Pleasanton native Olivie Blake’s most recent novel, Girl Dinner, is a dark satire about a sorority that practices an unusual ritual.
Michelle Terris
Unsung Heroines: 35 Women Who Changed the Bay Area, by Rae Alexandra
Stockton resident Alexandra highlights noteworthy women from the East Bay and beyond in this compendium inspired by her KQED series Rebel Girls from Bay Area History.
Maya’s Big Question, by Meena Harris
This children’s picture book written by Oakland’s Harris focuses on a girl on a field trip to Washington, D.C., who begins to question why there aren’t more monuments honoring women. She receives advice from a character inspired by late East Bay resident and history-making park ranger Betty Reid Soskin.
Bridget’s Gambit: A Saga of Family Enterprise in Gold Rush California, by Craig S. Harwood
Harwood’s biography takes readers to the East Bay of the 1800s. His tale spotlights an Irish mother and her daughters who build a series of successful businesses in the Gold Rush era despite the patriarchal expectations of society.
Courtesy of Tor Books
Girl Dinner, by Olivie Blake
A recent release from Pleasanton-raised Blake explores the female experience, sisterhood, and cannibalism through the eyes of a college sorority recruit and a professor asked to be the sorority’s academic liaison.
We Survived the Night, by Julian Brave NoiseCat
The Oscar nominee, who hails from Oakland, captures both his personal history and that of Indigenous people today in his literary debut, relayed in the style of a traditional Coyote story.
Learning to Whistle, by Tess Perko
Danville resident and former Contra Costa Times journalist Tess Perko offers an intimate portrait of grief in her novel about a college graduate who finds healing in South America after a devastating loss.
A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness, by Michael Pollan
In his latest book, Berkeley author Pollan tackles the history of the study of consciousness and what it means to have a sense of self—while also reflecting on what makes us human.
Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy, by Mary Roach
Take a deep dive into the human body with Oakland’s Roach as she probes humanity’s quest for physical self-improvement through science, from donated organs to 3D-printed limbs.
On Morrison, by Namwali Serpell
Former UC Berkeley professor Serpell examines the writing and impact of legendary author Toni Morrison, offering a close study of Morrison’s catalog and advice for reading great books.
A Perfect Hand, by Ayelet Waldman
The latest novel from Berkeley’s Waldman (out May 19) follows an astute lady’s maid who develops a crush on a visiting valet and schemes to foster a match between her boss and the valet’s employer, a baronet.