NPR has a special book series titled Three Books, “in which authors recommend three books on a single theme.” The authors and themes are diverse and the entire series is worth listening or reading. The books from the most recent feature which aired on January 4, 2012 entitled, Hell-Raising Heroines: Three Ladies With Spitfire by Heather Havrilesky are listed below.
The Great Man : A Novel (2009) by Kate Christensen. “The Great Man is a scintillating comedy of life among the avant-garde—of the untidy truths, needy egos, and jostlings for position behind the glossy facade of artistic greatness. Not a pretty picture—but a provocative and entertaining one that incarnates the take-no-prisoners satirical spirit of Dawn Powell and Mary McCarthy.” – description from the publisher, Doubleday. Kate Christensen’s most recent novel, The Astral, was published in 2011.
After Claude (1973) by Iris Owens ; introduction by Emily Prager. “Harriet is leaving her boyfriend Claude, “the French rat.” That at least is how Harriet sees things, even if it’s Claude who has just asked Harriet to leave his Greenwich Village apartment. Well, one way or another she has no intention of leaving. To the contrary, she will stay and exact revenge-or would have if Claude had not had her unceremoniously evicted. Still, though moved out, Harriet is not about to move on. Not in any way.” – description from the publisher, New York Review Books.
The Journal Keeper : A Memoir (2010) by Phyllis Theroux. “Essayist Theroux has long captivated readers with her pitch-perfect rendering of the inner lives of American women. The Journal Keeper is a memoir of six years in her life, covering universal topics such as love, loneliness, growing old, spiritual growth, and death.” – description from the publisher, Atlantic Monthly Press.
Posted by raknapsack 
The Art of Fielding
