Read Women discussion

The thing I love about this group is that it aids me in discovering and exploring the literary female voice. For this challenge, let's revisit some of those female voices that opened us up to a new series, or a new genre, or topic. It'll be a great way to fall more in love with a literary voice, and to learn more about the author herself.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

So this challenge is more of a focus on the author, rather than the number of books. Who do you want to read more of this year?

So, for my challenge, I just know there are certain authors that I need to read more of but I easily push aside for reading new authors or just other things. It's easy to do. That's what gave me the idea for this challenge, to set a goal to read them. I know I want to because they left such an impression on me. Some of these authors I know what books I want to read, and others I just want to read something of theirs. Some of them I will read multiple books, and some I may just read one.

Margaret Atwood:
Angel Catbird, vol. 1

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:
Half of a Yellow Sun

Catherynne M. Valente:
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two
The Boy Who Lost Fairyland
Six-Gun Snow White
The Girl Who Raced Fairyland all the Way Home

Octavia Butler:

Marge Piercy:

Toni Morrison:
God Help the Child

Caitlin Moran:
Moranthology

Joanna Russ:
The Zanzibar Cat

I guess that's all I have for now, but since I'm basing this on exploring the author's voice and works as opposed to a number of books I think it's a good start. All of these authors (except Atwood) I first read last year - a few thanks to this group :) - and they reached some part of me, or piqued some interest in me that I wanted to read more. Hopefully next year I can add more new and old voices. I can tell you, I've already read some new authors this year that will be on next year's list!

Love this challenge. So often the focus on reading challenges is finding new authors, but taking the time to revisit authors you already fell in love with is just as worthwhile.

So my list of authors to know better:

2016 Challenge (Failed to revisit 3 of 9 authors)
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - First read: 2016, Books read: 1, Read this year: 2
Half of a Yellow Sun
Americanah

Margaret Atwood - First read: 2013/14, Books read: 5, Read this Year: 3
The Year of the Flood (MaddAddam #2)
MaddAddam (MaddAddam #3)
The Penelopiad

Octavia E. Butler - First read: 2015, Books read: 1, Read this Year: 0

Becky Chambers - First read: 2016, Books Read: 1, Read this Year: 1
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1)

Angela Carter - First Read: 2012, Books read: 4, Read this Year: 1
The Magic Toyshop

Toni Morrison - First read: 2015, Books read: 1, Read this Year: 0

Naomi Novik - First read: 2012, Books read: 9, Read this Year: 3
Crucible of Gold (Temeraire #7)
Blood of Tyrants (Temeraire #8)
League of Dragons (Temeraire #9)

Karen Russell - First read: 2015, Books read: 1, Read this year: 0

Catherynne M. Valente - First read: 2012, Books read: 5, Read this Year: 1
The Boy Who Lost Fairyland (Fairyland #4)

I have that one on my bookshelf! Just waiting until I feel in the right mood to pick it up. Pretty sure Ill enjoy it, but don't want to force it when I'm in the wrong mood. Sooner or later (hopefully this year) I'll get to it though. Thanks for the recommendation :)

Interesting. I've just finished it now and would have described it as more cheerful, but with a more frustrating narrative structure (though now I'm trying to think back and struggling to remember the structure of HaYS...).

I enjoyed it a lot, but I found the characters themselves less interesting than those in Half of a Yellow Sun (and, again, I was more interested in some of the bitchy side characters than in the main ones). Thematically I think it's also more complex - less a straightforward story of 'here are the events and this is how they impact on the characters' with a neat beginning middle and end and more a rambling open-ended perspective on race and love that tries to question, provoke, and probe the readers own behaviours, perceptions, and attitudes. Cause the main story itself, if boiled down, is actually fairly thin.

I'm toying with doing something with this next year in addition to the 10 Canadian women.

One author in particular that I keep trying to fit into my big challenge plans is Louise Erdrich. I've been reading her novels in publication order, so have hit a snag for the next one fitting. It is The Painted Drum for me.

I haven't read Edith Wharton in awhile, so she would be on any list of mine where I'd like to read more in depth, as would Sarah Waters and Rose Tremain. I'm sure if I looked closely at my GR shelves I'd see several more where I might exclaim "Oh, I need to read her again."

OK, I added this to my goals for 2017. Ten women I've read previously. This will probably overlap with my goal of 10 Canadian women. And again 30 women total in 2017.

Thanks for suggesting this Anita.

I'm not sure where to post this, but, Louise has opened up your personal 2017 challenges. One for the 2017 Women Challenge women, one for Read around the World.

Last year we had a thread where we could post our reads. As that was a special challenge of keeping track of *different* women authors, maybe we don't need one this year. Still, I'd like to see an active thread.

I'll be doing this again in 2017, especially as I didn't revisit everybody I wanted to in 2016.

My list of authors to revisit

✔ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
First Read: 2016, Books Read: 3, Read this Year: 1
We Should All Be Feminists

Octavia E. Butler
First Read: 2015, Books Read: 1, Read this Year: 0

✔ Becky Chambers
First Read: 2016, Books Read: 2, Read this Year: 1
A Closed and Common Orbit

N.K. Jemisin
First Read: 2015, Books Read: 1, Read this Year: 0
-Giving her another shot with her other series

✔ Hannah Kent
First Read: 2014, Books Read: 2, Read this Year: 1
The Good People

Toni Morrison
First read: 2015, Books Read: 1, Read this Year: 0
-On my bookshelf: Beloved

Karen Russell
First Read: 2015, Books Read: 1, Read this Year: 0

✔ Catherynne M. Valente
First Read: 2012, Books Read: 6, Read this Year: 1
Radiance
-On my bookshelf: In the Night Garden
-On my bookshelf: In the Cities of Coin and Spice


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Authors I want to revisit but won't prioritise or don't have books out until after 2017

Margaret Atwood
First Read 2013, Books Read: 5, Read this Year: 0
Read a lot of her last year, prioritising other authors

Angela Carter
First Read: 2012, Books Read: 4, Read this Year: 0
Prioritising other authors

Rene Denfeld
First Read: 2016, Books Read: 1, Read this Year: 0
Waiting for second novel

Kit de Waal
First Read: 2016, Books Read: 1, Read this Year: 0
Waiting for second novel

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Authors I've discovered in 2017 and need to revisit:

Naomi Alderman
First Read: 2017, Books Read: 1, Read this Year: 1
The Power

Arundhati Roy
First Read: 2017, Books Read: 1, Read this Year: 1
The God of Small Things
Waiting for paperback - The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

Marjorie M. Liu
First Read: 2017, Books Read: 2, Read this Year: 2
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening
Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood

Yaa Gyasi
First Read: 2017, Books Read: 1, Read this Year: 1
Homegoing
Waiting for second novel

Zadie Smith
First Read: 2017, Books Read: 2, Read this Year: 2
White Teeth
Swing Time

Angie Thomas
First Read: 2017, Books Read: 1, Read this Year: 1
The Hate U Give

Hanya Yanagihara
First Read: 2017, Books Read: 1, Read this Year: 1
The People in the Trees

Louise wrote: "I'll be doing this again in 2017, especially as I didn't revisit everybody I wanted to in 2016.

Excellent idea for a thread, Louise. I have a tag for authors-read second book. I need to give it a closer look when I'm choosing books.

Have you read anything about Denfeld publishing a second novel? I was very impressed with The Enchanted.

As said above, I will do this in 2017, but I won't yet be making a list as what I read is so dependent on my main challenge group. I have many options for this.

1. Alice Munro - Lives of Girls and Women (have read several of her titles over the years)
2. Sarah Waters - Affinity (read Fingersmith in Feb/2015)

Denizen wrote: "Louise wrote: "I'll be doing this again in 2017, especially as I didn't revisit everybody I wanted to in 2016.

Excellent idea for a thread, Louise. I have a tag for authors-read second book. I nee..."

The idea for the thread, I can't take credit for, that's all Anita.

As for Denfeld, I looked her up as I was creating my list to see if she had any other fiction else written and it looks like she has a new novel, Child Finder due out in October this year (not sure if that's uk date too and I might wait until paperback, hence my inclusion of her in my longer term goals).

Enchanted was fabulous but so so bleak.