Are you looking for books written by women? Let our very own bookseller & published author Thera take you on a tour of some of the most influential female voices across various genres.
Favorite Adult Contemporary Writer: Toni Morrison
Whether tackling narratives grounded in realism, or brimming with supernatural elements, Morrison’s prose is always vivid and fascinating enough to hook the reader within a few sentences. One of the strongest writers of her or any generation.
Favorite YA Contemporary Writer: Elizabeth Acevedo
Acevedo’s novels, typically written in verse, stand alongside the most soulful and beautiful on the YA Market. With themes of generational healing and artistic expression often present in her work, Acevedo is a must read author for any young dreamer.
Favorite Thriller Writer: Gillian Flynn
Flynn’s twisty murder mysteries are endlessly compelling, even without her biting commentary on relationships and womanhood at their messiest. There’s a reason her work is the blueprint for so many modern thrillers.
Favorite Sci Fi Writer: Octavia Butler
Butler’s novels are some of the most fearless speculative works of the last half century. Her writing never holds back in its exploration of trauma and identity, which feel painfully real even when vampires, time travel, and dystopian societies are added to the mix.
Favorite Adult Fantasy Writer: Francesca Lia Block
Francesca Lia Block’s dizzy, fantastical take on Los Angeles has charmed both teen and adult audiences for over three decades. Inserting witches and mythical creatures in the land of swaying palm trees and glistening pools is as magical as it is totally right.
Favorite YA Fantasy Writer: Holly Black
Teen angst, urban strife and dreamy faerie folk collide in the pages of Holly Black’s massively entertaining books. For those who love paranormal romance but are a little too cool for Twilight, Black’s stories are the perfect choice.
Favorite Comic Book Writer: Marjane Satrapi
Satrapi is a multi talented memoirist who uses her clean, simple drawings, heartfelt prose, and sparkling wit to bring her stories of coming of age in Iran and beyond to life. While her work is deeply personal, her themes of family and finding one's place in the world are instantly relatable.
Favorite Classics Writer: Zora Neale Hurston
A juggernaut of the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston’s writings are often as challenging as they are alluring. With phonetic dialogue that refuses to handhold, and sometimes difficult themes treated with the utmost empathy, her writing will sweep you up entirely if you let it.
Favorite Horror Writer: Mary Shelly
Although mostly known for a single work of fiction, Frankenstein is enduring and iconic enough to put her right alongside the masters of her craft. Aiming for more than a few cheap scares, Frankenstein delves into all that it means to be human, the most chilling question of all.
Favorite Poet: Dorothy Parker
Parker’s playful, witty rhymes have stood the test of time, inspiring writers to this day, whether they realize it or not. And while Parker’s stanzas never cease to be amusing, they also consistently bring insight into subjects that have long been vital in the hearts of fantastic, long suffering women.
Thera Pitts is a lifelong lover of fiction, whether on the page or on the screen. When she isn’t selling books, she can be found chilling in her room, writing a story, or dressing up like a superhero at a comic book convention. Her first novel, South, is available at The Book Jewel.