The F-word discussion
What are you currently reading?
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Lynn
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Dec 21, 2018 04:47PM
Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink.
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Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. A land with only women in it, that gets invaded by three young men. Written in 1915. A quarter of the way through. Really enjoying it so far.
Natasha (Diarist) wrote: "Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. A land with only women in it, that gets invaded by three young men. Written in 1915. A quarter of the way through. Really enjoying it so far."Turns out that despite being a progressive, a socialist, a feminist, Charlotte Perkins Gilman was actively racist. How?? So disappointing.
And now a little light reading for the end of the year: Effective JavaScript: 68 Specific Ways to Harness the Power of JavaScript by David Herman.
Natasha (Diarist) wrote: "And now a little light reading for the end of the year: Effective JavaScript: 68 Specific Ways to Harness the Power of JavaScript by David Herman."Surprisingly, this one is becoming a tad heavy. So, I am balancing it out with The Comedienne by rather amusing lesbian comic, V.G. Lee.
I just finished Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver and I think it would be a perfect book for this group-- a female, Jewish author writing about female Jewish characters in a fantasy setting. The three main characters are all women that are all strong in different ways. It was so good and well written...
Now I'm reading R.S. Belcher's King of the Road , which is the sequel to Brotherhood of the Wheel. Brotherhood had a ton of female characters-- from Lovina, the queer woman of color (she's a main character) to Agnes, the elderly action woman, to Max the scholar to Lexie and Ava who started the story out as kind of weak but grew mentally and physically as the story wore on. I'm hoping for more good female representation in this sequel.
The Book of Dave: A Revelation of the Recent Past and the Distant Future by Will Self. 5% through. Very hard work. ...
I'm reading The Changeling and Temper for blackathon and faebruary. (They were the only books about fae I could find by black authors. The author of Temper is also a woman!)
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This is great - I've never heard of blackathon or faebruary! (Though I understand the concepts behind the terms.)
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I just finished We Should All Be Feminists and My Life on the Road. While I absolutely loved My Life on the Road and didn't expect it at all I was a little bit disappointed by the length of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's book. However, I think the length is perfect for anyone who doesn't know much about feminism and want to discover it. I'm also finishing Why God Is a Woman but I'm not sure if I like it or not. In the beginning I thought it was genius and loved it but now I find myself dreading the moment to read it haha
Anyhow, I definitely recommend My Life on the Road! It is a collection of loads of very different and meaningful memories Gloria remembers. I learnt so much and it is a real page turner!
If anybody likes sci-fi/horror/science-related horror, I just finished Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant and thought it was phenomenal. Tons of queer female characters written by a queer, disabled female author; a lot of other diversity among the characters including an Autistic woman, multiple Deaf women, and heavyset women.... I loved every page-- I'm not easy to scare but it sent shivers up my spine. KILLER MERMAIDS, BABY.
I am currently reading Kristin Lavransdatter in the Penguin Classics Deluxe edition. I discovered this book while browsing 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List. I felt it started slow but a few chapters in it picked up and it already strikes me as a feminist book. It was written by Sigrid Undset in the 1920s and it features a female protagonist. Sigrid went on to win the Nobel Prize. Even though the book is set in Middle Ages Norway it still feels timely. Some of the events Kristin encounters are exactly like something a woman may encounter today. I still haven't finished the book so I can't give a complete picture but I am already enjoying this read and looking forward to discover what happens to Kristin throughout her life.
Mariel wrote: "I am currently reading Kristin Lavransdatter in the Penguin Classics Deluxe edition. I discovered this book while browsing [book:1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List..."I just read the first book in January and liked it a lot. It is quite feminist and even more so for the time period it was written in and about.
The Last Days of California by Mary Miller, about a family who believes that The Rapture is imminent.The Nature of Personal Reality: Specific, Practical Techniques for Solving Everyday Problems and Enriching the Life You Know by Jane Roberts. This was written in the 1970s, channeled by a spirit called Seth.
I'm just wrapping up The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin. It is a collection of short stories.VASTER THAN EMPIRES AND MORE SLOW is fantastic - definitely my favorite.
Hello and a nice day to everyone!I'm currently reading "the mermaid's voice returns in this one" by amanda lovelace. I'm at part 4 in the book.
Has anyone read it yet?
This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay. Laugh-out-loud funny. An excellent read.
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But She Is My Student by Kiki ArcherComing Out Atheist: How to Do It, How to Help Each Other, and Why by Greta Christina
Women Invent the Future: A Science Fiction Anthology by Madeline Ashby, Anne Charnock, Molly Flatt, Cassandra Khaw, Becky Chambers, Liz Williams, Walidah Imarisha.I like the idea--that science does borrow from science fiction and that culture is male dominated. So, let's get more science fiction by and about women out there.
But I'm halfway through this now and it's not really doing it for me. It doesn't feel particularly female-led and I'm not finding the stories engaging. But perhaps it's the short story format that isn't working for me.
Just finished The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler by Gene Kemp. A book from my childhood. Wonderful ending.Now on Jesus Lied - He Was Only Human: Debunking the New Testament by C.J. Werleman.
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II .Not the Oscar Wilde book of the same title.
It has not lived up to some of the hype at 100+ pages. Part of that is due to my familiarity with the topic and additionally the style choices of the work.
More and a review after completion.
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I also recently finished Patricia Hampl's The Art of the Wasted Day which was pretty good and I do recommend it.
Currently finishing up I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara which I've been looking forward to read since it first came out. (I have a thing for good quality true crime books.) I was especially intrigued when I heard that it was primarily due to this book that ultimately the Golden State Killer was finally found, so, yeah! Women who get things done (even if it was purely accidental and actually occurred posthumously).
In additional "fun reading" news, I'm also finishing up a YA horror novel, Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. It's actually been a lot of fun to read. I had a wicked time falling asleep last night so decided to keep reading this one until I could close my eyes and actually keep them closed. It kept me going until about 2:30 in the morning (and, ugh, I'm paying for it today, but YOLO as the kids used to say).
I'm actually just now getting to Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession by Alice Bolin
Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better by Brant Hansen. It's Christian, which I find lightly annoying. But there are some good reminders in here. Anything that helps me not take offense is worth the read.
Hello!I’m reading Room by Emma Donoghue for my pen pal book club.
I’m only about 50 pages in, but I know it’s an important read about a “kept” woman (and a child). Maybe “kept” isn’t the right adjective. “Imprisoned” maybe, but I need to read more to be sure.
Thanks for adding me to the group!
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I'm currently reading Zadie Smith's collection of essays, Feel Free: Essays. I'm really enjoying them - she's such a sharp mind! She writes about everything: politics, books, movies, art... all with the same attention to detail, conviction, and, well, beauty. She has quite the way with words.
I also highly recommend Constellations by Sinéad Gleeson once it's released in the US. I had the opportunity to work with her in Ireland this month for school and she is fantastic. Her collection of essays would actually be an interesting side read alongside the current group read, Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick. (At least, I think so... I haven't read Dusenberry's book yet, but based on what others have discussed about it, it sounds like a good match.)
Gleeson has gone through quite an extensive amount of health issues and writes about them with complete honesty, right down to how a lot of (male) physicians didn't believe her initial complaints.
The Power by Naomi Alderman. A story in which women become more physically powerful than men. ...Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics by Gary Zukav. 'New' as in forty years old now!
Natasha (Diarist) wrote: "The Power by Naomi Alderman. A story in which women become more physically powerful than men. ...Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics by Gary Zukav. ..."
How do you like The Power so far? I've read it last year and no one near me has read it.
Lisa wrote: "How do you like The Power so far? I've read it last year and no one near me has read it."I'm not sure, Lisa! I'm two thirds through. Love the concept and am enjoying all aspects of that. But it's far-fetched without the writing being very convincing. I think I'll know how I feel about the book as a whole once I've got to the end. ...
Lisa wrote: "How do you like The Power so far? I've read it last year and no one near me has read it."I finished this a week or so ago, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it! Certainly different and thought-provoking. How did you like it, Lisa?
Natasha (Diarist) wrote: "Lisa wrote: "How do you like The Power so far? I've read it last year and no one near me has read it."I finished this a week or so ago, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it! Certainly diffe..."
I also needed some time to really know what to think about the book. As you said it was different and thought-provoking and that's why I liked it. I also liked that you could read and get to know different perspectives and I think it was great that one of the perspectives was from a man.
And I like those "what-if-when" situations.
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