#ShadyLadiesList: February 2020
What’s better than a great book and a perfect cocktail?
Not much! And when I’m in the mood for a quiet night sipping a drink and getting lost in my book, I head over to Castalia Cocktails. (And trust me, Eden Mine was one I couldn’t put down!)
This jewelbox of a bar in Detroit’s midtown neighborhood never lets me down. The owners, Kevin and Jane, and their staff always make me feel welcome — even when I’m alone — and have great recommendations. Plus, they pair all of their drinks with a scent, which makes for an evening that engages all of my senses!
So grab a book and come on over. Maybe we’ll meet and can have one of those new #silentbookclubs where people get together and read together but don’t talk. (Good for us introverts!) But DO ask your bartender to tell you the story of how they transform this tiny space from a parfumerie into a bar every day at 6 p.m. It’s awesome.
There are at least two other hidden stories to be found at Castlia, but I don’t want to spoil the fun. So be sure to ask the following questions:
What do the light fixtures say?
The beautiful gold dots and dashes embedded in the milky white bar are Morse code. Ask what the message is…
Need a recommendation of what to read next? Here’s our #ShadyLadiesList of emerging women authors being published in February 2020. It’s not comprehensive, but it’s a list of what I’ve loved, am most looking forward to, or is already getting good buzz.
See something you like? Call your local bookstore.
💋 Amy
💖 = Loved 🍸= Can’t wait to read 📚 = Received a review copy
FICTION 📚
THE CACTUS LEAGUE
By Emily Nemens
Farrar, Straus & Giroux | Feb. 4, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“[Nemens] works within the quirky register of the heart, writing about one of her great passions: baseball. She crafts a humorous and emotional novel about a star outfielder, and the coaches, fans and criminals who inhabit the same off-kilter world.” — Wall Street Journal
MEMOIR
DON’T LET ME DOWN
By Erin Hosier
Atria Books | Feb. 18, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“[An] unsettling yet witty coming-of-age story…with chapter headings named after Beatles songs, this incisive memoir effectively transports readers to the ‘70s while exploring the weighty complexities of father-daughter love.”— Publishers Weekly
NONFICTION
THE GENIUS OF WOMEN
by Janice Kaplan
Dutton | Feb. 18, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“Why has the barrier-breaking work of so many women been brushed aside throughout history? New York Times bestselling journalist Janice Kaplan is celebrating much deserved female geniuses in The Genius of Women.” — Parade Magazine
MEMOIR 🍸
IN THE LAND OF MEN
By Adrienne Miller
Ecco | Feb. 11, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“[Miller] recounts her career as an ‘improbable gatekeeper’ and spins an elegy for the glory days of American magazines, with cameos by Norman Mailer, George Plimpton, and Dave Eggers. The star of the show, though, is David Foster Wallace . . . who quickly became her greatest confidant. So began a long-distance love affair that defied definition. … What a treat to listen in.” — Vogue
FICTION
THE LIGHT AFTER THE WAR
By Anita Abriel
Atria Books | Feb. 4, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
"Inspired by her own mother’s remarkable life, Anita Abriel takes readers to four continents as she celebrates the power of hope, optimism and female friendship. If you are a reader who believes in embracing life and love—even after unspeakable loss—you will treasure this book." - Sally Koslow, author of Another Side of Paradise
NONFICTION
THE ONE’S WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR
By Charlotte Alter
Viking | Feb. 18, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“Just when we need it, a new generational wave is poised to sweep away the aging politicians who are part of a divisive and dysfunctional system. By the end you’ll smile and say to yourself, there’s hope.” — Walter Isaacson, New York Times bestselling author of Steve Jobs
FICTION
THE RESISTERS
By Gish Jen
Knopf | Feb. 4, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
"The Resisters is palpably loving, smart, funny, and desperately unsettling. The novel should be required reading for the country both as a cautionary tale and because it is a stone-cold masterpiece. This is Gish Jen's moment. She has pitched a perfect game." — Ann Patchett
NONFICTION 🍸
THE THREE-CORNERED WAR
By Megan Kate Nelson
Scribner | Feb. 11, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
"A gripping tale of the Civil War in the West. Exploring the interaction of a fascinating cast of characters during a time of immense change, Nelson reveals an all too human struggle for territorial control. The Three-Cornered War brings this battle between peoples, armies, agendas, and the environment to living breathing life." — Joanne B. Freeman, author of The Field of Blood
FICTION 🍸
VERGE
By Lidia Yuknavitch
Riverhead Books | Feb. 4, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“At several points while reading Verge, I found myself curled into a ball, my fingers gripping the pages so tightly they almost tore the paper. It was as if the words had crawled off the page and under my skin.” - Cornelia Channing, The Paris Review
NONFICTION
WHISTLEBLOWER
By Susan Fowler
Viking | Feb. 18, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“Sharp and engrossing . . . A powerful illustration of the obstacles our society continues to throw up in the paths of ambitious young women.” - The New York Times Book Review
HISTORY
CHANEL’S RIVIERA
By Anna de Courcy
St. Martin’s Press | Feb. 18, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
"Intoxicating descriptions...of Chanel's life, specifically her fashion innovations and love affairs, are woven throughout the book...But glamour on the Riviera would soon give way to a fight for survival. The awkward juxtaposition of the Riviera’s high-society decadence and the gruesome atrocities of the war is difficult to reconcile.” ―New York Times
FICTION 💖 📚
EDEN MINE
By S. M. Hulse
Farrar, Straus & Giroux | Feb. 11, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
"Hulse’s talent is evidenced by her nuanced portrayal of Jo and the way she sees the world. Hulse . . . perfectly captures not only the landscape of the American West, but also what it feels like to survive in a town that is dying." — The New York Times
NONFICTION 🍸
HOOD FEMINISM
by Mikki Kendall
Viking | Feb. 25, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“My wish is that every white woman who calls herself a feminist (as I do) will read this book in a state of hushed and humble respect. Kendall is calling out white feminists here—and it’s long overdue that we …change our entire way of thinking and behaving.” — Elizabeth Gilbert, author, Eat, Pray Love
FICTION 💖 📚
INDELICACY
By Amina Cain
Farrar, Straus & Giroux | Feb. 11, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“"This beautiful volume presents a compelling and unexpected take on women’s fulfillment in love, work and the world. Feminist and meticulous, Indelicacy is fresh, graceful, and gratifyingly daring." ― Karla Strand, Ms. Magazine
SHORT STORIES
LOOK HOW HAPPY I’M MAKING YOU
By Polly Rosenwaike
Anchor | Feb. 18, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“Nearly every imaginable experience related to reproduction and new parenthood are the territory of this incisive story collection. Armed with wit, tenderness and candor, Rosenwaike helps obliterate any taboos that may still exist surrounding the tribulations of women’s reproductive lives.” - People, “Book of the Week”
FICTION
OONA OUT OF ORDER
By Margarita Montimore
Flatiron Books | Feb. 25, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“A smart, funny, time-hopping journey around the last four decades . . . Montimore’s meditation on what always changes and what never will sparkles with hope and heart, perfect for readers who love a quirky, thought-provoking tale.” — Shelf Awareness
FICTION 🍸📚
SAINT X
By Alexis Schaitkin
Celadon | Feb. 18, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
"Saint X is hypnotic, delivering acute social commentary on everything from class and race to familial bonds and community, and yet its weblike nature never confuses, or fails to captivate. I devoured Saint X in a day." — New York Times
MEMOIR 💖📚
THE TONI MORRISON BOOK CLUB
By Juda Bennett, Winifred Brown-Glaude, Cassanda Jackson, Piper Kendrix Williams
University of Wisconsin Press | Feb. 4, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“What can the work of Toni Morrison teach us about the world we live in? Morrison’s work provides a scaffolding here; the narrative frame of the distinct voices is unique and makes for an intriguing multivocal experience.” - Emily Bernard, author of Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine
FICTION 🍸
WEATHER
By Jenny Offill
Knopf | Feb. 11, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“We named Offill's previous novel, the shrewd and genre-destroying Dept. of Speculation, as a book every woman should read; this follow-up, a sort of spiritual sequel, solidifies the author's place among the vanguard of writers who are reinvigorating literature.” - O The Oprah Magazine
NONFICTION 📚
BLACK SUNDAY
By Tola Rotimi Abraham
Catapult | Feb. 4, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
"Black Sunday will destroy you. It won't be an explosion or any other ultraviolent thing. Instead, the novel will inflict a thousand tiny cuts on you, and your soul will slowly pour from them. Black Sunday is a literary wound that bleeds pain for a while, but you should stay the course, because that's followed by lots of love, beauty, and hope." ― NPR
NONFICTION 📚
FIGHTING FOR SPACE
By Amy Shita Teitel
Grand Central Publishing | Feb. 18, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
"In this fun, compelling and deeply researched book, Teitel tells the tale of Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb, who scrapped with each other and, more important, with a blinkered, male-dominated space agency, for their chance to be among the first humans to leave the planet.” — Jeff Kluger, Apollo 8.
FICTION
THE ILLNESS LESSON
by Clare Beams
Doubleday | Feb. 11, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“Astoundingly original, this impressive debut belongs on the shelf with your Margaret Atwood and Octavia Butler collections.” — The New York Times Book Review
TECHNOLOGY
THE INFORMATION TRADE
By Alexis Wichowski
HarperOne | Feb. 11, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
"[An] eye-opening debut...Wichowski’s detailed reporting and careful attention to the big picture make for a quick and thought-provoking reading experience. This erudite analysis should be required reading for tech CEOs, policy makers, and everyone concerned about the ubiquity of a handful of companies in their daily lives.” — Publishers Weekly
NONFICTON 🍸
LURKING
By Joanne McNeil
MCD | Feb. 25, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
"[A] thoughtful debut, critically examining how online platforms affect their users. … McNeil explores how an internet driven by profits and the commodification of sharing transformed a potentially beneficial, community-building activity into a potentially demoralizing, community-breaking habit." - Publishers Weekly
FICTION
PRETTY AS A PICTURE
By Elizabeth Little
Viking | Feb. 25, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“Elizabeth Little is part of an exciting new generation of crime writers who have been bending this sturdy genre into new, unexpected shapes. Pretty as a Picture is a glorious buffet—a twisty story, a cinephile's delight, a knockout of a heroine. I loved it.” - Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of Lady in the Lake and Sunburn
TRUE CRIME 🍸
THE SCIENTIST AND THE SPY
By Mara Hvistendahl
Riverhead Books | Feb. 4, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
“Not since Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest has a cornfield produced so much excitement. … Hvistendahl makes industrial espionage both understandable and riveting. … Hard to put down and harder to stop thinking about.” - Booklist (starred review)
NONFICTION
THE UNEXPECTED SPY
By Tracy Walder & Jessica Anya Blau
St. Martin’s Press | Feb. 25, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
"Tracy Walder's The Unxpected Spy is an engaging and thoughtful story of service that will inspire generations of young women to come. Tracy's story is particularly moving because it provides a candid but often untold account of the challenges of serving one's nation amid tumultuous times.” - Lauren Bean Buitta, Founder, Girl Security
MEMOIR
WHEN TIME STOPPED
By Arianna Neumann
Scribner | Feb. 4, 2020
Read an excerpt here.
"This book is utterly riveting: Ms. Neumann's memoir reads like a detective novel, as she unravels her late father's complex, agonizing yet inspiring trajectory. Conjuring the lives of her relatives murdered in the Holocaust, she brings their lost world to vivid life." - Claire Messud, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor’s Children
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!