Read Women discussion

This will be our discussion, tracking, recommendation and progress thread for our 2021 Read Women Challenge. This is the easy (conceptually) one, in terms of criteria. Read more, or a targeted number, or go goal-less, women authors between January 1 and December 31, 2021. Transgender women are included.

That's it. There are no other rules or limits. Read multiple books by a single author. Read around the world. Read poetry, academic works, reference materials, novels on the NYT bestseller list for 100 weeks and counting. Read from your county or state or province. Read in multiple languages, from small presses or the Big 5, soon to be Big 4 houses.

We'll create a widget you can use for tracking and make it available at the group landing page closer to the start of the new year. This thread is for sharing goals and favorite lists, for planning, inquiring, listing books read, posting links to your reviews of books you read for this goal and otherwise discussing qualifying books. Typically, members start and update,as the year progresses, a comment in this thread with the list of all challenge books read. Several members post individual comments per finished book as they read, and share links to their reviews (yay!). If you want to set up a separate thread in this Challenge folder to track and comment on your challenge reads, rather than do so in this thread, you may.

What are your reading plans for 2021? Have you started a list of new year reading? How ready are you to turn the page on the infamous 2020?

i can't wait to see your reading journey as it unfolds next year, laurie. i hope you are doing well.

This is also my go-to challenge every year. After all these years of doing it, I try to focus it down but I'm having a hard time coming up with one for next year. I've done women of color, Asian authors, and nonfiction books about women. I might just shoot for 100 and see what comes up. Thanks for setting up the thread Carol and encouraging us to start thinking about it, and happy holidays to everyone as we finish this year out.

I am going to target 100 books written by women based around the quarterly themes in this group. This will get me reading some things I might not have (especially more non-fiction). In addition to that, I will be participating in the monthly Buzzwordathon in the first week of every month, and will do some group/buddy reads. Hopefully, most of my reading will be of women authors. Good luck to everyone and I can't wait to see what you all pick up!

Good to read about everyone's plans. I'm still mulling things over but will probably join the general challenge and do that in stages so start with 20 and then build from there. But also try to select books from the named topics and see if any categories emerge that could lead into doing a more specific challenge. I'm being cautious because I'd like to participate in more buddy reads/monthly reads so need to find a balance that works. But looking forward to taking part.

I'm not quite sure how I'm going to play this one yet, but one idea I've just had is reading x number of women authors who are new to me

I like everyone's ideas and plans.

I don't think I'll set any formal goals this year as my library system isn't really running normally and it's kind of up in the air which books I'll be able to get. So for me, an informal goal of making 65% or more of my books by women.

That makes sense Story, I've hardly read any recent stuff for similar reasons, and my trips round second-hand bookshops won't be happening for a while either.

I always set my goal for this challenge to 50% of my goodreads reading challenge goal. These two plus the "read around the world" challenge are the only ones I do every year, because I'm too much of a mood reader for anything else.

Story wrote: "I like everyone's ideas and plans.

I don't think I'll set any formal goals this year as my library system isn't really running normally and it's kind of up in the air which books I'll be able to g..."

Same! I've had a heck of a time getting a hold of many group and current reads. I have to admit the ebook selection at my library had grown amazingly, but so has the demand!

Over the last few years, I've realized that I read more, and get more out of reading, if around 80 - 90 per cent of the books I read are by women. I feel a bit guilty about it - and I'm probably missing some great new books by male authors - but I've been reading long enough to know what works for me and what doesn't.

So I'll probably stick with 80 per cent as an informal target.

Franklinbadger wrote: "Over the last few years, I've realized that I read more, and get more out of reading, if around 80 - 90 per cent of the books I read are by women. I feel a bit guilty about it - and I'm probably mi..."

knowing what works for you and getting comfortable with it are the guideposts for me. Every year I rue that I didn't read as many books by Black male authors or translated literary fiction or from authors resident in X or Y countries or continents, but that's no way to live and it takes the happiness and satisfaction out of the books I did read, and the varied voices they brought to me. thanks for demonstrating healthy comfort with the reading choices you've made. :)

Franklinbadger wrote: "Over the last few years, I've realized that I read more, and get more out of reading, if around 80 - 90 per cent of the books I read are by women. I feel a bit guilty about it - and I'm probably mi..."
I'm the same franklinbadger. I just connect more with books written by women, and I'm starting to realise I prefer books written about women as well. The way I see it we are making a biased publishing industry more equal by chosing to read mostly women!

I am also the same, franklinbadger and Hannah. Sometimes I'll come across a male author whose books really speak to me (Jess Waters comes to mind) but generally, my most pleasurable reading is by and about women.

It would be amazing if the choices of people like us led to better choices by publishers.

I'm still thinking bout this and actually I'm not sure if it will be anything other then X number of books written by women. But I might come up with a science fiction and horror women read challenge. I've quite some of those on my TBR and I would like to discover more also ( I've you have any recommendations I would be glad to check them out! )

I rarely do a challenge, but I always try to read more women, and this year also (which can be combined) Native American literature (fiction, non-fiction, by authors or about the history etc). Besides there will be female crime writers among my reads and hopefully more classics by women.

I don't know what particular books I will read yet. However, I hope to read more Margaret Atwood, feminist anthologies, and Roxane Gay especially. I am also excited to read new women writers!

Everything went off the rails for 2020 so I am hoping to keep better track of my female authors this year.

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "Everything went off the rails for 2020 so I am hoping to keep better track of my female authors this year."

Me, too, Beth. Me, too.

As the shambles of UK lockdown has left me with lots of extra time on my hands I've decided to set myself an extra challenge of reading 10 books by indigenous women this year, here is my list of potentials:

The Break by Katherena Vermette - currently reading and absolutely loving
Potiki by Patricia Grace
Island of Shattered Dreams by Chantal T. Spitz
The Antelope Wife and The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir by Leslie Marmon Silko
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Too Much Lip or Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko
Home by Larissa Behrendt
Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson
Birdie by Tracey Lindberg

Great list and plan, Hannah!

I had planned to devote myself to all things indigenous in 2020 and in fact, the last two public things I did before the pandemic hit were to attend an indigenous education and arts fair and then a powwow--both of which were so interesting and enlightening and fun. I'm still so grateful that no one at the powwow ended up getting covid as it was in a small, jampacked auditorium and our lockdown started four days later.

Your list has inspired me to rededicate myself to the challenge.

Hannah wrote: "As the shambles of UK lockdown has left me with lots of extra time on my hands I've decided to set myself an extra challenge of reading 10 books by indigenous women this year, here is my list:
[boo..."

Hi Hannah - interesting list. Not trying to be annoying here, but I was wondering about the definition of indigenous - I looked up some of the women, and see that the Americans identify as belonging to different native tribes/communities. However I wondered about Helene Uri, and I can see that she discovered in 2013 that she had a sami (samisk, not sure about the correct English translation) grandfather.
I was thinking, if that was me (say, when reading Africa) I wouldn't count 'someone suddenly discovering they had a grandparent from Africa'... but this may be completely different. So (sorry about the long winding question) I guess, I'm just curious as to 'who counts'?
(and I'm totally fine with anyones definition :) as long as people read books, it's all good!)

Addition: I can see the book on your list is the one she wrote, when she found out, so maybe it does make total sense :)

(And thanks for leading me down this rabbit hole, I might read her book now!)

Anetq wrote: "Hannah wrote: "As the shambles of UK lockdown has left me with lots of extra time on my hands I've decided to set myself an extra challenge of reading 10 books by indigenous women this year, here i..."

It's a good question Anetq and a difficult one to answer! I am including authors who identify as having some native/aboriginal ancestry mostly from the Americas and Australia. The books are about these communities which is what I want to read more about. I wasn't sure about adding the Helene Uri but given the nature of her journey whilst writing it I thought that it fitted nicely. I wondered myself whether African authors would fit into this same category but I don't really know.... And I have another shelf and challenge dedicated to exploring authors of african origin so I decided to keep them separate for the sake of simplicity.

Story wrote: "Great list and plan, Hannah!

I had planned to devote myself to all things indigenous in 2020 and in fact, the last two public things I did before the pandemic hit were to attend an indigenous edu..."

Wow Story that sounds like such good fun, I bet it feels a whole world away now. Glad to here you have stayed safe and that my list has inspired you :)

An interesting article on what it means to be indigenous:

https://daily.jstor.org/the-trouble-w...

Genetically, my great-grandfather was indigenous making me 1/8th but I would never identify myself as First Nations as I wasn't raised in contact with First Nations culture. I know other people who were raised in contact their ancestral First Nations culture who have 7/8ths non-indigenous genes but still consider themselves to be First Nations.

There's a lot of controversy around all this in Canada (and I think the US) and a director of a popular First Nations TV series was just fired for after it was discovered she wasn't "First Nations enough".

Thanks for the article Story. Seems like a touchy can of worms, but I generally feel the same as you in that it probably hinges on the person's social upbringing. I wouldn't begrudge a lost bloodline looking for cultural contact and discovery thanks to the accessibility of DNA tests, but I think we can all appreciate the wariness of Indigenous and First Nations members.

Anetq wrote: "Hannah wrote: "As the shambles of UK lockdown has left me with lots of extra time on my hands I've decided to set myself an extra challenge of reading 10 books by indigenous women this year, here i..."

Anetq - what I love about your comment is that you raised it, in the first place. Many of us use search engines to find articles listing authors with X or Y criteria. Many of those articles, though, are written by bloggers who haven't done any research on backgrounds of authors, but have accepted that, if an author makes it on to a couple of like lists, she qualifies. It's only when a more knowledgeable reader or group member connects the dots to additional information that I learn additional facts to help me determine whether, in my own judgment, a subject author has the background I'm seeking. These are the close cases that inform and help us all think about our purpose in reading books authored by women who come from certain backgrounds and shared experiences. Thank you!

I kind of feel like I want to delete my list now because I don't want to be forcing labels onto anybody! I had similar thoughts when setting up my shelf for the black authors challenge. I don't want to assume I know how any author self identifies but I also think that these challenges are a great way for us all to diversify our reading

Don't delete it, Hannah! You can still learn and expand your awareness and hopefully appreciate the work even if you end up not agreeing with the author's self-identity.

I agree, don't delete, Hannah. There's nothing wrong with not knowing and everything right with being willing to share these conversations in which we can all contribute, listen, learn and grow!

Hannah wrote: "I kind of feel like I want to delete my list now because I don't want to be forcing labels onto anybody! I had similar thoughts when setting up my shelf for the black authors challenge. I don't wan..."

Hannah, there’s no way to know every author’s story. There just isn’t. I’m so glad you shared your list because we all learned something. I’m very certain that I’ll include someone in my Black authors challenge list whose ethnic origin I’ve miss-guessed from a photo or country of origin or the like, and if another member alerts me, that’s about the only way I’ll know. But I don’t see any shame for us and that learning. And we choose to read a book or author regardless of that new info, too. None of this is a science, but a good effort. At least that’s my take.

Don't get me wrong I'm glad we had this discussion and had been wondering about these questions myself. I have removed the Helene Uri but am happy with the rest of my list. I'm always glad of things that make me think

Here’s my 2021 tracking post of books read for this challenge:

1. Until Thy Wrath be Past by Åsa Larsson. Translated from Swedish. Finished Jan 16.

2. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw. Finished January 19.

3. One by One by Ruth Ware. Finished Jan 22.

4. On Lighthouses by Jazmina Barrera. Finished Jan 31.

5. Checkmate to Murder by E.C.R. Lorac. Finished February 10.

6. The Hours Before Dawn by Celia Fremlin. Finished February 20.

7. Pickard County Atlas by Chris Harding Thornton. Finished March 12.

8. Mitz: The Marmoset of Bloomsbury by Sigrid Nunez. Finished March 16.

9. Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill. Finished March 24.

10. Good Boy by Eloghosa Osunde. Finished April 13.

11. Just Us: An American Conversation by Claudia Rankine. Finished April 21.

12. Masks by Fumiko Enchi. Finished May 11.

13. My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. finished May 15.

14. My Brother by Karin Smirnoff. Finished May 23.

15. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson. Finished May 28.

16. Agatha: The Real Life of Agatha Christie by Anne Martinetti. Finished May 30.

17. Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry by Imani Perry. Finished June 1.

18. Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall. Finished June 26.

19. A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo. Finished June 28.

20. Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Finished July 10.

21. That Quail, Robert by Margaret A. Stanger. Finished July 14.

22. Bedelia by Vera Caspary. Finished July 18.

23. Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia. Finished July 26.

24. Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala. Finished August 5.

25. Murder at the Dolphin Hotel by Helena Dixon. Finished August 11.

26. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Finished August 25.

27. I Found You by Lisa Jewell. Finished September 13.

28. Assembly by Natasha Brown. Finished September 28.

29. Skim by Mariko Tamaki. Finished October 4.

30. Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers. Finished November 15.

My goal is to read 50 books by women authors this year. I've read 4 so far:

1. The Weekend by Charlotte Wood.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

2. Iza's Ballad by Magda Szabó; translated from the Hungarian by George Szirtes.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

3. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

4. Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age by Sara Wheeler.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My goal is to read 25 books this year but I have already finished six. I am considering bumping up my goal to 40!

Michelle wrote: "My goal is to read 25 books this year but I have already finished six. I am considering bumping up my goal to 40!"

That’s such a great start. Congratulations!

My goal this year is to read 20 books! :-) Last year I did 15 so this seems like a reasonable little increase which I hope will bring me one day to read the same amount books by women as by men ( maybe even more but lets not go too fast! ;-p )
So far this year I read 2 :-)

Read Women Challenge Progress: 17/20

1 - The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
2 - Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx
3 - Maanlicht by Hella S. Haasse
4 - Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
5 - Queens of the Abyss: Lost Stories from the Women of the Weird currently reading
6 - Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta
7 - Anthem by Ayn Rand
8 - Into the Forest by Jean Hegland
9 - Orlando by Virginia Woolf
10) The Giver by Lois Lowry
11) The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish
12) The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
13) Torenhoog en mijlen breed: een toekomstverhaal by Tonke Dragt
14) Le cinéma gothique by Valérie Palacios
15) Vlam by Floortje Zwigtman
16) Le Regard féminin - Une révolution à l'écran by Iris Brey
17) The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
18) Het zesde zintuig by Marianne Fredriksson

I'll set my target to 25 but whatever number of books I read this year, I want at least 50% to be by women.


1. Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck
2. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
3. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
4. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
5. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
6. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
7. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
8. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs
9. Frankissstein: A Love Story by Jeanette Winterson
10. Before We Visit the Goddess by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
11. Persuasion by Jane Austen
12. Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor
13. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
14. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
15. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
16. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
17. Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose
18. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
19. Chéri by Colette
20. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
21. Murder at Half Moon Gate by Andrea Penrose
22. The Selection by Kiera Cass
23. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
24. The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule
25. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
26. In Custody by Anita Desai
27. The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo
28. The Deep by Rivers Solomon
29. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
30. If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
31. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
32. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
33. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
34. Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah
35. The Gilded Ones
36. The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar

As usual forgot to mark my place for this “challenge “. No set goals

1. Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex by Oksana Zabuzhko 1/20/21
2. A Burning by Megha Majumdar 2/6/21
3. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks 2/20/21
4. Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami2/22/21
5. Ricochet by L.K. Reid 2/20/21
6. The Princess Affair by Nell Stark 2/25/21
7. Jennifer Hartmann; Still Beating 2/27/21

cont. from #36.
I've read three more books for this challenge. My goal is 50 books by women authors:

5. On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

6. The Door by Magda Szabó; translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

7. Abigail by Magda Szabó; translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

cont. from #41.
It's been ages since I updated this. I keep forgetting to do so. I'm over half way of meeting my goal of reading 50 books by women authors.
These are the women-authored books I've read since my last update:

8. My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir; translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder and Anna Yates.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

9. The People in the Photo by Hélène Gestern; translated from the French by Emily Boyce and Ros Schwartz.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

10. Absent: A Novel by Betool Khedairi; translated from the Arabic by Muhayman Jamil.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

11. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

12. Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

13. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

14. The Lost Soul by Olga Tokarczuk, translated from the Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Joanna Concejo.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

15. Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir; translated from the Icelandic by Brian FitzGibbon.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

16. The One That Got Away by Zoë Wicomb.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

17. The Fox Was Ever the Hunter by Herta Müller; translated from the German by Philip Boehm.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

18. The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zerán; translated from the Spanish by Sophie Hughes.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

19. The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

20. The Arsonists' City by Hala Alyan.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

21. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

22. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

23. Shadow by Karin Alvtegen, translated from the Swedish by McKinley Burnett.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

24. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

25. Second Place by Rachel Cusk.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

26. Voices of the Lost by Hoda Barakat; translated from the Arabic by Marilyn Booth.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

27. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

28. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

That's it for now :)

Tamara wrote: "cont. from #41.
It's been ages since I updated this. I keep forgetting to do so. I'm over half way of meeting my goal of reading 50 books by women authors.
These are the women-authored books I've ..."

Some really great sounding books in there Tamara. I'll be adding a couple to my tbr, thank you.

Thanks, Anita.

cont. from #42.
I've read the following books by women authors since my last post:

29/50. Human Acts by Han Kang; translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

30/50. The Barefoot Woman by Scholastique Mukasonga; translated from the French by Jordan Stump.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

31/50. Nothing Holds Back the Night by Delphine de Vigan; translated from the French by George Miller.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

32/50. Territory of Light by Yūko Tsushima; translated from the Japanese by Geraldine Harcourt.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

33/50. A Quiet Revolution: The Veil's Resurgence, from the Middle East to America by Leila Ahmed.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Tamara wrote: "cont. from #42.
I've read the following books by women authors since my last post:

29/50. Human Acts by Han Kang; translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith.
My r..."

You've done an amazing amount of translated reading this year too. Your reviews are wonderful, thank you for sharing. I snagged two recs from your list, A Quiet Revolution: The Veil's Resurgence, from the Middle East to America and The Barefoot Woman, so thank you.

Thank you, Anita. I gravitated a lot of this year to translated books, especially by women authors. I really enjoy their international flavor.

I hope you enjoy the two books you've singled out. A Quiet Revolution: The Veil's Resurgence, from the Middle East to America opened my eyes to the different permutations of veiling, and Mukasonga's The Barefoot Woman was a wonderful tribute to her mother.

Since I just found this group recently, I didn't set a specific goal for this year. I did have the goal of "reading a lot of work from women." LOL. Once I figure this all out, I might make my own thread to keep track. For now, I'll put them here. Most of them have been fantastic. I love reading the work of women. Representation is so important.

1. L. M. Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables

2. Kara Cooney - When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt

3. Layla F. Saad - Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor

Sarah J. Maas
4. A Court of Thorns and Roses
5. A Court of Mist and Fury
6. A Court of Wings and Ruin
7. A Court of Frost and Starlight
8. A ​Court of Silver Flames
9. House of Earth and Blood
10. The Assassin's Blade
11. Throne of Glass
12. Crown of Midnight
13. Heir of Fire
14. Queen of Shadows
15. Empire of Storms
16. Tower of Dawn
17. Kingdom of Ash

P. L. Travers
18. Mary Poppins
19. Mary Poppins Comes Back

20. Delilah S. Dawson - Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire

21. Rachel Held Evans - Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again

22. Toni Morrison - Sula

23. Jacqueline Winspear - Maisie Dobbs

24. Susan Ronald - Heretic Queen: Queen Elizabeth I and the Wars of Religion

25. Lois Lowry - A Summer to Die

26. Janet Evanovich - Twelve Sharp

27. Donna Jo Napoli - Lights on the Nile

28. Audre Lorde - Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

29. Elizabeth Peters - Borrower of the Night

30. Ursula K. Le Guin - Planet of Exile

31. Johanna Spyri - Heidi

32. Brianna R. Shrum - Never Never

33. Lilja Sigurðardóttir - Betrayal

Charlaine Harris
34. Dead Until Dark
35. Living Dead in Dallas
36. Club Dead
37. Dead to the World
38. Dead as a Doornail
39. Definitely Dead
40. All Together Dead

41. Annie Proulx - The Shipping News

42. Namina Forna - The Gilded Ones

43. Sahar Mustafah - The Beauty of Your Face: A Novel

Misty wrote: "Since I just found this group recently, I didn't set a specific goal for this year. I did have the goal of "reading a lot of work from women." LOL. Once I figure this all out, I might make my own t..."

Misty - what an awesome mix and reading year you've had!! Thanks for sharing it. You've given me another reminder to find and read Lorde's essays sooner rather than later. I fizzled out on the Charlaine Harris series a couple of years ago after the 3rd book, but love her voice. I probably should add her back into the mix next year. I'll click through to see what you thought of Betrayal because I haven't read any of Sigurdardottir yet and am really curious.

I really enjoyed Betrayal. That is not to say it didn't have it's weak spots - it did unfortunately, but I still thought it was a great read. I will definitely read more by her. I still have no idea how to say her last name! LOL.

I also really enjoy Harris' books. As for the Sookie series itself, I have listened to them all on audiobook. I absolutely love how the narrator brings the characters to life. These are a reread for me because I FINALLY got my 22 year old daughter to read them, so I'm rereading them with her! :)