Read Women discussion
Introductions and Announcements
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Introductions
Irene wrote: "Liesl wrote: "Hi all. I am an Australian living in Spain. I completed a BA in English a few years ago and miss being able to discuss literature with people. A lot of the women authors that I have b..."Thanks Irene. I live in Madrid and there are a few bookstores here that sell books in English. I haven´t generally found the range to be extensive though. In addition to reading Women´s literature, I also like to read Post-colonial literature and that is almost non-existent here.
I don´t live in the centre of Madrid either and most of the bookclub activities are organised around the centre. I have children so disappearing for an evening is not always possible.
Liesl wrote: "Irene wrote: "Liesl wrote: "Hi all. I am an Australian living in Spain. I completed a BA in English a few years ago and miss being able to discuss literature with people. A lot of the women authors..."Hi Liesl,
yes..I completely understand your situation. I come from Madrid (Aravaca) but living in Berlin at the moment. Some years ago is was almost impossible to find anything other than best sellers...Have you already been to Desperate Literature? I don´t know about their selection of post-colonial lit, but maybe they would look for and bring you some... http://desperateliterature.com/
Anita wrote: "I have had to work to find good fantasy and Sci Fi books written by women. Not because they aren't out there but because they aren't as popular in main stream. I might tentatively recommend Uprooted by Naomi Novik and the darkest part of the forest by Holly Black."The short-list for the 2016 Hugo Awards (sci fi and fantasy) included three women – and was won by a woman. Uprooted was on this list and well worth the read. The third in Ann Leckie's Ancillary trilogy was also short-listed; each was shortlisted, with the first winning.
There are many excellent female sci fi and fantasy writers.
Hi. I'm Bonnie and mostly do read women authors anyway, so thought this would be a great group to join for reading ideas. I am cyclic with genres but go through times of reading mostly fantasy, soft science fiction, historical fiction, contemporary women's fiction, crime/mystery fiction.Oh, I'm from North Carolina, USA although I was born in Scotland and moved a lot. I have 3 grown kids, a husband, work as a school psychologist- near retirement, and love animals. I have 2 dogs, 2 cats.
Hello Bonnie and welcome to this group!
Hi I'm Deejay, from Algeria , I joined this group because I think It'd help me somehow , in reading more books, I mostly read scifi/fantasy , paranormal and romance , My favorite authors are Cassandra Clare, Sarah J Maas and JK Rowling :)
Hi! My name is Bhawisha but a lot of people find it difficult to pronounce so they either call me by my nickname, Bhav, or my middle name, Nikita. I am from Fiji but I very recently migrated to Australia.One of my best friends kept on pressuring me to join Goodreads and I'm glad she did! I didn't have a lot of time to read because of uni but due to switching countries, I had to differ my studies till next semester so I'm back to discovering the joys of books!
Hi there,My name is Rachel and I currently live in the frozen Northeast of the U.S. I am from the beautiful and warm Southwest and am constantly homesick, especially now when it's 6 degrees F outside (yikes!!).
I love to read! I grew up with books everywhere, my father is a retired librarian--I think I should've become one myself. I like to read all sorts of books. I tend to go through cycles or phases. Right now I'm in a paranormal/reread some of my favorites/catching up on the classics phase. I have come to realize that I must read more than one book at a time in order to get to everything that I want to get to, hence the multifaceted phase.
A couple of years ago, I made the decision to almost only read women authors. I thought to myself, once I get through all the women authors that I've always wanted to read, then I'll get back to the men authors. When I discovered this group, I was ecstatic! Finally, a place for me to chat with others reading lady authors ;). I am hoping to expand my author horizons into countries that I have not visited via the printed page.
P.S. I had to look up intersectional. I like people who introduce me to new words, thanks!
hi welcome Bonnie, Deejay, Bhav, and Rachel! I hope you all find plenty to read and discuss here with us :)
It's great to have such an international group. For Marie-Claude, since you like Neil Gaiman, some women you might like are Kage Baker, Connie Willis, Jodi Taylor, who all have a certain dark humor and great imagination. I also second Naomi Novik. I am in the US but I speak French and I have a job where I talk with people in Quebec daily. I'd be interested to know about Québécoise authors.
Hello EveryoneI would like to invite you to read my blog where I review books, most written by female authors. Hope you will enjoy the reading.
https://anopenbookbyaneta.wordpress.com
All the best
Aneta
Robin wrote: "I am in the US but I speak French and I have a job where I talk with people in Quebec daily. I'd be interested to know about Québécoise authors. "The only ones I know of - and haven't read - are Anne Hébert and Gabrielle Roy. I intend/hope to read something by each this year. But they aren't the fantasy/sci-fi authors you seem to know about. Still, there might be something for you on their similar authors pages.
I really liked The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy when I read that a few years back. I would probably still recommend that to readers now. (I say that since my reading moods fluctuate so frequently, so I'm never 100% positive, hah.)
El wrote: "I really liked The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy when I read that a few years back. I would probably still recommend that to readers now. (I say that since my reading moods fluctuate so f..."That's the one I'm hoping for by her. Strange question: does the flute in the title really refer to the musical instrument so that music is part of the story? (I might swap things around in February if it does.)
It does refer to the musical instrument as in one of the characters wants one, but while it's a physical object, it speaks on a metaphoric level, as in something one wants to obtain. At least that's my memory of it - I don't otherwise really remember music being a huge part of the story itself. (Again, it's been a few years since I read it though.)
El wrote: "It does refer to the musical instrument as in one of the characters wants one, but while it's a physical object, it speaks on a metaphoric level, as in something one wants to obtain. At least that'..."Thanks. I decided I could try not being lazy and go read a few reviews. It doesn't appear that music has much to do with it. Your review even refers to the French title, which literally translated doesn't even refer to a flute. It did win the Governor General's Award, so I could still fit into the challenge than ends Feb 28. I might decide to swap things around anyway.
Robin wrote: "It's great to have such an international group. For Marie-Claude, since you like Neil Gaiman, some women you might like are Kage Baker, Connie Willis, Jodi Taylor, who all have a certain dark humor..."Thanks alot Robin, it's noted! For Quebec female writers, I suggest Elizabeth Vonarburg (Chroniques du pays des Mères), nicknamed "La Grande Dame de la science-fiction québécoise", and I've heard good recommandations for Dominique Fortier's "Au péril de la mer", although I haven't read it myself yet.
Hi everyone! I’m Lien and I live in Italy.I’ve always loved to read since my very first book of fairytales. Books are my personal way to travel, explore, understand myself and the world around me. I don’t have a favourite genre. Generally, if a book seems intriguing, chances are I’ll read it regardless of the author, theme, etc.
Unfortunately, in the last few year I hadn’t had enough time to read, but in December I decided to catch up with good healthy habits (like reading more). I want to try as many different genres and authors as I could, expanding my reading “comfort zone”. For this purpose I’m willing to read more books written by female authors, especially from countries that I’ve never read anything about yet.
Hi everyone,My name is Carina, but I am called Carra, and I live in the beautiful country of Sweden. I joined the group about a week ago, and have since been "sniffing" around, just to get the feeling of the place. Well, this is somewhere I will enjoy spending my time.
I have been a vivid reader since I learned to read, something I did very quickly, just so that I could read the stories myself, whereas my father used to "kill" them by laughing too much. The was a particular story about Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck, that I will never forget. Donald started our owing his uncle 1 Swedish krona, which despite his struggle to find ways to pay back ended up in a one million debt or something like that at the end of the day. My father was practically crying with laughter, while I, being about 5 or 6 at the time, of course did not get the story at all. I do now, of course. Dear dad. :)
At university, I took a major in Comparative Literature, and also started out as a PhD student, but I quit after 2 years, for many reasons. While I enjoyed the studies, I was just not cut out for it. After I had quit, I got my love for literature back, since it was not a job anymore. For a few years I immersed myself in "bad reading", as in vampires, werewolves and things that go bump in the night. Please note that I myself don't consider this as bad reading - there is no such thing. Well, maybe Barbara Cartland... - but most people at the department did.
Nowadays, though, I read whatever and whoever catches my attention - Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, YA, Contemporary, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Graphic Novels, and so on. After years at the uni reading mainly men, I have a tender spot for women's lit, no matter genre.
Favourite writers:
Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Stephen King, Jo Walton, Astrid Lindgren, Tove Jansson, Elena Ferrante, Ilona Andrews, Ursula Le Guin, Erin Bow, and many, many more.
My reading project for 2017 is Virginia Woolf's novels; also dabbling in her essays, letters and journals. Sundays will be my VW day - coffee, cookies, classical music, and working my way through her novels.
Oh well, enough already - I am quite the chatterbox. ;) If you read all this, thank you. I hope to catch up to the discussions soon.
Hi, my name is Margeaux, and I currently reside in Texas. I joined this group to get into reading again, as well as expose myself to more women authors. I don't read a lot right now, but I am a BIG fan of Neil Gaiman.
Margeaux wrote: "Hi, my name is Margeaux, and I currently reside in Texas. I joined this group to get into reading again, as well as expose myself to more women authors. I don't read a lot right now, but I am a BIG..."Hi Margeaux! Neil Gaiman for the win! I'd read anything by him, even his grocery shopping list! Not this year, though. Since I promised myself to read only books written by women in 2017. Which means I have to wait a year before I can read his book on Norse Mythology!
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "El wrote: "I really liked The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy when I read that a few years back. I would probably still recommend that to readers now. (I say that since my reading moods flu..."Not that I recall. This is only the English title which is NOT a translation of the French one, which literally meant "Secondhand Happiness" according to wiki, but that is not a literal translation, so that might be how they say secondhand happiness in French (Might be an idiom, either in all of the French language or in Quebec) Bonheur d'occasion
Welcome, Joshua. Enjoy your time here!
Hello everyone - I'm Sophie and I'm looking forward to joining the discussion here. I live in Iowa and have always loved reading but lately find that I've been making excuses to myself about being "too busy" to read. I'd really like to get back into the habit of reading for pleasure and exploring new authors and topics.I've never participated in an online book club before, but my in-person book club is starting to dwindle as friends are having babies and I didn't want to lose my book discussions. I'm hoping this will be the answer.
Looking forward to reading with all of you!
Hi my name is Kristine. I live in Toronto. I'm an avid reader and will read almost anything. I do read a lot of female authors and I tend to read mostly Canadian literature. I am always looking for ways to expand my reading horizons.
Hi Kristine! Welcome. One of my personal challenges this year is to read at least 10 books by Canadian women. I would love it if you would comment in the Canadian Women thread with a few of your favorites.
Hi Kristine, Sophie, Carra, and everyone else! Welcome to the group, I hope you enjoy reading with us and please jump in any of our discussions. we love to talk books
Lien, I hope you've had a chance to check out our Read Around the World challenge. we have a bi - monthly read around the world group read also to help us keep the ball rolling on those diverse books and authors. Welcome to the group!
Hello everyone. My name is Laurie and I live in Texas, USA. Like most of you, I have been a voracious reader for a long as I can remember. My goal this year has been to read more by women authors, but this is honestly not going as well as planned. I also try to read lots of classics and there are are plenty by women, but they are rather outnumbered by male authors. So I plan to devote the remainder of the year to meeting my goal of 2/3 books by women with plenty of classics and authors from all over the world.My favorite authors are Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, L.M. Montgomery, Jane Austen, Louise Penny, and P.D. James. A rather eclectic mix possibly. I look forward to discovering some new and fabulous authors with you.
Hi everyone! I'm Verena, I'm 20, and I live in Germany.
My reading goals this year are to read more than last year, to broaden my horizons wrt literature (read more books written by people from different countries* and backgrounds, read more classics, try out other genres), and to read a lot of the LGBTQ+ books that I wish I had known about (or I wish had existed) four or five years ago. (* I'll definitely check out the Read Around the World challenge!)
The majority of the books I read are written by female authors, and I'm always happy to discover more amazing books by female authors.
This is the first time I'm joining a book club (online or otherwise), and I'm looking forward to reading with all of you!
Hello all - I'm happy to be here!I'm attracted to psychological novels that are driven equally well by character and plot. I especially enjoy novels of political intrigue and suspense.
Women authors who've inspired me include Donna Tartt, Joyce Carol Oates, Shirley Jackson, and Anita Shreve.
I lived in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, for many years some time ago. I relished the vibrant rhythm of these two cities as they evolved into the cultural Meccas they are today.
I'm looking forward to learning about more women authors through this group.
Hi everyone, I’m Nicki, from the US, and am a big fan of female horror, sci-fi, speculative fiction, and non-fiction authors.A few of my favorite writers are Margaret Atwood, Sara Gran, Elizabeth Massie, Shirley Jackson, Joyce Carol Oates, Maya Angelou, Ursula K. LeGuin, Octavia E. Butler, and Sofia Samatar.
I also love supporting female indie authors who are moving forward as writers by reading their work!
Nicki wrote: "Hi everyone, I’m Nicki, from the US, and am a big fan of female horror, sci-fi, speculative fiction, and non-fiction authors.A few of my favorite writers are Margaret Atwood, Sara Gran, Elizabeth..."
Welcome, Nicki! I'm sure you'll find plenty of recommendations here to make your TBR list grow exponentially.
Uh, hi! I'm Cenda, from Scotland. Been trying to read more diversely for a couple of years, always love discovering and reading more books by women. I would especially like to read more classics by female authors - this year I'm planning to read quite a bit of Virginia Woolf.
Hey, I'm Jaden-marie from Scotland. I have a particular focus around women from different cultures, from around the world. Favoured authors include: Seanan McGuire, Christina Henry, Alice Walker, Lauren Beukes, Margeret Atwood and Arudhati Roy.Into LGBTQ books, though pretty fussy with type and I'm slowly making my way through classics and feminist literature.
Gabriela wrote: "Cendaquenta wrote: "Uh, hi! I'm Cenda, from Scotland. Been trying to read more diversely for a couple of years, always love discovering and reading more books by women. I would especially like to read more classics by..."Hello! I'm a fan of Scotland, and this year I'll try to include scottish authors on my reading list. Ali Smith is one of the, if you happen to know any other I could include, please share =D
Ps: I visited Scotland last year for the first time and hope to visit it again someday. Your country is really charming.
Cheers! "
Thanks! Yeah, Scotland's a great place if I do say so myself - I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Did you happen to take in the Edinburgh International Book Festival while you were here? That happens towards the end of summer and it is wonderful.
I'll have a think about Scottish authors to recommend. The first one to come to mind is Muriel Spark, who wrote The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. It seems like she's not to everybody's taste, though, and I admit I haven't read her myself. There's also Arthur Conan Doyle, who was born in Scotland.
If you're interested in fantasy with LGBTQ+ elements, there's the Micah Grey trilogy by Laura Lam - she's American but lives in Scotland, and the Micah Grey world was, IIRC, inspired by Victorian-era-ish Scotland.
There's a couple of lists that might help you:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
Cendaquenta wrote: "Gabriela wrote: "Cendaquenta wrote: "Uh, hi! I'm Cenda, from Scotland. Been trying to read more diversely for a couple of years, always love discovering and reading more books by women. I would esp..."Thank you for the opportunity to plug a brilliantly-written book by Muriel Spark: Memento Mori. It's petite but packed with tiny masterpieces of wordsmithing.
Hi! I'm Clio, mom of a toddler girl who loves board books and running in circles and wife of a bioengineer. Recently moved to Tennessee, USA but have lived lots of places.My favorite lady authors are Agatha Christie, Margaret Maron, Diana Wynne Jones, and Connie Willis.
I'm trying to read more classics now so in 2018 I'm doing a "century of women" challenge in my Catching up on Classics Goodreads group - 1 classic book by a woman per decade for a century! If anybody really likes a woman-authored book published between 1900-1909 let me know.
I'm looking forward to reading some books with this group!
Hi Clio, welcome to the group! As it happens, our February group read will be a book written in those years. I'm unsure of the winner off of the top of my head - maybe Anne of Green Gables - but if you look at the poll page you will see a list of books that were written between 1900 and 1909.
Yep, just noticed that! That works out quite well haha! Thanks!
Hi everyone! I joined the group a while ago but I wanted to make a formal (as formal as it can be) introduction before I started posting/engaging out of nowhere. I'm Madalena, 20 and living in Europe. I read across all genres and am always interested in finding and reading new (to me, or otherwise) authors, especially women!
I'm looking forward to reading some books with this group!
I'm looking forward to reading some books with this group!
Hi :) I'm Katie! Living in England and just finishing my law degree. I read all genres really except non-fiction unless it has incredible reviews. I am actively looking to read more books by female authors :)
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Welcome also Marie-Claude, I have had to work to find good fantasy and Sci Fi books written by women. Not because they aren't out there but because they aren't as popular in main stream. I might tentatively recommend Uprooted by Naomi Novik and the darkest part of the forest by Holly Black.
Welcome to the group!