Prefect Reads: Lit-Chicks

Last in our series - until next month's batch anyway! - of recommended reads from Harper Collins' authonomy site. And you'll have to forgive the subject header, since these books are so varied that all they have in common is that they are very good, are literary fiction and are written by women.

First up, we have a wonderfully written exploration of the fragility of romance, a journey from that idyllic sparkle on the surface of a blossoming love, down into the darker and sinister depths of shattered dreams:

Deep Water by Scarlett James. What becomes of the broken hearted? One of them gets revenge in this love story wrapped in a murder mystery. Exquisite and heartfelt, if you aren't as swept along by the tale as the heroine is by her misplaced love for one man, then you may want to consult your cardiologist.

Then, for a change of pace, a slice of historical fiction:

A Woman's Place by Susanne O'Leary. Except this, skilfully pieced together from letters unearthed from the author's family history, has the added dimension of not being entirely fiction. This is the story of two women; mother and daughter, who fought the conventions of their time and followed their hearts. A keenly observed and well researched female perspective on its period, this is told with a great deal of emotion as well as skill.

And then if you prefer something a little more up to date and with the bodices well and truly ripped:

Servicing The Pole by Lauri Shaw. "They only think they see us naked" it says in the book. Portrait of a New York stripper – a battle-worn misfit slogging her way through addiction, prostitution, and the city’s roughest clubs. Forget going to a strip club, this is like you are actually there - except this is told from the viewpoint you and I don't get to see. A brilliant journey into another world that has, at the same time, everything and nothing to do with fantasy.

And so concludes our foray into the realm of some outstanding reads. What's most outstanding of all is their publication. That is, their publication has yet to happen, is long overdue. So do hop over to authonomy and lend some of these books your attention and, if you like what you read, your vote. Because Harper Collins and a lot of other publishers besides need to see these books, so that the book stores and then the rest of us can get to see them too. The way nature intended. In print.

Happy reading.