3 New Books in Praise of “Invisible” Women

Variation

This standalone story will be about a dancer who, after years of success in the dancing world, returns home. While there, she unearths worlds of trauma and tension with not only her family, but also a certain rescue-coast guard swimmer that she has a past with.

Yarros told People Magazine, "I’m thrilled to be partnering with Amazon Publishing for the release of my next contemporary romance. They're such a supportive, incredible team to work with, and I can’t wait for readers to fall in love with Allie and Hudson's story and the years of family secrets that surface when these two collide after years apart."

This new book is scheduled to be released this fall in October, and based on that synopsis, we're already counting down the days until we get to read this sure-to-be masterpiece!

The Empyrean is made up of the most popular Rebecca Yarros books, and it's thrilling series set to have five books total (there are currently two released). It takes readers into a brutal and elite war college for dragon riders, and the first book, Fourth Wing, has already sold over two million copies!

Fourth Wing

Fourth Wing is centered around a young woman named Violet whose plan to live a quiet life is disrupted when her mother orders her to join the college's elite group of dragon riders.

Iron Flame

The second book, Iron Flame, sees Violet's dragon-riding training intensify as she enters her second year in the program. The training ends up pushing Violet and her classmates to their physical and emotional limits, and a new vice commandant targets Violet, determined to break her will, while she grapples with a dangerous secret about the college.

Throughout The Empyrean series, Violet must find a way to use her wits and determination to survive. Iron Flame ends on quite the cliffhanger (there are, after all, three more books to be released). At this point, there is no confirmed release date for the third book, but fans are eagerly waiting to learn what lies in store for Violet and her classmates.

In an interview with EW, Yarros warned that the waiting period might be a little longer than readers expect. "I’m respecting my limitations and taking [things] a bit slower so that I can be healthy through all of it," she says. "So it’s going to be a little bit slower. But I have a release date, I just can’t tell you yet."

The Legacy series is composed of romantic novellas that are sure to snap you out of a reading funk. These Rebecca Yarros books are short, yet intriguing, and each focuses on a different couple. One of the best parts of this series is that each book is able to stand alone, and there is no specific order to read them in. Each one also focuses on a different romantic trope (from friends-to-lovers to second-chance romance), which keeps them interesting and fun!

If you've been looking for a good romance series to dive into, look no further! The Flights & Glory series does not disappoint. Like the Legacy series, each novel focuses on a different couple and their unique journey to be together. These books are also standalone, which simplifies the process of finding your way around the series.

While each book is different in terms of central characters, they are all bound together by their themes. Each one focuses on the difficulties of falling in love when one person is guarded, and the challenges all new relationships face when partners begin to tear down each other's walls.

This author delivers yet another enthralling romantic series, The Renegades! These Rebecca Yarros books are definitely on the steamier side, so reader beware if that's something you're not into. The books are centered around a group of bad boys who participate in extreme sports, and they're set in college on a ship traveling around the world. Each book focuses on a different couple on the ship, with the first book following a bad-boy athlete who falls for his off-limits tutor.

As the name suggests, this duet is composed of two romantic novels. The first book follows Langley Vaughn, a wealthy socialite, who needs a date for her ex-boyfriend's wedding to her nemesis stepsister. She hires Iker, a soldier on leave who's in need of quick cash. Their fake relationship sparks real feelings, but their different worlds and Iker's secret past create challenges. The sequel explores the aftermath — and their fight for a future together.

Who Is Dolly Alderton?

Dolly Alderton is a former columnist for The Sunday Times and is now an author of 4 incredible, best-selling books. With almost 300,000 ratings on Goodreads for her debut memoir, she's solidified her status as a rising star in the literary world. Many liken her voice to be today's Bridget Jones or Nora Ephron due to her whip-smart writing and honest storytelling. She creates characters that jump off the page into real life with you and writes about her own life as if she were your best friend. Dolly is definitely an author you should know, so let's break down all of her best works for you to read!

Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir

This incredibly vulnerable Dolly Alderton book is a relatable memoir that explores what it's like to be a young woman navigating life in the current world. Dolly Alderton writes about her experience in life, love, dating, men, and food. You name it, she talks about it. She candidly depicts her pits and peaks managing whatever life threw at her. The book is also deeply rooted in friendship, specifically Dolly's relationship with an old childhood friend named Carly. This is the most painful part of it all.

Dolly confronts the heartbreaking truth that you will not have the same friendship as you once did as you age and evolve. She even writes the painful sentiment, "Everything will change. The love we have for each other stays the same, but the format, the tone, the regularity, and the intimacy of our friendship will change forever.” Her writing is painfully honest, but it'll also have you sitting on the edge of your seat to see what misadventure will happen next. You can't help but root for her in this amazing memoir. Everything I Know About Love was adapted into a British TV series in 2022 starring Emma Appleton, Bel Powley and Aliyah Odoffin. Season 1 is streaming on Peacock.

Ghosts: A Novel

Now moving on to her debut novel, Ghosts, you'll encounter Dolly Alderton's engaging storytelling but with an even funnier wit and flair. Published in 2021, this book tells the story of Nina Dean, a successful food writer in her early thirties. She decides to download a dating app and meets a handsome gentleman named Max. It goes, surprisingly, very well. They hit it off immediately and he even claims that he'll marry her on their first date.

But then she gets ghosted by Max the charmer, and Nina starts to spiral as all of her problems seem to hit at once. Not only is she grappling with the societal and cultural pressures to settle down, but she also must cope with her father's dementia diagnosis and her mother's mid-life crisis. There's a healthy dose of self-reflection and humor that'll keep you hooked until the very end.

Dear Dolly: Collected Wisdom

Asked and answered! This Dolly Alderton book is a compilation of the best guidance from her "Dear Dolly" column with The Sunday Times. In the classic Dolly Alderton way, she gives sage advice and shares funny anecdotes from her own experiences on everything from break ups to body image.If you're feeling lost, confused, or unsure about if you're on the right path in life, then this book will help you through it! Plus, Dolly Alderton is just so charming and thoughtful in her responses that you will be asking for even more!

Good Material

Good Material is the latest Dolly Alderton book, which debuted in November 2023. It offers quite a different feel from her previous works as it's written from a male's perspective. She reveals the story of couple Andy and Jen, who have recently ended their relationship. Andy is gutted by the breakup and hopes to win back his now ex-girlfriend all the while trying to launch his standup career. Throughout most of the book, we see the story from Andy's side. Once you think you have the whole story, a surprising perspective shift will help illuminate what the true downfall of the relationship was, and shed light on Jen's point-of-view. If you're looking for a book to help you cope with a recent breakup, this one is definitely for you. After tearing through this read, we can't wait to see what Dolly Alderton is cooking up next.

What is a tortured poets department?

Taylor Swift has spent years talking about her anxiety, her sleepless nights, and her emotions. "My muses, acquired like bruises / My talismans and charms / The tick, tick, tick of love bombs / My veins of pitch black ink," she writes in her official Instagram post. "All's fair in love and poetry." My guess is that The Tortured Poets Department features a bunch of artists who all feel very deeply and have a similar ethereal, larger-than-life approach to their music.

As far as the name, it looks like The Tortured Poets Department could be referencing her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn's group chat name — "The Tortured Man Club" with Paul Mescal (who starred in Normal People while Joe starred Conversations With Friends. Both series are based on Sally Rooney books).

Taylor Swift is also making major connections to the "poetry" aspect of TTPD because ahead of the album release, you can visit the limited library installation pop-up! From Tuesday, April 16 to Thursday, April 18, you can head to The Grove in Los Angeles to see all kinds of surprises that will tease Taylor Swift's newest era.

When is The Tortured Poets Department release date?

The Tortured Poets Department is dropping April 19, 2024. It looks like ahead of the release, Taylor Swift is sending fans on a scavenger hunt to gather clues about the album. @eurosweetheart on TikTok points out that on Apple Music, certain song lyrics from Taylor's discography feature random capital letters. But when the letters are strung together, they form words! So far, we have "Hereby" and "Conduct." Are we getting an announcement? Are these Tortured Poets Department lyrics? Taylor does love to reference games in her lyrics so this should come as a surprise to no one ;).

At the Eras Tour shows in Tokyo, Taylor Swift explained when she started working on TTPD. “I’ve been working on Tortured Poets since right after I turned in Midnights,” she said onstage. “So, you turn in an album months in advance…and I’ve been working on it for about two years. I kept working on it throughout the U.S. tour and when it was perfect, in my opinion, when it was good enough for you, I finished it.”

"Soon you'll get to hear it, soon we'll get to experience it together," she continued. "I'm over the moon about the fact that you guys care about my music...Everyone’s like, ‘Why do you make so many albums?’ And I’m like, ‘Man, because I love it! I love it so much! I’m having fun, leave me alone.'”

The brand new album follows Speak Now (Taylor's Version) and 1989 (Taylor's Version). When Midnights was announced after Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version), I wondered whether she'd have a two rerecordings, one new album pattern and it looks like that's what we're getting!

What is Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department?

Taylor Swift's new album (which is also referred to as TS11) is called The Tortured Poets Department. Taylor Swift announced the album while accepting the award for Best Pop Album at the 2024 Grammys. While we don't know the exact vibe of the album, over the last year, we've gotten quite a few clues about what we can expect! Just like "Daylight" at the end of Lover sets up Midnights, I think "Dear Reader" sets up The Tortured Poets Department.

And in honor of the eclipse on April 8, Taylor Swift posted the first lyrics from TS11! "Crowd goes wild at her fingertips // Half moonshine // Full eclipse," the lyric post reads. While some fans think this could be a line from "Florida!!!" (which we're expecting to reference her Florida Eras Tour shows), others say it could be from "Clara Bow."

"The first line makes you think of someone who’s famous (Clara Bow was an actress) and...moonshine was a type of alcohol that was popular during prohibition during the 1920s which is when Clara Bow was famous," one comment reads.

Taylor's official announcement features even more beautiful language that evokes the same emotion "The Lakes" does, which makes me believe TTPD will be similar to Folklore and Evermore (maybe it'll even serve as the third sister album Swifties thought we'd get in 2021?). Some fans are also convinced TTPD connects to Reputation, and TBH, I'm hopping on this train!

"I think the two albums are sisters albums, but in like an opposite way," one Reddit user says. "Reputation is all black, this one is going to be all white and softly coded." Another agrees: "Reputation is presented as a dark album but is truly a love album...This one is presented as soft and white but I bet the lyrics will be devastating."

I'm expecting TS11 to have the same lyrical prowess as songs like "Would've, Should've, Could've," The National's "The Alcott" (on which Taylor's a featured artist), and "You're Losing Me." Taylor is all about looking past appearances and telling a complex story, and The Tortured Poets Department will be no different. Just like Reputation is an edgy, glittery, emotionally-charged version of the beginning of her relationship with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, I totally agree that TTPD could look grounded, airbrushed, and dreamy from the outside, but the lyrics will be SAD.

There's also been some discussion that TS11 could be another pop album that's even more nuanced than Midnights. Well, during her Eras Tour show in Sydney, Australia, she played another round of suspicious surprise songs. While sitting at the piano, Taylor Swift takes her earpiece out and calls attention to the keyboard. "Do you hear that?" she says (via TikTok). "My damn keyboard's playing a synth sound." She then does what she almost always does when dropping an Easter egg: she smirks.

"That sound is how the album starts, mark my words," one comment reads. Another says, "That smirk tells me everything I need to know."

How do I presave The Tortured Poets Department?

Before The Tortured Poets Department's release on at midnight on April 19 (we're less than a month away!), go ahead and pre-save it. It'll make streaming the album a little bit easier because when you pre-save, the album will pop up for you as soon as it drops! Go to Taylor Swift's official website and click on the "Pre-add/Pre-save" button. It'll take you to a new page where you can save it on Spotify or Apple Music (depending on which service you use), and you can also pre-order at stores like Target!

How many songs will be on The Tortured Poets Department?

Taylor Swift dropped The Tortured Poets Department song list February 5, and we already have theories about what each track could reference. IMO, "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart" is totally referencing Taylor Swift's performances of "Lover" following her split from Joe Alwyn (you can see her crying during the set), while there's a good chance "Florida!!!" is referencing her first Tampa concert, which was the first show she performed after the breakup became public knowledge. Taylor Swift's dad Scott Swift recently told fans he's most excited for Swifties to hear the title track and "Florida!!!" Here's the full tracklist for TS11:

1. Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)
2. The Tortured Poets Department
3. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
4. Down Bad
5. So Long, London
6. But Daddy I Love Him
7. Fresh Out the Slammer
8. Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine)
9. Guilty as Sin?
10. Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?
11. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
12. loml
13. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
14. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
15. The Alchemy
16. Clara Bow
17. Bonus Track: The Manuscript
18. Bonus Track: The Bolter
19. Bonus Track: The Albatross
20. Bonus Track: The Black Dog

Will The Tortured Poets Department be explicit?

There are 7 explicit songs on The Tortured Poets Department: "The Tortured Poets Department," "Down Bad," "But Daddy I Love Him," "Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine)," "loml," "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart," and "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived."

What is The Albatross about?

During one of her Eras Tour shows in Sydney, Australia, Taylor Swift announced a new version of The Tortured Poets Department featuring exclusive bonus track "The Albatross." This new album already has some crazy track titles — all with pretty noteworthy meanings.

According to Collins Dictionary, if you call someone an Albatross, "they cause you great problems from which you cannot escape, or they prevent you from doing what you want to do," while a Bolter could refer to someone bolting out of a relationship (or bolting from a restaurant to a car like in this viral clip 🤨).

Meanwhile "The Alchemy" refers to the continual process of trying to turn something into gold — remember how Taylor Swift spent 6 years saying her relationship with Joe Alwyn was golden? Buckle up Swifties, TS11 is going to be a wild ride.

What does loml mean?

At first glance, the twelfth song on The Tortured Poets Department, "loml," means "love of my life." Some fans were wondering if the song was a nod to Harry Styles since his Harry's House finale track is "Love of My Life" (the album also features a track named "Daylight" which is another funny connection to Taylor Swift). But Bonnie & Emily from ChatsAndReacts have got me thinking about the track in a whole new way.

Emily says that while Taylor might sing about the love of her life at the beginning of the song, she also has the potential to switch it up each verse. "Lie of my life" and "loss of my life" are HEART WRENCHING, and totally something Taylor would write.

How can I buy The Tortured Poets Department?

You can pre-order a bunch of different versions of The Tortured Poets Department on Taylor Swift's website right now, includingThe Tortured Poets Department CD + Bonus Track "The Manuscript", The Tortured Poets Department CD + Bonus Track "The Manuscript" andThe Tortured Poets Department Cassette + Bonus Track "The Manuscript".

Will The Tortured Poets Department have any featured artists?

Yes, The Tortured Poets Department will feature Florence + The Machine on the song "Florida!!!" and Post Malone on the song "Fortnight." And after Taylor Swift teased a variety of collaborations by posting handwritten lyrics from artists like Harry Styles and Lorde, Swifties are wondering if The Tortured Poets Department will be the "collab album" we never got.

Another clue that leads me to believe this is true is the fact that the title of this album is so much longer than her other titles — and she refers to herself as "Chairman" of the department. Who are all the constituents?! Are they all the same artists who left Scooter Braun's management last year? Only time will tell, because as far as I'm concerned, surprises aren't out of the question until the TS11 era is over!👀

What is the theory of Taylor Swift's double album?

Throughout her stay in Sydney, Australia for the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has been dropping lots — and I mean lots — of twos. @v_swiftie_ points out that in addition to holding up the number two while announcing The Tortured Poets Department, she's been playing more surprise song mashups than normal, and Taylor Nation has been posting Instagram stories featuring the number 2 instead of the number 13. Suspicious, Tay, very suspicious.