Let me set the scene: you’re sitting with a polite group of people. It's book club night. Everyone is drinking tea (yours and mine has a little vodka in it). Then, Carol from The Walking Dead arrives. We throw our tea back and order another.

Carol’s own memoir would be an instant bestseller. People would be hooked from the start. Chapter 1: turning her abusive husband into a zombie and losing her child. But Carol isn’t exactly the type of human I imagine cozying up to sit down and read a book. She's a bit more... nomadic than that. So with that in mind, I’m offering up an array of tenacious female protagonist-led stories that will keep her stimulated—even if she needs to read them on foot during her next escape from a zombie horde.

'The Female Soldier: The Surprising Life and Adventures of Hannah Snell' by Richard Walker

This book is 64 pages of dynamite, that I think would make Carol explode with inspiration. Carol would definitely revel in the wonder and surprises of Hannah Snell, a female soldier in the 18th century who changed her gender to male so she could fight as a soldier. I believe if Carol were to look back at herself in Season 1, she would be surprised by her own metamorphosis from domestic abuse survivor to survivalist and zombie fighter.

'A Doll's House' by Henrik Ibsen

I sometimes imagine Carol in an empty Broadway theater, feet up on the seat in front of her, surrounded by the silence of the apocalypse. With that in mind, I’m recommending that she read this famous play. Some wrongfully label Norah from 'A Doll’s House' as ‘a meek housewife,’ just like they did with Carol in Season 1 of The Walking Dead.

But, spoiler alert, Norah like Carol, makes a brave decision (for the time-period) and leaves her unhappy marriage and her children behind. The play makes it clear that this is not a decision void of heartbreak, but one for Norah’s own sanity and survival. Although we never get to witness Norah’s journey after 'A Doll’s House', it’s been countlessly reimagined. I’d love to sit down with Carol over a coffee, and pick her brain to find out what she thinks Norah’s fate may be.

'Wild' by Cheryl Strayed

'Wild' has been referred to as ‘a journey from lost to found’. I think what this memoir so wonderful, is that it's not reductive in its telling of how Strayed ‘found herself’ on this long long journey. Reese Witherspoon has proven time and time again that she has great producing taste, and her adaptation of Wild to the big screen was one of her best projects.

The story is based on Strayed's story of hiking away grief and addiction in the wilderness. It's so full of drama that Carol would cheer Strayed on with each and every page. Coming to grips with yourself is never as perfect or as simple as a happy ending, and I think Carol would love to sit down with Strayed in our imaginary book club to explore their own versions of what happiness really means.

'Americanah' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda is a novelist who just doesn’t quit when it comes to delivering rich, powerful prose with stories you never want to end. Her characters are always packed full of juicy narratives and arcs. I think Carol may flip the pages of 'Americanah' so quickly, that she'll end up with a paper cut. Of course this won't phase her given her long list of bruises from post-apocalyptic daily life.

'Americanah' is full of love and transience. It follows the wonderful protagonist Ifemelu, as she navigates through her life from Nigeria to America. Ifemelu jumps over many hurdles, and while they're different than those in Carol's world, they're admirable hurdles all the same. As a transient women herself, Carol would love this book as it captures the two very different worlds Ifemelu exists in while remaining true to herself.

'Goodbye, Sweet Girl: A Story of Domestic Violence and Survival' by Kelly Sundberg

Carol’s experiences with domestic violence were never completely unpacked in The Walking Dead, however Kelly Sunberg does so in every inch of her brave book, 'Goodbye, Sweet Girl'. Survivors of domestic abuse are of course not monolithic, but I do think Carol, the queen of catharsis, would find some solace in these pages.

In Season 10, I’m sure Carol would read this and find herself looking back at all that she's been able to survive. I also think she'd recognize that the biggest thing she's survived isn't the zombie apocalypse, but rather domestic violence. As someone who used to work in a domestic abuse shelter, 'Goodbye, Sweet Girl' is proof of the healing power of storytelling. This book tells an all too familiar story of domestic abuse, and examines it from the victim's perspective, which is a rare thing.

So, Carol, I hope you enjoy these recommendations as you're the type of person whose life experiences would inject some real thought-provoking debate into our book club. From mortal to immortal stories, I think you would enjoy the range of books we read at AMC Book Club... and you may just find some solace and escapism too.