Books

From poignant memoirs to historical biographies to can’t-put-down novels, these picks from The Persistent illuminate the realities, joys and dark sides of queerness, in ways that will remind every reader of our common humanity.

Who doesn’t love a sympathetic villain or a slyly smart anti-hero?

Our suggestions are broad and varied spanning recent best sellers, historical deep dives, tell-all memoirs and murderous mysteries.

Known as Sophie Kinsella, Madeleine Wickham wrote more than 30 books selling over 45 million copies.

Maybe it’s time for a woman to show us what “Frankenstein” is really about.

The author Jilly Cooper has died at 88. Her 18 novels and memoirs give us glorious insight into a bygone era.

Imagine if women could unabashedly do their thing without worrying about others’ feelings.

Enthusiastic readers of romance novels would very much like to see themselves reflected on the page. When will the industry fully catch on?

The Persistent's editors round up their favorite reads of the year.

When Kat Alexander started looping through cycles of mania, it was her best friend, Mara Altman, who came to the rescue.

The author Kate Mosse co-founded the Women’s Prize for Fiction to shrink the gender gap in publishing. Twenty-nine years on, she says her work is far from finished.