A few of my favorite books

I've been an avid reader since I was a girl. I look for books with strong female protagonists, that take me to a different time or culture, and where I learn something new along the way, but without the author getting preachy. A few of my timeless favorites are here:

Peter Hoeg's "Smilla's Sense of Snow",

Vanessa Steven's "The Informationist"

Valya Dudycz Lupescu's "The Silence of Trees"