Goodreads Members' 20 Most Popular Book Club Picks

as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"
like 16/20

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

You say that like it's a bad thing....

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

Except there are two in the top 4. But ok.

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

One male is still a male, but beyond that, there are 3 male authors on the list. And isn't it FANTASTIC that 17 female authors are this popular after hundreds of years of mostly books by male authors being the only thing available?! Sounds like maybe you haven't read any of the female authors to appreciate their talent.

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

imagine being pressed that women are given representation. grow up

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females" I run our Book Club and make a point to add male authors and male subjects...tire of "women-related" books

Jackie wrote: "Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females" I run our Book Club and make a point to add male authors and male subjects...tire of "women-related" books"

Women don’t write only “women-related” books anymore than men write only “men-related” books. But reading a diversity of authors is certainly a good thing; hopefully you also make sure to add authors from different backgrounds, included translated works by both men and women.

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

Ashley wrote: "Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"
like 16/20"

It's 15/20 by my count: Matt Haig, Andy Weir, TJ Klune, Frederik Backman, and Alex Michaelides are all men. So men are definitely represented in this list.

There are only three BIPOC folks on this list though and only one is in the top 5. I think that's more where we need to focus on improving our individual book club selections.

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

actually 5/20 are males

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

Good.

Oh no, poor males, they are so rarely represented in the history of writing. Won't somebody think of them?

What difference does it make? The books were good enough to be given high ratings by Goodreads members. Why does everything have to become an issue. Just read the books you think you will like and rate them on their merits.

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

14/20. 1 Enby Author and 5 Male.
Multiple commenters have already corrected you on this one Chakib. Just a quick click on authors goodreads profiles or a little google will help you reign in that confident ignorance but I get it, this female dominated world is tough x

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females" what's represented here is what people are liking to read and talk about, indicating that fewer males are writing those books. hmmm...

Four books written by men is plenty. #SmashThePatriarchy

Won’t someone think of us poor oppressed men who never get any recognition? Our lives are so hard. 😭

Our book club read "The Vanishing Half," which was good, but we didn't really have much to talk about after reading it. Yes, it addresses racial prejudice within the Black community, which might be quite an education for some readers. Still, we are all members of an integrated community of long-standing, so these ideas were not new to most of us. The anxiety of "passing" seemed the most important part of the book, and how Stella craves the friendship of her Black neighbor while having to deny her at the same time.
Jude's relationship with Reese adds more elements of intersectionality, which made this long family saga even more interesting.

Let's talk about underrepresentation that actually matters:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...

Seems like men are still firmly in control of things, especially white men. I think Chakib can rest easy, unfortunately.

Frankly, it doesn't matter to me whether a book is written by a man or a woman. All that matters to me when it comes to a book is how well it is written and how memorable the story/characters are.

On subject, I have only read four of these at the moment(1, 2, 6, 12), but seven others are on my To-Read list(3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 14, 18).

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

Why does it matter what gender an author is?

Perhaps more women are in book clubs and are naturally inclined to vote for female authors.

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

as it should

Roygbiv wrote: "Oh no, poor males, they are so rarely represented in the history of writing. Won't somebody think of them?"

Right! We're making up for hundreds of years of them dominating the world of reading and writing (not for lack of women trying). Fine by me!

Am I the only one who hated the Midnight Library? I really thought it was a horrible representation of suicide and depression though that could just be because I experienced depression and suicide differently. That and I just thought the whole thing was boring and couldn't stand the main character. I honestly don't get why people liked it.

Steve wrote: "Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

Why does it matter what gender an author is?"

Good question . Same .
And likewise , why should it matter if the protagonist is male or female ?

Kevin wrote: "Four books written by men is plenty.
#SmashThePatriarchy"

I think male writers are under-represented only on this particular list.
Male writers can easily be found in the libraries and bookstores if that's your preference .
Lord help us if books become that segregated , though .

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

Now you know how it feels. No need to get hurt feelings from it. Maybe empathize more?

If bookclub books are not your preface. Skip this posting, go to a bookstore or library look there for something to knock your shoes off. It will take you more time and occupy that mind.

Filling these posts with rantings mean you got to get out .

I'm not seeing a problem here.

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

where's the issue exactly

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

You cant count. Take it from the top.Try again.
Of the twenty three books, I think there are maybe two or. three by "writers of color"- Vanished Half and Mexican Gothic. Same old challenge. Most book clubs in the US read mainly white writers and in an oblique but very obvious way reflect what people call the systematic racism embedded and engrained in every fact of American life. Did it ever occur to book clubs and members that y'all might ENJOY AND DELIGHT in books such as Ma Jian's hilarious satire of bureaucrats in 'China Dream'? Or how would you like to get knocked off your literary feet by Richard Wright's incandescent short novel 'The Man Wan ho Lived Underground ' in its ORIGINAL VERSION editors and agents thought too volatile and controversial when Wright wrote in the mid forties on the heels on his explosive Native Son? Mystery buffs might love the famed Inspector Chen ( is this the ninth mystery or the tenth)or dynamic King of American Detective Writers Walter Moselys new Easy Rawlins drama- Charcoal Joe. if you want something VERY differenlt, yet so familiar emotionally, try a novel by one of the world's most unreviewed and underated writers- Sahar Khalifeh of Palestine- A Passage Through The Plaza. Khalifeh has been writing top shelf feminist social justice fiction for over fifty yearsi n such novels as Wild Thorns, End of Spring, Ikon of The Covenant, and her historical masterpiece Of Noble Origins, an essential novel for understanding the Middle East. For anyone who wants more globall inclusive reading lists, send me your emails and Ill send you my pithy annotated biblographies. my email is erbrill69@gmail.com. I have a bunch of 'areas" and Im working on more. lists completed: African American Lit, Native American Lit Asian American Lit, Latin A American Lit, International Woman Lit, Literature of Protest, Novels Under 200 pages. Im still working on African Lit, Latin American lit ( South Americana Lit, and Central Central American Lit, Caribbean Lit, Chinese Lit, Japanese Lit, Philliipino Lit, Eastern Europeanllit,Russian Lit, India Lit, workingclass lit ( a bigspecialty)

Chakib wrote: "as usual, no males represented, here 19/20 books were written by females"

Most novels are purchased and read by women; therefore, the publishing industry chooses to put out books by, for, and about women.