Recs if you like Penance...
books that feel like a cunty skinny cigarette
Exactly what it sounds like. Books you read that make other people question "who is this diva" or "good for her"
Metafiction & playing with form
Books that play with the "book" as a medium or are otherwise self-reflexive/meta.
My current criteria for this list are (1) does the book highlight its own textuality consistently or (2) do the metafictional elements add significantly to the themes explored or (3) does the book's use of discourse and form (e.g., narrative situation, layout) significantly differ from the norm?
Make sure to comment your suggestions with a small explanation even if you're not 100 % sure if they fit!
assigned by frankie
almost every single book mentioned* on Frankie's Shelf youtube channel because their taste is wild and i love it.
updated as frankie posts. *mentioned as in the book is the focus of the video, listened in the description, or offhandedly said.
Mysteries and Thrillers
This includes book that have either mystery or thrillers as a primary or secondary genre. If you have recommendations to add please comment and I'll happily add them 💕
Books That Break The Rules
Books that ignore the traditional way of telling a story. These books tell their stories in unexpected ways, through letters, transcripts, diaries, documents, text messages, or unconventional layouts.
Women vs The Void
Fictional Documentaries
Epistolary for the internet age. Told through interviews, news clips, podcasts, and transcripts.
weird girlhood(s)
the books that are most interesting, inventive, and complex for the girlhood studies grad student in me. whose “girlhood” are we talking about? i’m thinking of girlhood as a liminal, queer, socially constructed, often traumatic, uncanny space.
books to make you feel sick
i love books that feel vile and uncomfortable and leave you feeling like you need to take a long shower and think about your life choices and that you can’t stop thinking about for days after. recs wanted and appreciated
Weird and Unhinged Women
All sorts of stories about all sorts of women. Mostly litfic, some horror.
Social Justice Fiction
For the girls who wanna learn more about societal and global issues, but are too burned by academia to read non-fiction
Books to Read to Feel Well Adjusted
It’s always nice to feel like a normal person by reading about those more unhinged than you 😌 These are all women focused books. Some I’ve read and some I’m going to read. Apologies in advance if it gets long. Recommendations are absolutely welcome!! So please feel free.
I know a couple are written by men which might be taboo for some but I’ve included because I thought they were appropriate or the author has a track record of writing women well.
Frame Narration
Stories within stories within stories ...
gorgeously written thrillers
aka mostly “literary thrillers” though that’s an annoying phrase…just thrillers that don’t sacrifice attention to prose for the sake of plot
twisty stories
stories with lots of twists and turns, including (but not limited to) murder mysteries
girlhood
the messiness and chaos of growing up as a teenage girl/young woman
Women's fiction
Books that explore womanhood through the bad and the ugly
Playing with form 🌀
Epistolary, ergodic, experimental, unconventional… books that challenge the traditional formats and usual rules of storytelling. 👀
The Writer's Syllabus (by Shaelin Bishop)
Shaelin Bishop (aka ShaelinWrites) is a Canadian writer and YouTuber who makes lots of great videos with really helpful writing advice. She also has two videos called "The Writer's Syllabus" with book recommendations that will help you become a better writer and I decided to make a list of them here!
unlikeable female characters (hard mode)
