Introductions

[Jared]

Hello! My name is Jared. I've been a member of the group for awhile but I'd like to get more involved in discussions of the monthly reads. My reading tastes are pretty varied, though I read a lot of contemporary fiction and food writing. I just finished The Five, March's non-fiction read.

Glad to be here!

[Ozsaur]

Hi, Jared! Welcome!

[Mj]

Welcome Jared. I hope you enjoy your time and experiences with this group.

Why not take a few minutes and make some comments in the monthly group discussion of The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper which you've just finished. I'm sure Susan, the discussion leader for this book, would love to hear /read your impressions, as would I. Doesn't have to be fancy - just your thoughts. Started to read it but haven't made much headway. Maybe your comments (good or bad) will light the spark.

[Melissa]

Greetings to all! I'm Melissa, from Pittsburgh, PA (USA) and I discovered this group yesterday (how did it take me so long?!) while looking for others who are reading the Women's Prize 2023 longlist. Delighted to have found so much more. Coincidentally, I have Empty Wardrobes out from the library now.

Favorite genres are memoir, literary fiction, short stories (especially linked stories or novel-in-stories), essays, nonfiction.

Looking forward to participating in the group.

[Ozsaur]

Hi Melissa! Welcome! I think you'll find plenty of discussion here.

[Jen]

Hi there, I'm Jennifer :)

I'm a US-born artist/quilter now living on a German island in the Baltic Sea. I've been really into fiction recently and decided to reactivate this account after years of being absent, to find some community with whom to bond over books :)
I recently finished Tsitsi Dangarembga's trilogy (Nervous Conditions, The Book of Not, and This Mournable Body) and was seeking out book reviews online. From a cool reviewer blog I learned of this group.

Cheers

[Michaela]

Welcome Jen!

[Ozsaur]

Hello and welcome, Jen. We have several book discussion threads for Women in Translation. I think you'll like it here.

[Jen]

Thank you, Michaela and Ozsaur, I appreciate that :) and yes, I indeed like the idea of a special focus on translated works by women.

[PrincessZelda]

Hi, I'm Jasmin from Belgium and pretty embarrassed to only introduce myself after such a long time. I read mostly women for the last few years (only make an exception for two authors and recently the odd book club read) and plan on keeping it that way. I read mostly Fantasy, Romantasy and New Adult Romance (mostly due to brain fog) but now I'm ready to broaden the spectrum again, dive deep into literary stuff, classics and (feminist) non-fiction, all the different cultures and of course also to start talking with people about what I read. I am currently reading Disability Visibility, have purchased the two December books and am planning my Bingo reads. I'm very excited for the journey!

[Jen]

PrincessZelda wrote: "Hi, I'm Jasmin from Belgium and pretty embarrassed to only introduce myself after such a long time. I read mostly women for the last few years (only make an exception for two authors and recently t..."

Hi Jasmin :) Belgium- cool! I'm American living in Germany... I got the December books too and am excited for those reads.

[Carol]

PrincessZelda wrote: "Hi, I'm Jasmin from Belgium and pretty embarrassed to only introduce myself after such a long time. I read mostly women for the last few years (only make an exception for two authors and recently t..."

Toss the embarrassment - we're glad you're here!

[Yumi]

Hi, I'm yumi, 20 years old. My pronouns are she/her. I would love to read more from woman authors and translators. Since I'm going to be a translator some day!

[Ozsaur]

Welcome Yumi! Being a translator sounds exciting!

[Nike]

Hello, everyone (⁠✿⁠ ⁠♡⁠‿⁠♡⁠)

I'm so happy to have been invited to this group! I love to read literature by female writers and I wasn't aware that this group existed. I'm really glad to have found you.

I'm a Swedish woman and I love to read classics, books by Nobel laureates, British crime novels, dystopias, gothic horror and contemporary literature from all over the world.

[Michaela]

Welcome Nike! *waves*

[Nike]

Michaela wrote: "Welcome Nike! *waves*"

Hello there! Nice to see an acquaintance (⁠✯⁠ᴗ⁠✯⁠)

[Liesl]

Nike wrote: "Hello, everyone (⁠✿⁠ ⁠♡⁠‿⁠♡⁠)

I'm so happy to have been invited to this group! I love to read literature by female writers and I wasn't aware that this group existed. I'm really glad to have found..."

Welcome Nike. Great to see you here.

[Nike]

Liesl wrote: "Nike wrote: "Hello, everyone (⁠✿⁠ ⁠♡⁠‿⁠♡⁠)

I'm so happy to have been invited to this group! I love to read literature by female writers and I wasn't aware that this group existed. I'm really glad ..."

Thankyou (⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠)

[Jen]

Hi Nike, you read a nice variety of styles. Thanks to discovering GR groups I am really beginning to as well now and I love it.
Are you currently living in Sweden? I visited for the first time last summer- just Malmö- adored it! I hope to see more of Sweden eventually. It’s not too long a drive from where I live.

[Nike]

Jen wrote: "Hi Nike, you read a nice variety of styles. Thanks to discovering GR groups I am really beginning to as well now and I love it.
Are you currently living in Sweden? I visited for the first time last..."

Yes, I live in Göteborg/Gothenburg on the west coast. Malmö is very nice and so is Göteborg (even though there are like a million road constructions, tunnel blastnings and house buildings so our city is transforming tremendously.
Are you living in Germany? I haven't been in Germany as much as other Swedes (only twice), and it's a very long time ago. I was in a town called Verden of all places once. I would love to see Berlin.

[Jen]

Nike wrote: "Jen wrote: "Hi Nike, you read a nice variety of styles. Thanks to discovering GR groups I am really beginning to as well now and I love it.
Are you currently living in Sweden? I visited for the fir..."

Ah, cool! I hope to see Göteborg before long. Someday, I'll get around to driving up to Oslo to see an old friend and would hit it up on the way :)
Yes, I'm on a German island in the Baltic Sea/Ostsee. At the north coast, there's a ferry to Denmark!

[Rose]

Hi everyone, I'm Rose, I live in Northern California and work as an environmental consultant. I like literary fiction, with a special focus on women in translation, and genre fiction mostly in the broad speculative fiction category. I listen to a lot of nonfiction, mostly current events, history, climate/enviro science, and health. Happy to be here!

[Sonia]

Rose wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Rose, I live in Northern California and work as an environmental consultant. I like literary fiction, with a special focus on women in translation, and genre fiction mostly in the ..."

Welcome Rose, looking forward to hearing what you read, especially WIT books.

[Ozsaur]

Welcome Rose! I think you'll find a lot to enjoy here.

[Dianne]

Hi everyone, thanks for the invite! I am looking forward to the February selections and will join you there! I'm Dianne, a single mom and attorney living in Philly burbs and working in DC (mostly remote). My girls are 11 and 14 and life is a happy whirlwind. I mostly read classic fiction, literary fiction and non-fiction. Books are my passion!

[Ozsaur]

Welcome Dianne! Hope you enjoy the book discussions!

[Carol]

Dianne wrote: "Hi everyone, thanks for the invite! I am looking forward to the February selections and will join you there! I'm Dianne, a single mom and attorney living in Philly burbs and working in DC (mostly r..."

It's great to see you here, Dianne. If you ever want to attorney rant, feel free to send me a DM. : )

[lau ღ]

Hi! My name's Laura, I'm a Peruvian aspiring artist currently studying animation. I'm now living in Florida and working as a receptionist! I mostly read literary fiction, romance and some gothic literature. I grew up being a big reader but lost some of that passion with time, I'm now taking up reading again and trying to discover new authors, specially female ones. It's nice to meet all of you!

[Jen]

Hi Laura, love your profile pic! I love snoopy (actually I sleep with a big plush one). I grew up mostly in Tampa. I think I’ll miss the Florida sunsets forever :)

[Ozsaur]

Welcome, Laura! Love your Snoopy avatar! I'm sure you'll find plenty of book recs here.

[Nova]

Hello, My name is Nova. I'm from Canada, but I was born in Nepal. I moved to Canada for better opportunities. I like cats, reading good books, singing, swimming, hiking and photography.

I want to read more fiction books especially by women. I somehow find women's books more relatable to me. I feel a sense of trust towards women who write women. After all, only a woman has lived a life as a woman, who can better write it? Therefore, I want to read and relate to women more. It gives me a sense of comfort.

I wish to read Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou and any recommendations I would find in this book club.

[Jen]

Nova wrote: "Hello, My name is Nova. I'm from Canada, but I was born in Nepal. I moved to Canada for better opportunities. I like cats, reading good books, singing, swimming, hiking and photography.

I want to ..."

Welcome! I also love cats and the way women write women :)

[Ozsaur]

Welcome, Nova! You'll find plenty of recommendations here as well as book discussions and challenges.

[Mj]

Welcome Nova! I too live in Canada. Hope you’re finding the opportunities you moved here for.

Not sure if you’re aware of The Canada Reads Book Competition. It’s in its 23rd year and is shown across Canada on CBC TV, CBC Radio, CBC Books and on-line. This year all 5 books were written by Canadian Female Authors.

Here’s a link if you’re interested:
https://www.cbc.ca/books/meet-the-can...

It starts Monday March 4th and ends Thursday March 7th. It’s not a serious book discussion but the messages are very heart-felt. It is more of a debate (at times funny and/or frustrating) with videos and defenders who champion their favourite book of the 5 with vim and vigour. It can be a lot of fun with exposure to books that you and other members might not otherwise think about and might enjoy.

[Nova]

Jen wrote: "Nova wrote: "Hello, My name is Nova. I'm from Canada, but I was born in Nepal. I moved to Canada for better opportunities. I like cats, reading good books, singing, swimming, hiking and photography..."
great! I'm glad I can be around likeminded women.

[Nova]

Ozsaur wrote: "Welcome, Nova! You'll find plenty of recommendations here as well as book discussions and challenges."

Thank you. So far it's going great and loving the book recommendations !

[Nova]

Mj wrote: "Welcome Nova! I too live in Canada. Hope you’re finding the opportunities you moved here for.

Not sure if you’re aware of The Canada Reads Book Competition. It’s in its 23rd year and is shown acro..."

Yes, the opportunities here are great for my growth.

I will definitely check out the Canada Reads Book Competition! Thank you.

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

Hello! I am Rosh from Mumbai, India. I have always been an eclectic reader in terms of genre, though most of my books are by women writers. Looking forward to getting some interesting recs from this group. :)

[Sonia]

Rosh wrote: "Hello! I am Rosh from Mumbai, India. I have always been an eclectic reader in terms of genre, though most of my books are by women writers. Looking forward to getting some interesting recs from thi..."

Welcome Rosh. Looking forward to getting book recommendations from you too. In the meantime if you could do anything to improve Mumbai's IPL results son and I would be very pleased. 😊

[Jen]

Rosh wrote: "Hello! I am Rosh from Mumbai, India. I have always been an eclectic reader in terms of genre, though most of my books are by women writers. Looking forward to getting some interesting recs from thi..."

Welcome, Rosh, nice to have you!

[Olivia]

Hi everyone! I'm Olivia (she/her) from the UK, I'm a screenwriter, script editor, and film review YouTuber. :)

I'm currently trying to get back into my once-regular reading routine that I used to keep up with a few years back, but unfortunately let slip! Trying to start with some shorter, accessible reads, and hopefully building back up to the big novels I used to go through. I made a new account on here to encourage myself to use it more often, and I'm always open to new recommendations or seeing what other people are reading too! :)

[GailW]

Welcome, Olivia! You will definitely see recommendations here. Enjoy!

[Ozsaur]

Welcome Rosh and Olivia!

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

Sonia wrote: "Looking forward to getting book recommendations from you too. In the meantime if you could do anything to improve Mumbai's IPL results son and I would be very pleased. 😊"

Thanks, Sonia! This is embarrassing, but I have no idea what's happening with the IPL. I am one of those endangered species of Indians who have zero interest in cricket. 😆

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

Thanks, Jen and Ozsaur! I've already found some great recs! 🤩

Welcome, Olivia!

[Sonia]

Rosh wrote: "Sonia wrote: "Looking forward to getting book recommendations from you too. In the meantime if you could do anything to improve Mumbai's IPL results son and I would be very pleased. 😊"

Thanks, Son..."

Son got me into cricket when he played. I like that there is usually a cup of tea available and it is perfectly acceptable to take and read a book.

[G]

Hi folks. I am new here. I'm in the US.

I mostly read literary fiction. I also read some poetry, essays, popular fiction when the brain needs a break, and from time to time history and non-fiction. I detest sci-fi/fantasy/speculative fiction, but I occasionally read in that area if someone I know says enough intriguing things about it.

I have found myself getting more and more bored with most of the mainstream American fiction--so much sameness, it reminds me of watching TV series in the 70's, where you'd see the same story line appear in every series within a week or two. Recently I have been seeking out more fiction in translation, as well as writers (where writing in English or translated) who are outsiders to the mainstream.

I am particularly interested in German language writers. Back in college one of my majors was German, so I was introduced to the canon as it stood then, but a lot has happened since then—including the fall of the Wall—and women were not heavily represented, except in the course on East German Lit. My German is slowly returning, but I still need to mostly read these writers in translation, and that is just not much of a thing in the world of US (and, I suspect, English language) publishing, as far as I can see. Still, it’s an area I am keen to explore. I can say that my most surprising discovery in the last year or two was Dörte Hansen, whose novel This House Is Mine, I read last year and loved.

The last few years I’ve consciously tried to give at least half of my reading to works by women. This has turned out to be easier than I had thought, though it still requires intention.

Favorite classic authors include Sayers, Woolf, Undset, Seghers, and Wharton. Among (near) contemporary writers, I really like Byatt, Anne Carson, Kingsolver, and Patchett. Also Kate Atkinson, whose A God in Ruins is the most compelling anti-war novel I have ever read. I have read only one volume of her poetry, but I probably should include Emily Jungmin Yoon in my favorites list because I keep coming back to that volume. Most of these are big names; I’m also always on the hunt for lesser-known writers to adopt into the colloquy of favorites.

[Ozsaur]

Hello, and welcome G! I've been shifting my focus to women writers for several years now, and this group has been helpful in that regard. I hope you find plenty of translated works here.

You can always start a thread and ask for German translated books. I'm sure there are a number of readers here who can help.

[G]

Ozsaur wrote: "Hello, and welcome G! I've been shifting my focus to women writers for several years now, and this group has been helpful in that regard. I hope you find plenty of translated works here.

You can ..."

Thank you for that suggestion!