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What Books Are Gracing the Shelves of Three Women’s Maggie, Sloane, and Lina?

by  | October 2

Lisa Taddeo’s runaway bestseller, Three Women, has sparked so many productive, provocative conversations across the internet, among book clubs, and between my mom and me. Sex and desire have long been taboo subjects in communities across the United States and beyond. Maggie, Sloane, and Lina’s stories are fearless. Each portrait of desire broke my heart into a million little pieces, made me reflect upon my own personal experiences with desire, lust, harassment—and all the wonders and complications in between. Ultimately, this beautiful work of narrative nonfiction has helped many (including me) learn from these three women’s stories, understand their own selves better, come to respect themselves more, and heal some too. Taddeo has created such vivid depictions of the three women she spent eight years chronicling.

By the end of this book, I felt like I knew Maggie, Sloane, and Lina personally. As a result, I’ve decided to pull together a list of books that I imagine sitting on Maggie’s bookshelf, strewn about Sloane’s restaurant, and tucked into the backseat of Lina’s car.

P.S. Want to win copies of THREE WOMEN for your book club? We’re offering 5 book clubs the chance to win a set of up to 10 books, plus a phone call with author Lisa Taddeo! Learn more and enter for a chance to win today. (No purchase necessary. US/DC, 18 yrs+. Ends 10/14/19. See rules.)

Wolfpack

Wolfpack

by Abby Wambach

Maggie's Pick #1...

Abby Wambach is Maggie’s hero, so there’s a strong chance that she has a couple of copies of Wolfpack floating around! Abby’s Wolfpack rules make for a great daily mantra, too: Make failure your fuel; Lead from the bench; Champion each other; and Demand the effing ball!

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You (Media Tie-In Edition)

You (Media Tie-In Edition)

by Caroline Kepnes

Maggie's Pick #2...

For the youngest woman in Three Women, the social media age thriller You is right up Maggie’s alley. Maggie’s portrait of desire is described as everything from all-consuming to manipulative, much like the obsessive “love” story that unfolds in You.

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You Are a Badass

You Are a Badass

by Jen Sincero

Maggie's Pick #3...

You Are a Badass redefines the self-help genre and brings self-love to the forefront. Maggie IS a badass and doesn’t let her hardships define her. I imagine Maggie lending this book to her friends to help them with their own journeys toward self-acceptance.

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Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

by Lori Gottlieb

Sloane's Pick #1...

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone illuminates and validates the confusion in our lives and the search for answers. I found this book extremely personal, honest, and human, much like the portrait of Sloane’s desire in Three Women.

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Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey

by E L James

Sloane's Pick #2...

Fifty Shades is possibly the most well-known erotic novel in the history of ever, with three steamy films to boot! Sloane mentions her appreciation for this book in Three Women, and I’m sure the whole trilogy is proudly displayed in her favorite bookcase.

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Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

by Samin Nosrat

Sloane's Pick #3...

Sloane is a super successful restaurateur, so naturally, I imagine she brings the newest, most popular cookbooks into every kitchen she enters!

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Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies

by Liane Moriarty

Lina's Pick #1... 

The ladies of Big Little Lies and all of their scandals and secrets are sure to create great conversation between Lina and her gal pals whether they’re chatting at their weekly book club, enjoying a glass of pinot noir on a Friday night, or both!

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This Will Only Hurt a Little

This Will Only Hurt a Little

by Busy Philipps

Lina's Pick #2...

Busy is raw, honest, and fearless. Like Lina, she candidly bares all about life, relationships, motherhood, and more. Lina’s portrait of desire, much like Busy’s memoir, implores readers to read without passing judgment. Both women’s stories can be encapsulated in one of my favorite quotes from Three Women: “Women shouldn't judge one another’s lives, if we haven't been through one another's fires.”

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The Bridges of Madison County

The Bridges of Madison County

by Robert James Waller

Lina's Pick #3...

This book could be about Lina in a mirrored universe. Bridges follows a married, but lonely housewife in Iowa who has an affair with a photographer while her husband and children are out of town at a state fair. This whirlwind portrait of desire and seduction is irresistible.

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