Books You’ll Wish You Read Sooner

• This funny, painful coming-of-age story follows Plum Kettle, a woman set on changing her appearance and releasing the "thin" woman that lives inside of her. Through Plum, Walker takes down the diet industry, writes honestly about gender equality, explores society’s obsession with thinness, and stresses the importance of surrounding yourself with a supportive and smart network of women.
• To buy: $9, amazon.com.

• Can a comedian give serious advice? Surprisingly, yes. Fey’s memoir opens a hilarious window into her childhood and ascent to fame, while simultaneously offering grounded, practical advice for adults stumbling to find success. Her best essay: 'Prayer for My Daughter,' which opens with, "First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches." Need we say more?
• To buy: $9.50, amazon.com.

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• Yes, this is a love story, but it’s so much more than that. It’s the tale of two teenagers in Nigeria who are forced to leave their small towns—to very different results. Ifemelu lands in America, where the cultural divide is stark. Obinze travels to London, where he is forced to live a (sometimes frightening) undocumented life. Both stories demonstrate the complexities of growing up, race, assimilation, and a side of both Africa and America that will surprise many readers.​
• To buy: $9, amazon.com.

An in-depth look at the power of introverts, Quiet shows that people who like to listen rather than speak—or prefer to work alone—can shine just as brightly as their extroverted counterparts. The book serves as an important reminder that even those who fly under the radar have a lot to offer—and can be extremely successful.

To buy: $10, amazon.com.

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• Ephron's sharply witty collection focuses on the ways American women struggle with notions of beauty and getting older. While essays about purses, salads, and bathing suits might sound frivolous, they're not. Rather, they offer moments of comic relief and invitations to reflect that might even make you a bit more comfortable with the inevitability of aging.​
• To buy: $9.50, amazon.com.

• Any young woman struggling with a quarter-life crisis will exhale with relief while reading Strayed's wise writing. These essays are collected from her once-anonymous advice column, Dear Sugar, but Strayed is no Dear Abby—she's Dear Abby's fearless, honest, and more experienced distant cousin. Strayed responds with brutal honestly to her letter writers—and offers stories from her own life as both examples and cautionary tales.
• To buy: $9, amazon.com.

• This memoir opens up a raw conversation about how to face death and disease head-on when you’re young, in love, and have a new baby. After an unexpected terminal cancer diagnosis, Kalanithi, a neurologist, must confront sickness and the end of life from a new perspective. He uses his last 22 months to write about his powerful transformation from doctor to patient. ​
• To buy: $15, amazon.com.

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The bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love offers readers a look inside her creative process—and coaches them on how to pursue their own artistic dreams. This is also a book about how staying open-minded ultimately results in a happier life. Gilbert’s passionate and thought-provoking discussion of curiosity and inspiration will motivate you to revisit that long-forgotten project and finally see it through.

To buy: $14, amazon.com.

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