Bad Girl Book Recommendations Part I

On November 25, Stemmewear was a vendor in the Bad Girls Collective Holiday Market, with 20 other female vendors. The Bad Girls Collective is a super book club for bad girls. In the spirit of reading and feminism, Stemmewear decided to quiz the audience on their favourite female authors. So if you were looking for some Holiday reading inspiration - to cozy up with a book and some tea over the holidays, or if you're lucky enough to escape the cold and head to a beach - here is the first of a three-part series on the Best of the Bad Girls Market Book Recommendations!

FOR A POETIC FLARE...
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
From Rupi Kaur, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of milk and honey, comes her long-awaited second collection of poetry.  A vibrant and transcendent journey about growth and healing. Ancestry and honoring one’s roots. Expatriation and rising up to find a home within yourself.

FOR AN EXPLORATION OF THE BRIGHT AND DARK SIDES OF WOMANHOOD...
The Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro
Del Jordan lives out at the end of the Flats Road on her father's fox farm, where her most frequent companions are an eccentric bachelor family friend and her rough younger brother. When she begins spending more time in town, she is surrounded by women-her mother, an agnostic, opinionated woman who sells encyclopedias to local farmers; her mother's boarder, the lusty Fern Dogherty; and her best friend, Naomi, with whom she shares the frustrations and unbridled glee of adolescence. 

Through these unwitting mentors and in her own encounters with sex, birth, and death, Del explores the dark and bright sides of womanhood. All along she remains a wise, witty observer and recorder of truths in small-town life. The result is a powerful, moving, and humorous demonstration of Alice Munro's unparalleled awareness of the lives of girls and women.

FOR WOMEN NEEDEING TO INCREASE THEIR CONFIDENCE AT WORK...
Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
Lean In continues is a call to action and a blueprint for individual growth that will empower women around the world to achieve their full potential. Lean In combines personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can. Sandberg provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career. She describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment, and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women both in the workplace and at home.

FOR A CANADIAN CLASSIC...
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
It's 1843, and Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer and his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders. An up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember. What will he find in attempting to unlock her memories? Captivating and disturbing, Alias Grace showcases bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author Margaret Atwood at the peak of her powers.