Read Women discussion

I read Neighbour Rosicky by Willa Cather this afternoon. I'd not heard of it prior to finding it as a used book store last week. Definitely a gem.

I'm reading Will Do Magic for Small Change by Andrea Hairston which is the BOM on another group.

I've just started Glass Houses by Louise Penny

I'm now reading Miss Kopp's Midnight Confessions by Amy Stewart which is the third book in Stewart's Kopp Sisters mystery series.

I'm reading Proud Shoes by Pauli Murray, a co-founder of NOW and the first black woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest.

I'm reading Goddess of Battle by Gwendolyn
Rachel Ackerman. This is a book from an indie publisher (not a major publisher) which I got from Net Galley. It centers on a friendship between two young women one of whom is an American Jew who comes from a social activist family and the other is a Palestinian who faces an arranged marriage.

So far they haven't met yet, but the background on the characters is interesting. There was a terminology problem that wasn't important to the plot.

I'm reading:

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry,
Fire Sermon by Jamie Quatro,
and
The Wreath by Sigrid Undset.

I'm reading Aurelia by Alison Morton. It's the fourth published book in the alternate historical Roma Nova series, but it's chronologically first. This is the first book in a trilogy that takes place in the 1960's. The first trilogy takes place in the 21st century.

I'm reading Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. It is luminous.

I started Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life by Yiyun Li over the weekend and so far I'm enjoying it. It's a memoir of her essays covering two years of her life when she was hospitalized for depression and suicidal ideations.

I've only read the first two essays, but they are powerful. As I read them, I didn't really know where she was going, but by the end of each one it all just sort of clicked.

Recommended (so far, anyway) for anyone who enjoys reading personal essays.

I'm nearly finished with Pantomime by Laura Lam. It's a fantasy that takes place at a circus, but it's the gender issues of the protagonist that really sets this one apart for me.

I've just started Eva Moves the Furniture by Margot Livesey. Her The House on Fortune Street had real characters that felt like good friends, so I have high hopes for this one.

I started Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks and am wowed.

Carol wrote: "I started Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks and am wowed."

That's good to know. I have this book on a challenge this year. I look forward to your final thoughts.

I am reading a few too many books at the moment, but there are some interesting women authors in the mix, so thought I'd share them:

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
After the Eclipse: A Mother's Murder, a Daughter's Search by Sarah Perry
The Wreath by Sigrid Undset
Daughters of Iraq by Revital Shiri-Horowitz
and tomorrow I start Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo, for a March group discussion.

I just started Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra which is a debut novel. The genre is YA post-apocalyptic fantasy.

I've started reading Bad Feminist, by Roxane Gay, and Women, Race and Class, by Angela Davis. The latter is pretty academic, at least in the beginning, so I'be been having some trouble understanding it. Nevertheless, it offers truly powerful insights into the lives of the enslaved black women in America, some centuries ago. Has anyone ever read them?

I just started reading Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I'm interested in the fact that the author studied West African mythology, religion and culture in Brazil.

I am reading and enjoying a non-fiction book, I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara.

I am reading The Shooting Party by Isabel Colegate.

I just finished Kindred. Wow, I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.

Leann wrote: "I just finished Kindred. Wow, I'll be thinking about this one for a long time."

Wasn’t it amazing?

I am reading Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan, and Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich.

I just finished the handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood and I'm trying to finish Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.

I am finishing Teoría de King Kong and I'm also reading Que explote todo Both discuss different themes of feminism. The truth is that both of us have loved it so far. <3

I just finished "The red parts" by Maggie Nelson (who has such fascinating and inspiring works).

Now I'm reading "Homo sapienne" by Niviaq Korneliussen.

I needed something different, so I started The Color of Water, the second of a three-volume graphic art series by Kim Dong Hwa. The story focuses on his mother’s (Ewha’s) coming-of-age and her widowed mom’s romance. The illustrations are amazing, and the characters authentic. I’ll read volume 1 when it arrives, but I’m not missing any background.

I just finished The Dressmaker by Beryl Bainbridge. At this juncture it was a 3 star read for me, but it's well written and no doubt I'd have rated it higher when I was younger.

I am currently reading Burning Fields by Alli Sinclair. The book takes place in Australia after WWII. I received my copy from Net Galley for review at the request of the author. I was interested because the female protagonist is independent minded.

I am reading The Birds of Opulence by Crystal Wilkinson. I bought it a couple of years ago and am glad to be finally reading it.

Silent Scream by Angela Marsons

This is a real page turner of a book which kept me up way past my bedtime.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Now I am reading The Brondesbury Tapestry

I'm currently readingShaherazade's Daughters an anthology of recent 1001 Nights style stories that are Islamic with a feminist intent. I'm liking them so far.

I just started The White Mirror by Elsa Hart, the second book in her 18th century mystery series dealing with the now exiled Chinese Imperial Librarian Li Du. This book takes place in Tibet. I got the third book from the publisher via Net Galley and have been asked to review it. So I need to catch up with the series.

The Best American Short Stories 1998 For some reason I really enjoy short stories so I have about 10 years of this series to catch up on. The guest Author picks something like 20 stories out of over 100 stories published in American and Canadian magazines. This edition has selections by The Best American Short Stories 1998Garrison Keillor. So far, 3 stories in I enjoyed one and the other two were just meh.

I just started The Painter's Apprentice: A Novel of 16th-Century Venice by Laura Morelli. I'm interested in woman artists and I won this from Goodreads giveaways.

I just started an ARC of City of Ink by Elsa Hart, the third in a series of historical mysteries in which the investigator is a Chinese Imperial Librarian.

It sounds interesting.

I feel very grateful to be a member of Read Women! During this week I am truly enjoying reading 'Popcorn Love' written by KL Hughes! My favorite character is Allison.
Billy

I am reading Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively.

I am reading an ARC if Shadow of The Fox a YA historical fantasy that is an Own Voices book by Julie Kagawa. This is her first book to take place in Japan. So far I'm liking it. It will be released in October.

I am reading Killing in C Sharp, a paranormal mystery by Alexia Gordon. The author and detective are both African American but the series takes place in Ireland.

I am reading La bâtarde d'Istanbul (The Bastard of Istanbul in English) by Elif Shafak. If mainly follows two girls of about the same age: one's Armenian-American and the other is Turkish. This is my first Elif Shafak's novel and I'm enjoying it so far.

The Shadow of The Fox sounds like an interesting book.

Yesterday I started reading the novel 'Ruby' written by Rosa Guy!

I am reading Strange Fruit by Lillian E. Smith, Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor and The Wedding by Dorothy West.

I realize this message diverges from our standard approach in this thread, but thought it might appeal to many.

One of my favorite treats of each week is reading The New York Times Book Review, and often its weekly author interview is the highlight and a key source of great TBR adds. This week’s interview is with Kate Atkinson, a personal favorite, and she mentions / promotes many women authors and novels. Here’s the link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/06/bo...

And some of her mentions are below:

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker ( @tamara, I’d be interested in your thumbs up or down)
A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark
Pride and Prejudice
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor
Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew P. Walker
Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford

Back to your regularly scheduled programming, as they say.

Carol wrote: "And some of her mentions are below:

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker ( @tamara, I’d be interested in your thumbs up or down).."

Hi Carol, I'm on hold for it in the library. I'm number 10 on the wait list, but they have 8 copies so it shouldn't be too long.

Meanwhile, I'll be starting The Mere Wife in a couple of days. It's a modern retelling of Beowulf. Looks promising.

Tamara wrote: "Carol wrote: "And some of her mentions are below:

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker ( @tamara, I’d be interested in your thumbs up or down).."

Hi Carol, I'm on hold for it in the library. I'..."

Cool. I am on hold for The Mere Wife, which does look quite interesting. I loved Beowulf, in the moment of reading it; however I was 18 and had a wonderful professor teaching it, so I remember almost nothing but the halo of liking.

Carol wrote: "Cool. I am on hold for The Mere Wife, which does look quite interesting. I loved Beowulf, in the moment of reading it; however I was 18 and had a wonderful professor teaching it, so I remember almost nothing but the halo of liking. ..."

Have you read Grendel by John Gardner? It's a retelling of Beowulf from Grendel's perspective. It's very powerful.

Tamara wrote: "Carol wrote: "Cool. I am on hold for The Mere Wife, which does look quite interesting. I loved Beowulf, in the moment of reading it; however I was 18 and had a wonderful professor teaching it, so I..."

Funny. I have owned it for years, but haven’t read it. Moving that one up my TBR.

I'm reading Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik which is an epic fantasy fairy tale retelling taking place in some alternate Russia-like kingdom. I'm not enthused and I'm going to need to put it aside for The Lost Queen by Signe Pike, an Arthurian retelling fantasy that I'm committed to review. I intend to resume reading Spinning Silver after I finish The Lost Queen which I suspect that I'll like better.