Sisters in Women's Fiction

When I do workshops on women's fiction, I always discuss the kinds of books that make up the genre, and different trends. Something we see a LOT of in WF is books featuring sisters, so for a recent "Core Collection" feature in the March 1, 2016 issue of Booklist, I shared some great reading suggestions from authors such as Angela Benson, Jennifer Weiner, Kristin Hannah, Jen Lancaster, and more!

What are some of your favorite WF books featuring sisters?

Core Collection: Sisters in Women’s Fiction.

Humorist Linda Sunshine is quoted as saying, “If you don’t understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child.” What is it about the relationship between sisters that makes such rich fodder for women’s fiction? After all, a reader doesn’t have to have a sister in order to relate.

One of the main things that draw readers to women’s fiction is a sense of recognition or the ability to relate to the characters. It’s pleasurable and comforting to escape into a story that you connect with on a certain level. So perhaps the popularity of fiction featuring sisters has something to do with readers being able to see themselves in one sister or another. Below is a list of must-have women’s-fiction titles featuring sisters, perfect for just about any women’s-fiction fan...

To read more and get the annotated list, head to the feature, "Core Collection: Sisters in Women's Fiction" on Booklist Online!

Collection Development Tricks for Women's Fiction

My good friend (and readers' advisory blogger extraordinaire) Becky Spratford recently ran a post about my work with women's fiction on her blog, RA for All.  In it, she shows off my Booklist feature article, "Rebecca's Rules," and a link to the free Booklist webinar, "What's New in Women's Fiction."

Check it out here.

Booklist's Top 10 Women's Fiction: 2016

It's time for Booklist's annual Women's Fiction Spotlight!

Once again, I've contributed lists to the March 1 issue of Booklist, honoring women's fiction. Don't forget to check out the companion article, "Core Collection: Sisters in Women's Fiction," for some of my favorite titles from this very popular subset of women's fiction.

Booklist's Top 10 Women's Fiction: 2016

The top 10 women’s fiction from the last 12 months (reviewed in Booklist between March 1, 2015, and February 15, 2016) cover the spectrum, from romantic chick lit to more than one literary title. These novels deliver something for just about every women’s-fiction fan.

The titles are listed below; for the complete annotations, head to the feature on Booklist Online!

The Best of Enemies. By Jen Lancaster. 2015. NAL, $25.95 (9780451471093)
The Brontë Plot. By Katherine Reay. 2015. Thomas Nelson, $15.99 (9781401689759)
How to Start a Fire. By Lisa Lutz. 2015. Houghton, $25 (9780544411630)
I Take You. By Eliza Kennedy. 2015. Crown, $24 (9780553417821)
My Name Is Lucy Barton. By Elizabeth Strout. 2016. Random, $26 (9781400067695)
The Story of the Lost Child. By Elena Ferrante. Tr. by Ann Goldstein. 2015. Europa, $18 (9781609452865)
Walking on Trampolines. By Frances Whiting. 2015. Gallery, $16 (9781476780016)
Who Do You Love. By Jennifer Weiner. 2015. Atria, $27 (9781451617818)
A Window Opens. By Elisabeth Egan. 2015. Simon & Schuster, $26 (9781501105432)
The Marriage Pact. By M. J. Pullen. 2015. St. Martin’s/Thomas Dunne, $24.99 (9781250070937)

BOL Review: Opportunity Knocks by Alison Sweeney

Television actress Sweeney (Days of Our Lives) offers an insider’s perspective in this chick-lit offering. Alex is a green 25-year-old makeup artist in L.A., willing to take on any job she can in order to gain experience and build her base. She lucks out one day when she just happens to be hanging around the set of a daytime talk show at the very moment the guest star’s usual makeup artist is rushed to the ER with appendicitis. It’s no ordinary guest—it’s Hillary, of Everyday Life with Hillary P. (think Martha Stewart, but bitchier)...Read the full review on Booklist Online!

BOL Review: Meternity by Meghann Foye

Singleton Liz, an editor at a parenting magazine, is getting tired of taking on all the extra work from the moms in the office. She’s particularly annoyed that the editor who got the promotion Liz was in line for is constantly leaving work early so she can deal with her family life. When the boss thinks that Liz is pregnant—he sees her using a pregnancy-countdown app that she’s downloaded for an article—Liz decides this might be the way to an easier workload and perhaps even some maternity leave, a “meternity.” The plan involves a series of fake baby bumps, which Liz just barely gets away with...Read the full review on Booklist Online!

BOL Review: The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

If you were offered the chance to go back in time 10 years and relive a year, would you? On the eve of their joint fiftieth-birthday party in Vegas, three friends meet a magician and get the chance to go back to the year they turned 40. Jessie wants to keep the fact that she had an affair secret from her then-husband; Gabriela wants to go back and save her failed marriage by trying to have a child; Claire wants to bond with her mother before it’s too late. Their new choices don’t always work out the way they expect... Read the full review on Booklist Online!

BOL Review: Regrets Only by M. J. Pullen

Pullen’s debut, The Marriage Pact (2015), followed a group of Atlanta friends as they navigated their way through the dating world, led by main character Marci. This follow-up centers on Marci’s best friend, Suzanne, who seems to be in her glimmering prime. She has a great job as an event planner and she’s loving life as a serial dater. Who wants to be tied down when you can be tied up? When a seemingly random accident at a high-profile event sends her career and reputation down the tubes, she finds herself accepting a gig as wedding planner for the sister of a famous country singer—and winds up falling for him. But they are as different as a country boy and a city girl could be...Read the full review on Booklist Online!