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Best Books for Women

These are the top books for women according to the web’s most popular book blogs. Ranked by how often they were featured, each of the books on this list was featured in at least three of the articles.

Recommendations from 95 articles, Barack Obama, Rihanna, Ellen DeGeneres and 199 others.
Best Books for Women
100 books on the list
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Lean In book cover
Lean In
Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
Sheryl Sandberg - 2013-03-12
Goodreads Rating
This cultural phenomenon has become an instant catchphrase for empowering women, sparking global conversations about women and ambition. The author draws on her own experience working at successful businesses to provide actionable advice for women on making small changes that can effect change on a universal scale. The book tackles topics such as equality at work, confidence, and leadership, and has ignited a ferocious debate on these important issues.
You Are a Badass book cover
You Are a Badass
How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
Jen Sincero - 2013-04-23
Goodreads Rating
This self-help book is perfect for those who desire a better life but don't want to be caught seeking help. With 27 entertaining chapters, Jen Sincero provides stories, exercises, and advice on identifying and changing self-sabotaging behavior, overcoming fears, increasing income, and finding self-love. You Are a Badass will teach you how to create a life you love, and use The Force to achieve your goals.
The Handmaid's Tale book cover
The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood - 1998-04-01 (first published in 1985)
Goodreads Rating
This feminist dystopian novel explores life in the Republic of Gilead - a future United States where a monotheocracy takes the Book of Genesis literally, leading to bizarre consequences for the population. Follow the story of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids living under the new social order, as she reveals dark corners behind the establishment's calm facade. With scathing satire, a dire warning, and poignant prose, this unforgettable classic is Margaret Atwood at her best.
Recommended by
Emma WatsonJenn Im
Year of Yes book cover
Year of Yes
How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person
Shonda Rhimes - 2015-11-10
Goodreads Rating
Discover how saying YES changed the life of one of Hollywood's most powerful women and how it can change yours too. In this intimate call to arms, the creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal shares how a simple shift in mindset transformed her introverted life into one of profound joy and success. With humor and passion, Shonda Rhimes inspires readers to embrace the power of "yes" and take control of their own lives.
Women Who Run with the Wolves book cover
Women Who Run with the Wolves
Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype
Clarissa Pinkola Estés - 1995-09-01 (first published in 1992)
Goodreads Rating
Discover the Wild Woman archetype within every woman and reconnect with your instincts, creativity, and ancient knowledge. Join author Clarissa Pinkola Estes on a journey of psychic archaeological digs through the ruins of the female unconscious using multicultural stories and myths. Restore your vitality through Dr. Estes' unique and empowering psychology of women.
Recommended by
Emma Watson
Tiny Beautiful Things book cover
Tiny Beautiful Things
Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar
Cheryl Strayed - 2022-11-01 (first published in 2012)
Goodreads Rating
"Discover a balm for life's ups and downs in this engaging collection of advice columns. Written by the once-anonymous author of a popular online column, this book features never-before-published pieces, along with raw and honest insights on topics like love, loss, and the pursuit of happiness. With a new introduction by Steve Almond, Tiny Beautiful Things is a heartwarming and humorous read that will leave you feeling seen, heard, and understood."
Bad Feminist book cover
Bad Feminist
Essays
Roxane Gay - 2014-08-05
Goodreads Rating
Discover a witty and insightful collection of essays that explore the journey of a woman of color navigating modern culture. Delving into the state of feminism today, this book offers a sharp commentary on how the media we consume shapes our identity. With humor and honesty, the author inspires readers to do better and be better.
Recommended by
Emma WatsonJohn Green
Wild book cover
Wild
A Journey from Lost to Found
Cheryl Strayed - 2012-03-20
Goodreads Rating
A woman who has lost everything decides to walk 1,100 miles of the west coast of America alone. With no experience in long-distance hiking, she sets out to piece together a life that has crumbled in the wake of her mother's death.
Big Magic book cover
Big Magic
Creative Living Beyond Fear
Elizabeth Gilbert - 2015-09-22
Goodreads Rating
This inspiring book delves into the mysterious nature of inspiration and encourages readers to embrace curiosity while letting go of needless suffering. With a balance of spirituality and pragmatism, the author shows us how to pursue our passions and face our fears. Big Magic is perfect for anyone looking to tap into their creativity and infuse their lives with more mindfulness and passion.
The Bell Jar book cover
The Bell Jar
A Novel
Sylvia Plath - 2006-01-01 (first published in 1963)
Goodreads Rating
This haunting American classic by Sylvia Plath delves into the psyche of Esther Greenwood, a brilliant, successful, and beautiful woman who slowly falls into the grip of insanity. Plath's intense and realistic writing draws the reader into Esther's breakdown, making her madness palpably real. A deep exploration of the darkest corners of the human psyche, The Bell Jar is a masterpiece of literature that leaves a haunting impression.
Recommended by
Chloe Grace Moretz
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
Becoming by Michelle Obama
The Confidence Code by Katty Kay
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office by Lois P. Frankel
#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Girl Code by Cara Alwill Leyba
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō
Own It by Sallie Krawcheck
Goddesses in Everywoman by Jean Shinoda Bolen
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney
Thrive by Arianna Huffington
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski
Radical Candor by Kim Scott
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
Option B by Sheryl Sandberg
Grit by Angela Duckworth
Redefining Realness by Janet Mock
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Quiet by Susan Cain
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates
My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
Beloved by Toni Morrison
How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen
Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
Bossypants by Tina Fey
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Swing Time by Zadie Smith
Secrets of Six-Figure Women by Barbara Stanny
Women Don't Ask by Linda Babcock
How Remarkable Women Lead by Joanna Barsh, Susie Cranston, Geoffrey Lewis
The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
The Likeability Trap by Alicia Menendez
The Self-Love Experiment by Shannon Kaiser
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Shark Tales by Barbara Corcoran
Women in Tech by Tarah Wheeler van Vlack
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler
Dear Ijeawele Or A Feminist Manifesto by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Ain't I a Woman by Bell Hooks
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
Start with Why by Simon Sinek
Emma by Jane Austen
Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Second Edition by Ramit Sethi
Just Kids by Patti Smith
A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery Oconnor
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
This Bridge Called My Back by Cherríe Moraga
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Educated by Tara Westover
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez