Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Housewife | 2016 | Helen Ellis | Buy |
| 2 | Southern Lady Code | 2019 | Helen Ellis | Buy |
| 3 | Bring Your Baggage and Don’t Pack Light | 2021 | Helen Ellis | Buy |
| 4 | Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge | 2023 | Helen Ellis | Buy |
Helen Ellis’s collections are the core of her reputation as a writer. American Housewife (2016) is the best-known, a set of short stories about women in domestic settings where things are just slightly off. The book was a bestseller and introduced Ellis to a wide audience.
Southern Lady Code (2019) shifted to personal essays, drawing on Ellis’s Alabama upbringing and her life in New York City. The mix of Southern manners and sharp observation carried over into Bring Your Baggage and Don’t Pack Light (2021) and Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge (2023). All four collections share a voice that is funny, precise, and willing to go dark when the material calls for it.