Nathaniel’s Hathorne’s The Scarlet Letter has been read a billion times. Replace that worn-out thing with these far superior, thematic-adjacent novels, written by women who don’t throw tantrums and blame their literary success or failure on whatever it is men are up to:

Celeste Ng: Little Fires Everywhere

Jesmyn Ward: Salvage the Bones

Elizabeth George Speare: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

NOTE: The author Ta-Nehisi Coates's name is pronounced Tah-Nuh-Hah-See - not the way Leigh said it, with the weird 'sh' sound because she is an anxious and inexperienced podcaster. Note to Self: You know how this is pronounced, good god. Calm down and do better. Our sincere apologies and thank you so much for your patience.

www.damnedscribblingwomen.com for sources, show notes and more info.