The latest edition of NPR's Books We Love project rounded out hundreds of books to try

to give you just the read you're looking for.

Today, we're going to talk about some of the books we loved in 2021 about the lives of

women.

I'm Linda Holmes and today we're talking about more great books on Pack Culture Happy

Hour from NPR.

Joining me today is Leah Denella, she's the supervising editor at NPR's Code Switch.

Hey Leah, hey, so good to be here.

It's always a delight to have you.

So for anybody who's not familiar, NPR's Books We Love project used to be called the book

concierge, but whatever you call it, it is a great way to find a book for any occasion,

for any reader, for any set of tastes and interests.

It is a labor of love and literacy put together by a really wonderful team dedicated this

year to our friend and colleague NPR Books Editor Petra Mayer who died in November.

Today we're going to highlight three books about the lives of women.

Let's dive right in with one of Leah's picks.

What's your first pick, Leah?

My first pick is a book called A Slow Fire Burning and it's by Paula Hawkins who might know

she's the author of other kind of mystery filler books like Into the Water and her most

famous The Girl on the Train.

So tell me about this book, What Happens Here?

It's very broadly a mystery, basically a young man is found dead on a boat.

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