Renee Mazin
Ladies, it’s summertime! Wouldn’t you like a girl trip with a best friend, or lunch, or maybe just to hang out by the pool for fun? Meet some gals who want to be your pal.
We are celebrating women authors who write about women. They deserve recognition for the characters they create in several genres. Some are familiar, while others are newcomers to the SaddleBrooke Sorority of favorite femme writers.
First, we have the serial authors. These women have picked a character and stuck with her through several books. They have found an audience and a formula that work. Check out these authors if you want to dive into their titles: Jacqueline Winspear, Karin Slaughter, Iris Johansen, M.C. Beaton, Linda Castillo, Elizabeth George, J.A. Jance, Anne Hillerman, Rhys Bowen, and J.D. Robb.
Next up: Women who write mysteries with a psychological/twisty component. These authors include Alafair Burke, Sandra Brown, Lisa Jewell, Mary Higgins Clark, Ruth Ware, Lisa Gardner, Catherine Coulter, and Paige Shelton.
If you like historical fiction writers, try books by Melanie Benjamin, Beatriz Williams, and Pam Jenoff. But if you like fictionalized accounts of real historical figures, try books by Kate Quinn or Marie Benedict.
Family stories are always a good summer read. These women authors have stories that include drama, mystery, or humor—sometimes all three. Look for titles by Lisa See, Nora Roberts, Jo Jo Moyes, Liane Moriarty, Elin Hilderbrand, Jennifer Weiner, Janet Evanovich, Danielle Steel, and Katherine Center.
Still searching for your perfect female author? Want something with a little more weight to it (no, not a book that is heavy to hold, but perhaps a deeper read)? You may want to read titles by Kristin Hannah, Geraldine Brooks, Jodi Picoult, Christine Baker Kline, Lisa Scottoline, or Isabel Allende.
If you are overwhelmed by all these author suggestions, here are some of our newest books: historical fiction: Ballad of Love and Glory, Grande; Christie Affair, de Gramont; Tobacco Wives, Perry; Magnolia Palace, Davis; Four Treasures of the Sky, Zhang. If you want a real fictionalized character, try Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post, Pataki. Twisty/psychological mysteries: Book of Cold Cases, St. James; Girl in Ice, Ferencik; Night Shift, Alex Finlay. For family drama titles: French Braid, Tyler; Younger Wife, Hepworth; One Italian Summer, Searle; Good Son, Mitchard. New debut authors who are being “inducted” (by me) into the SaddleBrooke Sorority of Authors: Sascha Rothchild’s Blood Sugar has Ruby, a serial killer you want in your corner but not too close, and Bonnie Garmus’ Lessons in Chemistry has Elizabeth Zott, a scientist in the 1960s who is the feminist leading our “rush” week.
Join these women and pledge to read a few of these SaddleBrooke Sorority authors. Check the online catalog by title or author. You may also want to “pledge” by joining the Friends of SaddleBrooke Libraries at sbfsl.org and help support their continued efforts to fund our libraries with books, DVDs, and audios. Thank you, and enjoy!