February 28, 2020

5 Of Erica Bauermeister’s Favorite Books By Female Authors

The author of “The Scent Keeper” shared five books with us.

Story By: Erica Bauermeister

5 Of Erica Bauermeister’s Favorite Books By Female Authors

The author of “The Scent Keeper” shared five books with us. Story By: Erica Bauermeister

Before I started writing novels, I wrote readers’ guides to books by women. It was an amazing experience, and I could happily fill the entire internet with favorite authors, but here are five who have strongly influenced my own writing.

Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman

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Alice Hoffman is a master at using a bit of magic to help us see life from a different perspective. She’s a weaver of lyrical sentences, with a quick touch when it comes to character that still somehow always sinks deep. “Blackbird House” is a series of stories tracing the owners of one particular and eccentric house over the decades. Each one is a jewel.

The Curve of Time by M. Wylie Blanchet

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In 1927, M. Wylie Blanchet’s husband died, leaving her with five children on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest. Her family urged her to come home; instead she raised her children on her own, and during the summers took them on their twenty-five-foot boat through the wild waters of British Columbia.

Her writing is beautiful, her courage and adventures are awe-inspiring. She was a major inspiration for “The Scent Keeper” and introduced me to the Broughton Archipelago, where Emmeline’s island is set.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

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I remember reading “Beloved” when it first came out. It felt as if someone had blown the barn doors off the written word. Style was substance in Morrison’s work, so intimately connected that it could never be separated—the impact of slavery, the agony of a mother’s decision, vibrating even in the choice of a comma. Morrison taught me that syntax could be just as important as plot in creating a fictional world.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

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I love fairy tales for grown-ups—they teach us about imagination and offer us insights into reality. “The Snow Child” gives us a lonely woman in a lonely place, longing for a child who may or may not be completely real.  It is that rare book that manages to capture the rigors of a harsh, rural life in Alaska, the beauty of the impossible, and the reasons why we sometimes need to believe in both to survive.

A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman

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Diane Ackerman’s writing is like the love child of science and poetry. Her work is intensely researched, wide-ranging in its sources and fascinating in its facts.  But then she presents all that information in some of the most gorgeous sentences imaginable. In “A Natural History of the Senses” she takes each physical sense and does a deep dive into its intricacies, made lush with metaphor. I re-read it every time I start a new project, to remind me to use my senses.

We’re taking our copy of Gone Before Goodbye on a little coffee date this weekend ☕📖 
Link in bio for book tour tickets and to get your own copy!

Where are you reading yours this weekend?
Had the most amazing time connecting with the Reese’s Book Club community IRL at #ShineAway2025 last weekend! ✨ @RaeganRevord and @TembiLocke picked up some incredible book recs that we are immediately adding to our TBR. Drop your must-reads below!
This Thursday's coffee and current read is an iced matcha and our new favorite eco-fiction mystery, Bog Queen by @AnnaNorthBooks. Talk about a perfect combo!
Bog Queen is now available, including at our link in bio.
We’re incredibly lucky to have the incomparable and inspiring @Malala join us on Bookmarked, the Reese's Book Club podcast. 💛

She's a powerful voice for so many—championing causes like girls’ education and women’s rights. In her new memoir Finding My Way, Malala Yousafzai turns inward, exploring the messy, beautiful journey of rediscovering yourself after the world has already decided who you’re supposed to be.

In this episode, @DanielleRobay and @Malala's conservation has all the heart—and then some. Listen now on the @iHeartPodcast app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you love to listen. 🎧
Did not see that coming! Gone Before Goodbye by @ReeseWitherspoon & @HarlanCoben is here and you don't want to miss another second. 

Start reading at our link in bio.
Diving back into the brilliant Anita de Monte Laughs Last after hearing @XochitltheG’s powerful conversation with @DanielleRobay at Shine Away.

Feeling deeply inspired by the vibrant storytelling and the beauty woven into every word.
Sorry, we're booked.

It's official! Pick up your copy of Gone Before Goodbye by @ReeseWitherspoon & @HarlanCoben at our link in bio.
Shop the Reese's Book Club Space with us at #ShineAway2025! ☀️@ZibbysBookshop brought the perfect vibes and of course, so many fantastic reads to add to our TBRs.

Which three books would you chose and why?
Today we honor Indigenous voices like our September Pick author @ElianaRamage. ⭐

With honesty and heart, To The Moon and Back shows us what it means to search for a sense of self—and emerge proud.