Girl Crazy: 8 Literary Ladies You'll Want to Know

When they're not on a train or . . . gone, these literary ladies are taking over "to be read" lists all over the globe. Get to know the "other girls" with this list from Off the Shelf, a daily blog that connects great books with great readers.

Here's a party game for you: can you name a "girl" book? Of course you got Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, but there are lots of other books with "girl" in the title that you'll want to add to your reading list. Whether you like thrillers, literary fiction, or history, these "girls" all have one thing in common — they are compulsively readable. Here's a list of some of our favorites.

01
The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

Meet Addie Baum, aka The Boston Girl, the spirited daughter of Jewish immigrants born at the turn of the 20th century. Her intelligence and curiosity take her far beyond the tenements of her childhood.

02
Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner

Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner

Who doesn't love a mother-daughter story? Certain Girls is a charming story about love, loss, and the bonds of family.

03
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

From the bestselling author of Me Before You and One Plus One, The Girl You Left Behind tells the story of two women, one painting, and the place where their lives intersect.

04
The Flood Girls by Richard Fifield

The Flood Girls by Richard Fifield

When recovering alcoholic Rachel Flood comes back to her small Montana hometown, it isn't a grand reception. This sassy novel will have you laughing through tears.

05
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

In Luckiest Girl Alive, her perfect life is a perfect lie. An unreliable narrator at the heart of this page-turner keeps you guessing until the very end.

06
Funny Girl by Nick Hornby

Funny Girl by Nick Hornby

Set in 1960s London, Funny Girl is a lively account of the adventures of the intrepid young Sophie Straw as she navigates her transformation from provincial ingénue to television starlet amid a constellation of delightful characters.

07
Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler by Trudi Kanter

Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler by Trudi Kanter

This unusual memoir tells the astonishing story of an Austrian Jew who fashioned hats as a milliner in late-1930s Vienna, Austria. This is the story of her courage and resourcefulness that got her and her beloved out of Nazi-occupied Austria.

08
The Girls From Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow

The Girls From Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow

The Girls From Ames is a moving tribute to female friendship that follows a group of young girls growing up in the small town of Ames, IA, who grow up, move to different states, go to college, get married, date, divorce, and struggle with the loss of one of their own. This novel is a testament to the enduring bonds of women as they experience life's challenges, and the power of friendship to overcome even the most daunting odds.

Here are more great book recommendations from our friends at Off the Shelf: