Witches write and read books, okay?!
Work from your fellow readers and commenters to check out
There are a lot of published authors (and friends/relatives of authors) among the Evil Witches community, and a few times a year I like to hype up their work, whether it’s available to preorder or a book that’s been out for a bit, all waiting to be discovered. Check out the list below and grab something for yourself or a buddy. And if you’re an author who wants to promote your book to the witchy audience or just a book lover who wants to recommend something you’re reading, go for it in the comments section.
FYI: I am writing this to you from spring break with my family so this is the only missive coming to you this week.
*
“Choose This Now is a novel-in-stories that illuminates the small moments that shape best friends’ lives across nearly twenty years. On Val’s 21st birthday—which falls on Halloween—a sudden act of violence interrupts a longed-for kiss. This unfinished moment haunts Val year after year until she materializes in a new town to confront her past. Tal, an aspiring painter, vacillates between dedicating herself to art and literally burning it all down. As they fall in and out of love, start and restart careers, and become mothers, Valerie and Taline struggle to define themselves, with and without each other.” — Nicole Haroutunian
*
“My book “Boymom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity” is a mix of memoir, cultural commentary and reporting about what it means to be a boy and to raise a boy as a feminist in this extremely fraught political and cultural moment. I plundered the depths of my own parenting mistakes and conflicted feelings and tried to hold the complexity and contradictions political and personal contradictors. I dig into popular culture, sex, porn, incels, ‘masculinity,’ gaming, friendship, loneliness, mental health, and neurodivergence and was surprised and challenged many times along the way. I’m pretty honest about my own complex and contradictory feelings on all of it as a feminist and a mother of three wild and delightful boys who rarely cooperate with my plans for them! The book is a little bit horrifying and a little bit heartwarming and (I hope) a fair amount funny. It’s out in June and I would be delighted if you would consider pre-ordering.”
—
*
“During pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood, women undergo physiological, psychological and social metamorphosis. There is no other time in a human’s life course that entails such dramatic change other than adolescence. And yet this transition has been sorely neglected by science, medicine and philosophy. In Matrescence, I bring to light this emerging concept. Drawing on new research across various fields, I show how the changes in the maternal mind, brain and body are far more profound, wild and enduring than we have been led to believe and reveal the dangerous consequences of our neglect of the maternal experience and interrogate the patriarchal and capitalist systems that have created the untenable situation mothers face today.” —Lucy Jones
*
“You can buy my book, How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes, from any bookstore. It’s a practical, science-based book (also people tell me it’s funny!) for parents who want to raise kids who will grow up to be good human beings. Some of the science is quite counter-intuitive and surprising.”
—
*
“My book A Different Kind of Same came out nine years ago, but it is evergreen for witches who have lost a loved one to suicide, experienced suicidal ideation/severe depression, or maybe even those have a kiddo going through some mental health shit. Here’s my website page specifically on the book.” — Kelley Clink
*
“My debut novel NIGHT, FORGOTTEN (2022), is a psychological thriller about the aftermath of a forced pregnancy. Library Journal called it ‘an artfully crafted story about a disturbing topic, which Tozer manages sensitively as she leads up to one unforgettable twist that will leave readers gasping.’” — Meghan Joyce Tozer
*
“You can buy my book How to Choose Your Baby’s Last Name here. As the author of the world’s only book on this topic, I was recently featured in a New York Times article about parents who decide to give their babies ‘alternative’ last names (i.e. not the father’s last name). This handbook is crucial reading for any pregnant person in your life, and details the Six Surname Options available to families in the US, UK and Australia, alongside more than 200 first-person accounts from parents who have deliberated over this issue to assist readers who are navigating this decision for themselves. ‘But it’s just a name! Who cares!’” — Lorelei Vashti
*
“I write tiny books, and my first is about cervical scar tissue, which hardly anybody thinks is important until it causes a failure to progress during labor, so for folks who may be wanting to learn more about their bodies, infertility complications, or what a damaged cervix might mean postpartum or in menopause, I’ve got the book (Cervical Scars, A Bigger Deal Than You Think) for them!” —Rowan TwoSisters
*
“My book is The Long Devotion: Poets Writing Motherhood, and it’s a collection of poems, essays, and writing prompts about the many wonders and horrors of parenthood. The collection covers a really wide array of parenting experiences, from trying to get a newborn to sleep to dealing with preteen drama to having kids grow up and move away, and we’ve got poems on everything from pregnancy and birth to adoption, miscarriage and stillbirth, abortion, choosing not to have kids. (And the joy of getting to see your kids learn about the world! It’s not all a bummer.) I think witches will really love the range of mothering experiences presented, as well as the essays and prompts, which are meant to invite readers into writing their own mothering story.” —
*
“Change Fatigue: Flip Teams From Burnout to Buy-In came out in 2023 but was just republished on Tilt Publishing. It’s a handbook for anyone leading any team (from corporate to the PTA) to apply simplified, actionable change management techniques to any project. I’m also gathering data for my next book and would love any corporate witches to take the really short, anonymous 2024 State of Unworkable Work survey, please and thank you!” —Jenny Magic
*
“Need career advice from a fellow witch and self-appointed Businesslady? Pick up Is This Working?, a great college-graduation gift & a fun read for anyone who wants to hate their job less. You can also read new Dear Businesslady columns on The Stopgap & find me on Beehiiv for other writing.” — Courtney C.W. Guerra
*
“I wrote The Kingdom of Prep: The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew. It came out a year ago, and the paperback edition was released March 12. I bet a sizable swath of you has some deep nostalgia for the J.Crew of your youth, especially the catalogues that so many of us dog-eared with longing. (Whether you loved J.Crew or love-hated it, I’ve found most people have...feelings.) And anyone who followed the reboot of the Real Housewives of New York will enjoy the origin story of Jenna Lyons — truly a unicorn in the fashion world, who rose from the trenches of a catalogue company to become not just a fashion icon but, now, a real landmark on the pop culture landscape. I’d like to think it’s a good brain break from the doldrums of lunchbox packing and homework haranguing.” —
*
“I wrote two YA novels that are now kinda old and mostly out of print but you can still get as ebooks. They are The Last Best Story (smart kids doing dumb stuff, contemporary romcom, His Girl Friday inspired) and The Cost of All Things (angst, first love, first loss, literal witches). Share with your teen or read yourself for fun!”
— Maggie Lehrman
*
“If a reader needs some financial knowledge to cast stunning spells at work, check out my two revised books: Options Trading (2e), and Hedge Funds for Dummies (2e):”
—
*
“You don’t want to raise a misogynist, toxic, or clueless male. You want to raise a great guy. But HOW? Raising confident, kind boys in a world that often misunderstands males (& paints masculinity in a negative light) is a challenge – and that’s why I wrote Building Boys: Raising Great Guys in a World That Misunderstands Males. It’s based on my 25+ years of experience raising 4 boys, plus, you know, science & research. You can learn more about the book (and read a sample chapter) here.”
—
*
“My inclusive screed about pregnancy, postpartum-ness and new parenthood You Look Tired: An Excruciatingly Honest Guide to New Parenthood came out during the pandemic. Read about me here and read what people said about it here. Plenty of ‘new parent’ guides cover the basics of breastfeeding, bonding, sleep, and “getting back in shape.” But nowhere is there a guide that tells you about the medieval act of pumping, why one shouldn’t turn to online pregnancy/parenting forums, and the answer to WTF is this squeeze bottle thing from the hospital? I dole out humor, rage, and encouragement in fashion flowcharts, an “Are You Ready to Have a Kid” quiz, and a worksheet for how NOT to turn into your parents.” — Jenny True
*
“Who doesn’t love Bring It On? (If your answer is ‘me,’ please see yourself out.) Half making-of, half cultural criticism of how the little cheerleading movie that could (and almost didn’t) still matters, I think anyone who is interested movies, women, and/or fun would be into my book, Bring It on: The Complete Story of the Cheerleading Movie That Changed, Like, Everything (No, Seriously).” —Kase Wickman
*
“In my historical suspense novel Red Mistress, a young Russian aristocrat reinvents herself as a spy in 1920s Paris, where shadowy intrigues and a mysterious British writer put her loyalties to the test. Betrayals! Twists! A sort-of sexy Bolshevik!”
—Elizabeth Blackwell
*
“My mom - a true witchy mom - recently self-published a book: Rooted Resilience: Unearthing Your Potential Through the Wisdom of Trees. A fun, short read, this book would make an excellent graduation gift or meditation guide for any witchy people in your life. Her life-long dream was to be an author! If you like the book, please leave a nice review - it would make her day!” —Jessica Turner
*
“I’m here to plug two books that my closest pals have coming out. The first is a book of short stories by my partner, The Machine We Trust and Other Stories by Tim Conrad. This collection is less witch-related and just blatant house-promo. (We did meet when he was writing these stories, so it feels like this is a kind of long-gestational baby coming out in the world. I’m proud and very glad I didn’t have to carry this fiction-baby for over a decade.)
The second book will be of interest to your readers. It’s called I’m Sorry for my Loss: An Urgent Examination of Reproductive Care in America. It’s written by two reporters, Rebecca Little and Colleen Long, and is part memoir, part reportage about pregnancies that do not end in a baby - the choices women make, the way doctors treat them, our education and laws and social mores around this topic (and how many many people fail to understand and validate how deep pregnancy loss is for parents). The reporters are childhood friends who both lost babies in utero. Both felt they could not find books/voices they needed when they were in their deepest grief. This book aims to remedy that and is a funny and fascinating read.” —
End credits
Thanks for reading Evil Witches, a newsletter for people who happen to be mothers. Here’s what this newsletter is all about if you are new! If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions for future issues, you can reply directly to this email or leave them in the comments.
➡️ I encourage you to share this issue with anyone who likes books, books about motherhood, books by cool women, all the things. ⬅️
The entire Evil Witches archives live here: check them out if you’re new. A few others from the archives on books cover how to write a book and be a mom, a chat with an author about rebelling against the kids sports machine, and if you didn’t catch it, my interview with certified witch
about her best seller that is inspiring everyone to get divorced (just kidding, or am I?)Our Instagram, curated by Carly O., lives here. If you are not already a paid subscriber, I hope you think about joining us. You sponsor ad-free work like what you see today and get access to subscriber-only content, including intimate, funny and helpful (sometimes to you, sometimes to me!) threads.
Otherwise, please consider recommending us in social media or in your own newsletter, forwarding this to a friend, or even getting said friend a gift subscription.
One witchy thing
Thank you thank you Evil Witches authors! I am an academic medical librarian and I buy books for a hospital collection of consumer health books--I just bought so many of these books for this collection! My community of patients, clinicians & students will thank you too!
while on spring break I'm currently reading "Strong Passions" by Barbara Weisberg, a nonfiction book about a scandalous divorce in old New York. It's a fast read so far and a fascinating look at bad marriages (at least in elite circles) looked like in the American 19th century.
Review:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/21/books/review/strong-passions-barbara-weisberg.html