproductive health—including period problems, pelvic pain, menopause, fertility, sexual health, vaginal and urinary conditions, and overall wellbeing—from leading expert and fierce advocate Dr. Karen Tang
Did you know that up to 90% of women experience menstrual abnormalities or pelvic issues in their lifetime? Yet these conditions are overwhelmingly misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or dismissed. The root causes for these issues, such as PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, PMDD, or pelvic floor dysfunction, don’t receive the stream of funding for research and new treatments that other conditions do, despite affecting up to half the population.
Rodney Bradford comes into Lindsay's restaurant, offers to buy her small house for double its value, eats her brownies, and drops dead on the sidewalk in front. Next, her almost-ex-husband offers to sign the divorce papers, but only if she'll give him her small,…
As a reader, I’ve always been attracted to novels that are character-driven, filling my shelves with books about people who seize the day and fight for what they want, who are interesting, relatable, and flawed but who don’t let those flaws define them. As a writer, I like to put my own flawed characters in situations that force them to face who they are and either come to terms with it or overturn themselves and their lives entirely, and all the novels I’ve listed have a hint of this, too. I hope you enjoy them!
I love books that tackle less common characters and taboo subjects. In this case, it’s the usually overlooked ‘woman of a certain age’ and menopause. In this case, Eliza has ‘had enough’ and wants to rediscover what life has to offer—something a lot of us can relate to! It’s laugh-out-loud funny, full of drama and wisdom, and people of every age and gender should read it.
'Made me laugh and flinch in equal measure' Sophie Kinsella
Eliza is angry. Very angry, and very, very hot.
Late for work and dodging traffic, she's still reeling from the latest row with husband Paddy. Twenty-something years ago, their eyes met over the class divide in oh-so-cool Britpop London, but while Paddy now seems content filling his downtime with canal boats and cricket, Eliza craves the freedom and excitement of her youth. Fifty sounds dangerously close to pensionable: her woke children want to cancel her, a male motorist has just called her a 'mad old bat' and to cap it…
