Here are 100 books that Joan fans have personally recommended if you like
Joan.
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Iâve loved reading novels about strong, quirky women since childhood (Nancy Drew, Ramona Quimby, Harriet the Spy, the heroines of Judy Blume novels, just for starting examples!). As I grew into writing my own stories, I also started studying womenâs history. I merged these two interests to begin writing historical novels with strong women protagonists. I love the challenge of researching to figure out the details of womenâs day-to-day livesâso many unrecorded stories!âand I love to advocate for the idea (fortunately not as revolutionary as it once was) that a woman can be the hero of her own story and that each womanâs story is important to tell.
I loved this book for being historical fiction at its finest, and I loved the main character, Mary Deerfield, for being a woman who did not fit within her own time.
Itâs 1660s Boston, and Mary is married to an abusive man. Determined not to die at his hand, she must fight against everything in her society to free herself from her marriage.
I loved how this book so insightfully explored the dynamics of an abusive relationship while also bringing to vivid life a distant time and place.Â
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER ⢠From the acclaimed author of The Flight Attendant: âHistorical fiction at its bestâŚ. The book is a thriller in structure, and a real page-turner, the ending both unexpected and satisfyingâ (Diana Gabaldon, bestselling author of the Outlander series, The Washington Post).
A young Puritan womanâfaithful, resourceful, but afraid of the demons that dog her soulâplots her escape from a violent marriage in this riveting and propulsive novel of historical suspense.
Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is twenty-four-years-old. Her skin is porcelain, her eyes delft blue, and in England she might have had many suitors. ButâŚ
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn theâŚ
I have always been fascinated by religion from an intellectual perspectiveâthe way it can be such a powerful force for both good and evil and is such a constant facet of humanity, regardless of the time or place. Iâm also interested in community and the complexity of human relationships, so itâs only natural that Iâm particularly excited about books set within religious communities. And, as much as I appreciate a true crime cult expose, I am a lover of great fiction first and foremost, so novels that explore religion with intelligence and artistry are my personal holy grail.
This immediately immersed me in another time and place. Apparently, Iâm very clear in my bookish likes, because it was recommended to me multiple times due to the combination of nuns and sapphic content. Luckily, it lived up to the recommendations!
It is very well written and extremely atmospheric, and it drew me right into its medieval world. Groff managed to create characters who feel appropriate to their era but who are also accessible to a modern reader, which is not an easy task. This helped me to become emotionally invested in the book.
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS AN OBAMA'S BOOK OF THE YEAR
'Gorgeous, sensual, addictive' SARA COLLINS 'Brightly lit' NAOMI ALDERMAN
Born from a long line of female warriors and crusaders, yet too coarse for courtly life, Marie de France is cast from the royal court and sent to Angleterre to take up her new duty as the prioress of an impoverished abbey.
Lauren Groff's modern masterpiece is about the establishment of a female utopia.
'A propulsive, captivating read' BRIT BENNETT 'Fascinating, beguiling, vivid' MARIAN KEYES 'A dazzlingly clever tale' THE TIMES 'A thrillingly vivid,âŚ
As a teenager, I began to question the myths my parents told about our family, but when saying so caused trouble, I confided my stories to paper instead. Thatâs how I became a writer. My first love has always been fiction, but I broke into print writing historyâabout quirky subjects in which I find deep meaning, like the potatoâs revolutionary influence on the Western world, or how the invasion and occupation of Belgium in 1914 foretold Nazi Europe. My fascination with subversion shapes my novels tooâmy quiet, lonely protagonists would never storm the barricades yet appear radical because of how they live, a circumstance I know well.
I have a soft spot for characters who find strength by dint of superhuman effort, and the way this fifteen-year-old takes charge after the 1906 earthquakeâhaltingly, uncertainly, as is only plausibleâmakes me wish Iâd met her.
Her path is steeper than the San Francisco hills, yet her refusal to ask for pity wins me over. I also admire how Edgarian uses her protagonistâs coming of age to represent San Franciscoâs, a parallel delivered with a light touch.
But above all, the novel explores the fraught relation between women and power; and how Vera walks that tightrope makes compelling fiction.
New York Times bestselling author Carol Edgarian delivers âan all-encompassing and enthrallingâ (Oprah Daily) novel featuring an unforgettable heroine coming of age in the aftermath of catastrophe, and her quest for love and reinvention.
Meet Vera Johnson, fifteen-year-old illegitimate daughter of Rose, notorious proprietor of San Franciscoâs most legendary bordello. Vera has grown up straddling two worldsâthe madamâs alluring sphere, replete with tickets to the opera, surly henchmen, and scant morality, and the quiet domestic life of the family paid to raise her.
On the morning of the great quake, Veraâs worlds collide. As the city burns and looters vieâŚ
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa storiesâall reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argueâŚ
As a teenager, I began to question the myths my parents told about our family, but when saying so caused trouble, I confided my stories to paper instead. Thatâs how I became a writer. My first love has always been fiction, but I broke into print writing historyâabout quirky subjects in which I find deep meaning, like the potatoâs revolutionary influence on the Western world, or how the invasion and occupation of Belgium in 1914 foretold Nazi Europe. My fascination with subversion shapes my novels tooâmy quiet, lonely protagonists would never storm the barricades yet appear radical because of how they live, a circumstance I know well.
Canfield may have been the first to write a novel in which wife and husband swap roles as parental caregiver and breadwinnerâin 1924, no less, well before modern feminism.
As a former full-time father, I admire the premise and how she draws it out, not least because she depicts with perfect pitch the social pressures her characters face.
The storytelling may seem dated in spots, but her charactersâ lives ring true, and the way they come to recognize that their individual talents run contrary to societal rulesâand what they do about thatâreminds me of my own experience.
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
My life has been defined by close relationships with other women. My school years were full of sleepovers, group chats, and debrief sessions. In my twenties, my female friends quickly became more important than any romantic relationship as we navigated early adulthood milestones. My friendships with other women have made me who I am. But relationships between women are rarely as simple as the âgirl powerâ or âcatfightâ labels the media wants to apply. More often than not, theyâre a tapestry woven from a thousand different threads, some beautiful and some ugly. I love books, especially thrillers, that arenât afraid to explore the messiness of these relationships.
As a writer, Iâm no stranger to complex friendships that can emerge between creatives, which is just one of the reasons I love this delightfully dark gothic thriller about estranged best friends trapped at a writing retreat run by an enigmatic bestselling author.
With publication (and maybe their lives) on the line, the stakes couldnât be higher, but Bartz still tells a compelling story about professional jealousy and two women who have hurt and been hurt by the other.
âSex, suspense, and the supernatural fuel this propulsive debut.â âPeople
A young author is invited to an exclusive writerâs retreat that soon descends into a pulse-pounding nightmareâin the vein of The Plot and Please Join Us.
Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesnât dampen her excitement.
My graduating class in high school once designated me as âthe most likely to start a feminist revolution.â That was a lot to live up to, but Iâve made a very small stab at it by writing about women who have changed our world. I love to bring awareness about the contributions great women have made in history, but I also want modern women to see themselves in these struggles. I always say that Historical Fiction is an exercise of empathy, and I hope my work encourages women today to get involved and make a difference in the world, too.
I loved this tale about the extraordinary Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter, Mary Shelley.
Thoroughly researched, this novel delves deep into the complex relationship of a daughter who never knew her infamous, trailblazing, rule-breaking, feminist mother and how that same daughter breaks the mold in her own way by inventing the science fiction genre in writing Frankenstein.
From A Vindication of the Rights of Woman to Frankenstein, a tale of two literary legendsâa mother and daughterâdiscovering each other and finding themselves along the way, from USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Marie Thornton.  1792. As a child, Mary Wollstonecraft longed to disappear during her fatherâs violent rages. Instead, she transforms herself into the radical author of the landmark volume A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, in which she dares to propose that women are equal to men. From conservative England to the blood-drenched streets of revolutionary France, Mary refuses to bow to societyâs conventions and instead supportsâŚ
A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.
Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother hadâŚ
Becoming a mother rocked my world in countless ways, drawing me to books that explore the raw, unfiltered truth about how challenging motherhood can be. The complexitiesâthe love, guilt, and frustrationâresonate deeply with me. Motherhood is also why I started writing; initially, I wanted to process the overwhelming emotions I was feeling. When I began sharing my writing with friends, their âYeah, me too'sâ made me realize I wasnât alone. I have deep respect for authors who can capture the messiness of motherhood so honestly, and Iâm inspired by their ability to put into words what so many of us experience.
I loved this book's raw, unflinching exploration of a taboo topic: the quiet regret some mothers carry. Through Sadie, a fierce Broadway star and feminist icon, and her daughter Jude, an actress on the brink of her own fame, Reimer paints a portrait that's complex and so intimate itâs almost uncomfortable at times.
I appreciated how neither woman was cast as the villain, and in their struggle, I found I could relate to both of them at different moments. Cleverly structured as a play in six acts, this novel is a beautifully written, compulsive read that asks the hard question: can a woman truly be both a devoted mother and a devoted artist?
Set against the sparkling backdrop of the theater world, this propulsive debut follows the relationship between an actress who refuses to abandon her career and the daughter she chooses to abandon instead.
Sadie Jones, a larger-than-life actress and controversial feminist, never wanted to be a mother. No one feels this more deeply than Jude, the daughter Sadie left behind. While Jude spent her childhood touring with her fatherâs Shakespearian theater company, desperate for validation from the mother she barely knew, Sadie catapulted to fame on the wings of The Mother Actâa scathing one-woman show about motherhood.
Over a long lifetime, Iâve been intrigued to observe many variations on the themes of marriage, widowhood, divorce, and adultery among my friends, patients, and clients. The majority of marriages are probably happy, but these are not usually very interesting to write about, so marriages in fiction often involve some kind of conflict which leads to a more or less satisfactory resolution. I am a retired doctor, originally from England, and now living in New Zealand with my second husband, to whom I have been married for over 40 years.
This sophisticated, darkly humorous, and quirky short novel, translated from the French, is unlike anything else I have ever read.
The narrator is still obsessed with her husband after many years of marriage. She smothers him with devotion, and her demands for proof of his love eventually go too far. The story becomes quite farcical in places.
I suspect some readers would hate this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
In this suspenseful and darkly funny debut novel, a sophisticated French woman spends her life obsessing over her perfect husband-but can their marriage survive her passionate love?
"One of the most daring, provocative, unnervingly intimate thrillers I've read in years. Few writers besides Ruth Rendell and Patricia Highsmith can evoke domestic unease with such sangfroid; fewer still can make it such delirious fun." -A. J. Finn, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
At forty years old, she has an enviable life: a successful career, stunning looks, a beautiful house in the suburbs, two healthy children, andâŚ
Iâve probably been a naturalist since I was a child. I vividly recall having conversations with snow-capped mountains at the age of five. The most alive moments of my childhood were spent outside, and in that sense, not much has changed. I no longer live in the foothills of the Himalayas. Instead, I live in the high desert in New Mexico. But nature is as strongly present in my life now as it was thenâwhat is new is the awareness of how swiftly nature is changing. While I read widely, books rooted in the natural world have a way of making their way to meâand itâs a joy to recommend them to passionate readers.
I know I love a book if Iâve read it twice and actually consider reading it a third time.
The Child and the River, which has been described as a French Huckleberry Finn, appeals to me because it echoes, in a sense, how I was as a child. The protagonist dreams of racing outside and making his way to a riverâwhen his father has explicitly asked him not to go there. But of course, the child gets to the river, and more, when his parents are out of town!
A new translation of an evocative, Huckleberry Finnâesque French bestseller about a young farmboy, the river where he is forbidden to play, and the adventures that ensue when he disobeys his family's wishes.
The Child and the River tells a simple but haunting tale. Pascalet, a boy growing up on a farm in the south of France, is permitted by his parents to play wherever he likesâonly never by the river. Prohibition turns into temptation: Pascalet dreams of nothing so much as heading down to the river, and one day, with his parents away, he does. Wandering along the bank,âŚ
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to runâŚ
As an author, itâs all about character for me. I like to find characters doing the unexpected, finding strength when they thought all was lost, and fighting back when it seems hopeless. I write these kinds of characters, and often itâs a woman in the lead role where they face additional challenges and obstacles in their pathâsolely because of their gender. Working for 29 years in some of the toughest prisons in the country, I worked with strong, kickass women. I can't but help for some of their influence to bleed out on the page. I know youâll enjoy these titles as much as I did.
Domestic suspense is having a moment. These arenât your âdamsel in distressâ stories where a woman waits for someone to save her. I like women who bounce back hard after a setback, and this book is exactly that.
Without spoilers, when Stellaâs husband goes missing after a bombing, she canât accept the fact she has to start over. I love the fact she wants answers, and when she doesn't get them, she strikes out on her own.
Kimberly Belle creates strong female lead characters in her books, and if youâre like me, they keep you turning the pages. Kimberly is always one of my must-buy authorsâThe Paris Widow is no exception.
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Marriage Lie, don't miss this gripping thriller from Kimberly Belle, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Shari Lapena.
A DREAM HOLIDAY
Stella and her husband Adam are on the trip of a lifetime, a three-week tour across Europe. But then the unthinkable happens. On the last day of their holiday, a Parisian cafe explodes with Adam inside.
A SHOCKING ACCUSATION
What initially looks like a gas leak turns personal when the gendarmerie identify Adam as the target of the explosion, and they confront Stella with some startling allegations about her belovedâŚ
