Women Who Travel Book Club: 15 Books to Add to Your Reading List This Spring

I'm reading Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor, a gifted Indian writer who has previously contributed to Condé Nast Traveler. There was a lot of drama even before it came out—bidding wars, FX has already bought the series rights—but the drama in the novel itself is several notches above. Set in New Delhi, it follows a young man named Ashok through a tragic beginning and then a life where the dark side of the city is exposed and peeled back. I always struggle with how India is portrayed in English fiction; and Deepti's book is anything but a tourism ad for the country. But it does what good fiction is meant to do: It sometimes makes you squirm, but it also makes you rejoice, it is a lesson in empathy and compassion and suspending disbelief and allowing yourself to enter a rich, reverting new world. —Divia Thani, global editorial director

One of my favorite reads from last year was To Fall in Love Drink This, a recent collection of autobiographical essays of leading natural wine writer Alice Feiring. The book is equal parts a retrospective narration of personal stories, and an expression of Feiring’s unique taste in wine and other subjects. In August I dipped into one of my favorite small businesses in Brooklyn, Greenpoint’s Archestratus—a bookstore that specializes in cookbooks and other books about food—to listen to Feiring in conversation with the New York Times’ Melissa Clarke and have my copy signed. —Alex Erdekian, travel bookings commerce editor

I've always loved Schulz's journalism and her memoir—about grief and love, and how we can't plan when either will enter our lives—transfixed me from its opening pages. I rarely cry while reading a nonfiction book, but this one snuck up on me and I was in tears at its end. It's beautifully written, wise, and unsparingly honest. It's true what Andy Borowitz says in his blurb, "Lost & Found is the most daring of books: a memoir by a happy person." Happiness is more complex than most writers give credit, and this book is proof. —Hannah Wallace, contributor 

Sheila Yasmin Marikar’s The Goddess Effect is a fun ride that feels very much of-the-moment: It stars a chaotic and complicated heroine, deftly articulates agonizingly relatable social media pitfalls, and offers a sharp takedown of wellness culture. I read it while on the train through the South Korean countryside and it managed to immerse me deep into LA life—I love a novel that sends you crisscrossing the earth even while you’re already traveling. —Sarah Khan, contributor

Set mostly at a rural Northeastern boarding school and jumping between the mid-1990s and the present (give or take a few years), this book re-examines a decades-old murder through the lens of the protagonist’s adulthood as well as against the backdrop of society’s slowly changing mores when it comes to sexism and racism. It has whiffs of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and season one of the true crime podcast Serial and it’s the first work of fiction that I’ve read that attempts to weave in the Me Too movement in any nuanced way. It’s not perfect, plot wise, but the writing is witty and knife-sharp and it’s a surprisingly fun read even though it deals with a laundry list of very heavy topics, including racial profiling, mental health, and murder."—Rebecca Misner, senior features editor

This debut novel fits into not one but several categories of fiction that I'm always irresistibly drawn to: coming-of-age, campus, and 90's nostalgia. The premise of a student getting involved with a professor might be (pleasantly, IMHO) familiar, but Florin's particular take on this narrative of power and self-discovery is insightful, specific, and enlivened by secondary characters who play genuinely meaningful roles. I devoured the whole thing in two nights. —Maggie Shipstead, contributor

Much like how Seinfeld is a show about nothing, this is a book about nothing—in the best way possible. The author gives us a peek into the life of a Gen Z vampire (and burgeoning artist) without the usual frills of a fantastical vampire plot. The story digs into some big topics: hunger, navigating life as a mixed-race woman, and friendship. I loved stepping into someone else's life and finding relatable moments and commonalities with an unexpected character. —Erika Owen, contributor

I started reading Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano on an overnight flight home from Los Angeles to Paris. Suffice to say I didn't get much sleep during the flight, but it was very much worth it. The book nods to Little Women, telling a story of four sisters (an early scene speaks to LW in the text itself). Napolitano's writing is beautiful, her characters are rich and complex, and the story is as compelling as it is tender and heartbreaking. I'm certain my jetlag will continue taking a hit until the last page. —Rebekah Peppler, contributor

My Nemesis by Charmaine Craig tells the story of two women, Tessa and Wah. It follows their lives, marriages, and ideologies. The book explores what is means to be feminine, a feminist, how we perceive these qualities, and how much our identities and beliefs define us. This book is short, sharp, philosophical, and dramatic. It’s insightful and uncomfortable, like a joke that hits too close to home. Props to the author for creating Tess, who is so deliciously unlikeable. This book explored so many topics—race, class, and gender roles but most importantly how much our perceptions define or limit us. —Pallavi Mohan Kumar, senior visuals editor

Rachel Aviv is one of my favorite writers of nonfiction—every piece of hers is so psychologically rich, riveting, and resonant. When her book was released last September, which included an extended version of her article The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs, I preordered it, picked it up the day-of, and read it cover to cover. —A.E. 

—Kinsale Drake (Diné), founder

—Lily Painter (Kiowa/Winnebago), graphics assistant

—Pte San Win Little Whiteman (Lakota), member

—Gusti Rattling Hawk (Lakota), member

—Charitie Ropati (Yup’ik/Samoan), member