Books And Poetry Recommendations From Women Writers For 2024

The year-end edition of the Women Writers' Fest hosted by SheThePeople gave a peek into the imaginative minds of women wordsmiths. This edition of the Fest was graced by esteemed writers Roopa Pai and Kavita Kané, who talked to SheThePeople's Ragini Daliya about what intrigues them about Indian mythological characters. In another conversation, London-based writer Hema Sukumar and Daliya had a riveting chat about what 'home' means to them. Meanwhile, Kuhu Joshi, Manjiri Indurkar, and Archana Pai Kulkarni delved into the overall art of writing and their inspirations. 

The women expressed the odyssey that plays out behind each of their work. In all discussions, the writers were asked to share some of the best reads that they indulged in this year to help their creativity flow. Here are some of their best picks and the reads that they look forward to in 2024.

I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron

Roopa Pai recommended this 2006 collection of essays, which she termed a "really funny feminist read." Pai said that she mostly only read as research for her own work but promised herself to read more for pleasure instead of work in 2024.

I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman is an assortment of humourous stories on womanhood. It delves into topics of ageing, menopause, living alone, loss, and more such tender matters. 

Home in the World: A Memoir by Amartya Sen

Pai also read economist Amartya Sen's autobiography about belonging and identity. It delves into his life experiences-- growing up in Kolkata with his grandparents, coming of age, exploring self-identity, and witnessing the culture he witnessed in Bengal. It details what inspired Sen to dedicate his life to economics and philosophy.

Another India: Events, Memories, People by Chandan Gowda

Pai also shared that she enjoyed Another India, a book by Bengaluru-based author Chandan Gowda. This book is a collection of lesser-known stories and cultures hidden in India's history. Gowda recounts historic events, politics, and traditions to create a playful tapestry of the country's rich past.

The Wild Iris by Louise Glück

Nobel laureate Louise Glück's The Wild Iris was recommended by Kuhu Joshi. The 1992 collection of poems explains the complex experience of dying and rebirth, told through the eyes of a flower. The book earned the American writer a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1993. The book also received the Poetry Society of America's William Carlos Williams Award.

Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear by Mosab Abu Toha

Joshi said that this collection of poems is on her 'To Be Read' list for the next year. Mosab Abu Toha is a writer from Gaza who won several awards for this piece. In this book, Toha cumulates poems from Gaza, detailing life and death in the war-ridden region. The book reveals the experience of growing up and living one’s entire life in war, lockdowns, and constant fear.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

This book was recommended by both Manjiri Indurkar and Kuhu Joshi. The 2022 Man Booker nominee is a political fiction. Keegan creates an Orwellian experience for the readers, writing about a man unrealistically forced to face his past and future in a town controlled by the Church. 

If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery

Indurkar recommended If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery, a book about a Jamaican immigrant family surviving in Miami. The narrator is a first-generation immigrant son who experiences the faltering American dream as he grapples with self-identity issues and the duality in culture and family. This book was shortlisted for this year's Man Booker Prize. 

Greek Lessons by Han Kang

Manjiri Indurkar passionately shared that this book left a lasting impression on her, inspiring her to begin writing new stories. "It dug its teeth so deep that I'm still recovering from how mesmerising it was," she expressed. Greek Lessons is a 2011 novel about a woman who begins learning Greek after she loses her voice.

The South Korean writer explores how the protagonist uses learning Greek to reclaim her hold on a language. The book also deals with building a connection and intimacy with other people dealing with loss and disability. 

Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh by Shrayana Bhattacharya

Hema Sukumar said she loved reading this book as she found that it accurately represents what the full title says. The book is called Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh: India's Lonely Young Women and the Search for Intimacy and Independence. Sukumar said that she enjoyed how the book was "non-judgemental and full of heart" in describing Indian women's search for sexual and romantic liberty.

Chilean Poet by Alejandro Zambra

Sukumar also suggested the book Chilean Poet, a novel about an aspiring writer and his quest for love. The book's protagonist Gonzalo deals with the frustration of living in a city full of inspiration and romance. He reunites with his ex-lover after several years, battling the complexities of family and creativity together.

Lucy By The Sea by Elizabeth Strout

This New York Times Bestseller was also recommended by Sukumar as one of her favourite reads from this year. The book is about a divorced couple stuck under the same roof during a lockdown. The couple are forced to revisit dark memories of loss and despair while exploring the possibility of rekindling their relationship.

Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri

Sukumar recommended this award-winning author's latest book translated from Italian, Roman Stories. It is a collection of nine stories about Rome, in which characters are the catalysts to the stories about the metropolis and not the other way around. It was named the 'Book Of The Year' by Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and The New Yorker.

Cannot Go Wrong With Classics

Kavita Kané shared with SheThePeople that she is loyal to her seasoned collection of classics. She mentioned that some of her favourite reads are works by P G Wodehouse, Graham Greene, Aldous Huxley, and Agatha Christie. Kané described that she truly enjoys "discovering and rediscovering the characters" each time she picks them out of her bookshelf.

Both Roopa Pai and Kané said that they find engrossing in a fictional criminal case cathartic. They fervently described their love for reading classic Scandinavian Noir, crime thrillers, and suspense novels as it refreshes their mind from their own work.