Welcome! [Please Read]

[For Books' Sake]

Hello everyone!

If you're a member of this group, you're probably familiar with For Books' Sake. If not, we're a website and online community dedicated to books by and for independent women. Our site is a mixture of news, features, interviews and reviews - all featuring work by brilliant female writers.

So: tell us about yourself! Who are you, why do you love books, and who's your favourite female writer?

[Beulah]

Hey,

ASL (fuck, I miss MSN): 26, f, London - I'm a Publishing Assistant and Features ed for FBS, feel like a bit of a mum now for commenting on this.

I love books because they're the closest thing I get to meditation and because by loving them I've made most of my closest friends (ikr, such a doofus).

Favourite female writer atm is Dorothy Parker.

[Stephanie]

Hello! My name's Steph and I love For Books' Sake! I'm a displaced Australian living and (trying to be) working in the UK. I also run a blog called Gliterature.

I love books because I don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't reading. Some of my best friends are fictional.

My favourite writer is probably Donna Tartt, although Frances Hodgeson Burnett comes a close second, and I'm super psyched for her new book!

[[deleted user]]

Oh hi. I have no idea what this is but it looks good.
I'm Freya, I'm 24, currently floating through life (I get along lalala).

Only genres I'm not particularly interested in are science fiction and fantasy. Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones stuff like that just doesn't do it for me.

I like books on Zen Buddhism, philosophy, politics (all of it, particularly civil/human rights and left leaning stuff), intersectional feminism, classic literature, GOOD novels, music (any genre, particularly the nerdy stuff), radical self help, autobiographies (mostly official ones by unsavoury people), contemporary art and true crime.

There's really very little I'm not interested in, I like reading because I feel it educates me, even if it's fiction because I get a different perspective. I plan to read more about science, particularly biology. Also space (we'll see how that goes).

I'd say my favourite female author is Virginia Woolf.

[Jasmin]

Hi, I'm Jasmin, 25, based in Weybridge. I work in HR which helps to fund my enormous book addiction!

I come from a family that reads a lot and I never go anywhere without a book. I'm willing to give anything and everything a go and as a member of a couple of bookclubs, I've found recently that I've enjoyed a lot of books that I would never have picked up off the shelf otherwise. I do tend to read a lot of history, Tudor history especially, as that was what I have my degree in.

My favourite female author is Margaret Atwood and really looking forward to reading Maddaddam soon.

[Bryn]

Hullo, I didn't know of this group's existence either but I now feel very flattered to have been included - it looks good indeed!

I'm Sofía, I live in the north of Spain and I am seventeen (for the next week or two) and have been an avid reader since I learnt to do so, mostly thanks to my dad shoving books into my hands through-out my childhood. Books are a very integral part of my life and myself, particularly when growing up, both with escapism or feeling like a part of something, and now that I am older allowing me to learn all sorts of stuff about History, politics and intersectional feminism.

Unfortunately I do not know as many female authors as I would like to, but for know my favourite is probablyy Sylvia Plath (predictable, once more!)

[Ali]

Hello! I'm Ali (28, Edinburgh, GSOH, likes moonlit walks along the beach and eating peanut butter straight from the jar), and I have never been asked to explain why I love books before. I suppose because I like travelling into a world other than my own without having to do any work. My favourite female authors this week are Margaret Atwood and Diana Wynne Jones.

[Helena]

Hi all

Thanks for the invite to your group. I'm a Londoner currently living in West Wales. I have always loved reading. These days i mainly read Flash Fiction and Short Stories. My current favourite author is Lydia Davis.

[Susan]

Hey, all. I'm Susan, owner of West of Mars LLC, an Author Services company. Currently, we focus on editing, mostly (but not entirely) for the self-pubbed crowd.

I read all fiction except Christian lit. And my favorite female authors... other than me? I have a lot. Some old (Pam Houston), some who are friends (GG Vandagriff), some who are clients, some who are acquaintances (Jennifer Estep), and a lot more who don't know I'm alive.

I am crummy at the favorites game.

[Tracey]

Hi I'm Tracey I'm 39 and books and reading are my means of escape.

[Stujallen]

Stuart 41 book blogger translated fiction mainly love traveling world and cultures through books
My job is supporting people with learning disabilities in a small house other hobbies baking walking my dog winston

[Abby]

Hi. I'm Abby and I live in Cleveland, Ohio. I loved to read when I was younger got burned out though during my college days (I have three degrees so I was in school a looooong time) and just started reading for the enjoyment of it again recently. My favorite female author? Can't say I have one other than me. I started a publishing company and now spend my time reading and writing. Nice to have been invited into the group.

[Susan]

Hi - I'm Sue. I don't remember a time when I didn't prefer the company of books to that of people. Having said that, I had a period a few years ago after I finished working in a major bookshop chain where I just couldn't face reading. Bt I'm over it now and trying to catch up.

[Michele]

Hi all - My name is Michele and I live and work in Philadelphia, PA. I can't recall a time in my life when reading didn't feature prominently. Our house was always full of books and from a very early age, my mother taught us that our most prized possession was our library card.

Favorite female authors? Pssht, that's like Sophie's choice. Using the "I will buy and read anything they write and likely love it" criteria, I'll say Zadie Smith, Lionel Shriver, Sarah Waters & Emma Donoghue. That list could change tomorrow though.

Thank you for the invitation!

[S.W.]

Thanks for the invite to the group--I'm happy to be here. I'm Susan and I'm a mystery author with some strong female characters roaming through my novels. I also teach writing--creative, expository, and remedial--at a community college near my home in Morristown NJ. I can never pick one favorite book or author, but I love Jane Austen, Barbara Kingsolver, and, in the mystery genre, Ruth Rendell and Laura Lippman. I hope to chime in on some discussions here.

[Michael]

Hi everybody,

I'm a full-time student at Grossmont College and I'm pursuing a Comparative Literature and Journalism double-major.

I'm always happy to read awesome books by talented female writers. Anne Rice is particularly good. I also like what I've read by Maya Angelou.

Thanks so much for the invite, everybody!

[Elizabeth]

Hello, I'm Elizabeth.
I'm a 17 year old high school student living near Asheville, NC. I've loved to read since I was tiny- my mother tells me I was reading on my own by age 4. It's a passion I've always had, and I predict I'll have it for the rest of my life. I'm known as the person that will probably know just about any book you're talking about- unless it's extremely obscure. Words and stories have just always fascinated me- probably the reason I want to major in English, minor in journalism, and probably become either a journalist or librarian.
As for favorite female writer, that's a tough one. Because I read so much, and will read any genre just about, it's difficult for me to pick favorites, so I'll pick a few. I love Harper Lee, even though she's only written To Kill a Mockingbird, it's one of my favorites. Tamora Pierce is another favorite; in YA fantasy, she writes some of the best strong female protagonists. Amy Tan's writing style and characters are brilliant too, even though I've only read one of her books. I also adore Rachel Cohn, Meg Cabot, E. Lockhart, and Francesca Lia Block in the more teen lit section.

[JudithAnn]

Hi, I'm Judith (49) from the Netherlands, and this is my first Goodreads group. So nice to be asked!

I have my own editing business and I read a lot. Like, 19 books in August, to give you some idea (it can be anything between 12-22 per month). I review books for my two book blogs one in English, one in Dutch) and get more books than I know what to do with - so the to-read pile is high.

I used to read 80% female writers, especially in my 30s, but now I read about 50% women and men. I have no particular favorite writer, although I do love books by Barbara Kingsolver and Margaret Atwood.

[amber]

Hello all!
I'm city dwelling, theatre loving, art museum visiting, long time GR member.
My favorite female author is Amanda Eyre Ward.