Enjoy these four recommendations from our friends at Bookish, Fort Smith, Arkansas’ only independently owned bookstore.
Weyward
by Emilia Hart
This debut novel tells the story of sisterhood, family bonds, and resilience. When Kate leaves her abuser and goes to her aunt’s old cottage in the English countryside, she not only learns more about her own past, but she discovers the natural history that made the Weyward women a force to be reckoned with. Hart’s novel travels to 1619, 1942, and 2019 connecting generations of witchy women.
I Have Some Questions for You
by Rebecca Makkai
Makkai takes the thriller genre and elevates it through her insightful characters and relevant plot. When Bodie Kane is invited back to her old boarding school to teach a class on podcasting, she didn’t expect that a murder that took place while she was a student would still be on everyone’s mind. Makkai unravels a story that captivates readers while allowing us to look deeper into our own collective memory.
Hang the Moon
by Jeannette Walls
In this novel, we meet a feisty young woman, Sallie Kincaid. The daughter of one of the most important men in her small town, she runs amok during the Prohibition era. Her upbringing is relatively charmed; however, there is that incident with her mother, but she manages to find herself cast out regardless. It seems the town can’t contain Sallie Kincaid. She’s fearless and damaged, but you’ll love her, nonetheless.
House of Cotton
by Monica Brashears
If you liked Luster or The Other Black Girl, you’ll equally love this contemporary Black southern gothic novel that delves into what it means to be a poor woman in the God-fearing south. Magnolia Brown accepts an odd job at a funeral home and things unravel quite quickly after that. Brashears’ sly social commentary is sharp, but you’ll be mesmerized by this off-kilter fairy tale set in a southern funeral parlor.
