What We're Reading This Weekend: Her Stories

Stories from Sonia Sotomayor, Lena Dunham and Andrea Martin

By Janine Rayford Rubenstein

@JanineRayford

10/09/2014 AT 08:30 PM EDT

They say it's a man's world, but to the powerful, talented and hilarious women our staff is reading about this week, "they" don't know what they're talking about. Even pop star Taylor Swift, who covers this week's 40th Anniversary issue – and gorgeously channels 1974's cover girl Mia Farrow – is feeling the world's growing girl power. In that spirit, our staff is poring over real stories of modern-day female history makers.

Share your thoughts on their choices – and let us know what you're reading.

Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham

Rennie Dyball, Senior Editor

Her Pick: Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham

For me, Lena Dunham's new collection of personal essays is a lot like her hit HBO series Girls: a little inconsistent, but with flashes of greatness that always keep me coming back for more. You'll see a lot of Hannah Horvath in Dunham's writing, and while some parts make me want to stand up and cheer (why she wants to change onscreen sex scenes), others (like a week's worth of her food diary with no real takeaway) feel indulgent and overdone. But I'm counting down to the show's new season – and staying up late with this book.

Lady Parts by Andrea Martin

Karla Moriarty, Senior Creative Development Director

Her Pick: Lady Parts by Andrea Martin

I always loved Emmy-winning actress and comedian Andrea Martin’s portrayal of the leopard-print-wearing, loud-mouthed TV station manager Edith Prickley on the sketch comedy series SCTV. And Aunt Voula was my big fat favorite character in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I wanted to spend a little time with the woman who developed those characters and find out how they came about. So far, her memoir has been a great meet and greet. I’m enjoying reading about her personal life as much as about her life on-screen. She has a wonderfully believable tone that's not the least bit "prickly" but still very funny. I can’t wait to finish it.

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor

Janine Rayford Rubenstein, Writer-Reporter

Her Pick: My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor

By no fault of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, I was pretty intimidated by this book before I even opened it. I got the hard copy when it first came out and let it sit. I did the same with the paperback version until just last week. Having never read a Supreme Court justice's memoir, I think I naively worried it would feel like a school assignment rather than a fun, personal read. But thanks to Sotomayor's masterful detailing of her humble beginnings in the Bronx, I'm glad to say I was mistaken. I'm only a third of the way through, and little Sonia's not yet the trailblazing legal icon she's going to become, but I am thoroughly enjoying her remarkable journey.

Check back Thursdays for more roundups of staff picks, and see more book reviews each week in PEOPLE magazine, on newsstands now. Plus, check out past staff picks like celebrity non-fiction and more great book finds here .