nut free nerd

2025 has turned out to be quite the year of reading nonfiction for me, which I love. Here are three fantastic nonfiction reads about women (who happen to be writers).

Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley is a comprehensive, thoughtful biography of, dare I say, one of the best known and loved mystery writers. I knew next to nothing about Agatha Christie before listening to this audio book. Lucy offers a balanced, open discussion of the most speculated-about events in Agatha’s life (those days where she — gasp! — mysteriously disappeared) but doesn’t lose sight of Agatha as a complex person, not just a public persona. This book, like most biographies and memoirs, made me think a lot about how none of our lives are linear in all (or even most) respects. Agatha lived a tumultuous life of ups and downs, achievements and hardships. Lucy did an excellent job telling Agatha’s story with care and respect.

Emily Dickinson Face to Face by Martha Dickinson Bianchi (with a foreword by Anthony Madrid) is the author’s (Matty’s) account of growing up with her aunt, Emily Dickinson. I found this one a bit difficult to get into at first, but once I settled into it I loved learning about Emily as seen through her niece’s eyes. Matty emphasized Emily’s humor, wit, and playfulness with those she loved, and the importance of solitude in this writer’s life. More than anything, Emily’s strong, unabashed sense of self jumps off the page. I’d love to read a full biography of Emily’s life.

A Life of One’s Own: Nine Women Writers Begin Again by Joanna Biggs is described in a blurb on the front cover as a “bibliomemoir,” which I think might be my new favorite genre. Each chapter/essay covers a different woman, from Mary Wollstonecraft to George Eliot to Toni Morrison. I’ve read at least something by most of the writers discussed, but knew very little about their personal lives. Biggs discusses the failures, drama, and messiness in these women’s lives, interspersed with the story of her own divorce and how she tried to find her way again. I can definitely see myself rereading this one at some point.

Have you read any of these titles? I’d love to know.

Take care xx