Read Women discussion

Hello members,

This July we will begin our 2nd BINGO of the year, centered on reading different women authors rather than choosing a book by genre or topic. You will work it like any BINGO card, and choose any book by that author to read. The center *Free Space* has been replaced by Any Brontë Sister.
Our hope with this card is to expand your reading into different styles, different genres, and different voices across centuries of women authors. I’m posting this now for those of you who like to prep your reading journeys. I hope you like it!

B1 - James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Bradley)
B2 - Martha Wells
B3 - Patricia Highsmith
B4 - Gloria Naylor
B5 - Louise Erdrich

I1 - Zora Neale Hurston
I2 - Sayaka Murata
I3 - Isabelle Allende
I4 - Han Kang
I5 - Joan Didion

N1 - Silvia Moreno-Garcia
N2 - Joy Harjo
N3 - FREE SPACE - any Brontë sister
N4 - Nawal El Saadawi
N5 - Octavia Butler

G1 - Tiffany Jackson
G2 - Mona Awad
G3 - Celeste Ng
G4 - Toni Morrison
G5 - Zadie Smith

O1 - Sandra Cisneros
O2 - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
O3 - Jesmyn Ward
O4 - Jhumpa Lahiri
O5 - Amy Tan

Spreadsheet - second page set up:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

The participant names are the same from the first sheet. Feel free to adjust as desired. First come, first served. New columns can always be added, just let me know.

Yay, fun, thanks, Gail and Anita.

I'll go for either column I or row 5... :)

My pick for a row will be 3. Will tie in nicely with having books for WIT, and Victober,

Thank you, Gail!

Gail W wrote: "Spreadsheet - second page set up:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

The participant names are the same from the first sheet. F..."

You’re an angel, friend. Thank you.

the level of difficulty for this one! what a challenge! I have to do some serious planning! Thanks for the spreadsheet Gail!

Okay - interesting. I have books by two of those authors queued up already, but I was planning on reading them before July. We'll have to see if I can wait. ;) I like the challenge, but I am not sure how I will make it work for me yet. Great ideas though.

Misty wrote: "Okay - interesting. I have books by two of those authors queued up already, but I was planning on reading them before July. We'll have to see if I can wait. ;) I like the challenge, but I am not su..."

Personally I would still count them. I also have books from two authors to read, and will look for the remaining three to make a line. I think this Bingo is harder as we can't fudge our normal reading into the prompts. But what I hope to get out of it is some new-to-me authors that I will love, and read about the books others have enjoyed by them.

Sonia wrote: "Misty wrote: "I think this Bingo is harder as we can't fudge our normal reading into the prompts. But what I hope to get out of it is some new-to-me authors that I will love, and read about the books others have enjoyed by them..."

I love it. I hope this BINGO card isn’t too difficult for anyone as that’s surely not the intention, and I want to assure you all that we’ve included quite a variety of genres and voices in this list. Getting a BINGO will probably have most readers stepping outside of their usual, and hopefully this is a good thing. I hope you all enjoy finding some new-to-me authors here, and I’m also very much looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts on books and authors throughout this challenge.

Sonia wrote: "Personally I would still count them."

Maybe I'll just start early. ;)

Is Tiffany Jackson - Tiffany D. Jackson - the YA writer? That is the only one I see.

Misty wrote: "Is Tiffany Jackson - Tiffany D. Jackson - the YA writer? That is the only one I see."

Yes, Tiffany D. Jackson

thanks!

Am liking the look of row 3. Have never read either Jesmyn Ward or Celeste Ng, so am looking for recommendations. Any suggestions, thank you.

Sonia wrote: "Am liking the look of row 3. Have never read either Jesmyn Ward or Celeste Ng, so am looking for recommendations. Any suggestions, thank you."

Sonia, Celeste Ng is one of my favorites. Her debut novel is Everything I Never Told You, followed by Little Fires Everywhere. I gave both of them 5 stars. Her newest (2022) is Our Missing Hearts, which I have but haven't read yet. I'm a bit crazy - I buy the book and then don't rush to read it because I don't want it to be over...

The only Jesmyn Ward I have read so far was Sing, Unburied, Sing, which I also gave 5 stars. And Let Us Descend is on a pile, patiently waiting.

Gail W wrote: "Sonia wrote: "Am liking the look of row 3. Have never read either Jesmyn Ward or Celeste Ng, so am looking for recommendations. Any suggestions, thank you."

Sonia, Celeste Ng is one of my favorite..."

Thank you Gail, lots to look forward to ♥

I had a similar question-
Sonia and Gail, I saw from your plans you may be reading Allende. Ideas for which one you might read??
I'm hoping to get column I or row 5 but dreaming of both. But I have some big reads already planned for this second half of the year and Allende's books are kinda long, so she may be hard to fit in... except a nonfiction My Invented Country: A Nostalgic Journey Through Chile is on the shorter side and is tempting me. But her fiction tempts me as well...
Just curious!

Jen wrote: "I had a similar question-
Sonia and Gail, I saw from your plans you may be reading Allende. Ideas for which one you might read??
I'm hoping to get column I or row 5 but dreaming of both. But I hav..."

I am going to read The House of the Spirits. I have previously read A Long Petal of the Sea which I enjoyed. Good story, and interesting learning about migration from Spain to Chile.

Okay - I know it doesn't technically start until July, but we're not working for a prize or anything, so..... :) I already started.

I have read two books for the BINGO. I had never read a Joan Didion book before, and The Year of Magical Thinking is in Audible's included catalog right now. I thought it sounded interesting. It was very different that what I had anticipated. Now, don't get me wrong, it is a fabulous book. BUT - this year I have been injured twice, sick three times plus a bladder infection that I have now, my dad was in the hospital for five days, my husband was in the hospital for over a week with very serious pneumonia, my youngest son was in the hospital for some weird symptoms, and my oldest son is now in the hospital (and has been for a week and a half), so I was not in the emotional space to deal with such a sad and heavy book! Yikes. I need something, uplifting, or I don't know - FUNNY. This book is NOT uplifting! LOL. It is very good though, and I recommend it, but not if you are having a tough time right now! Sheesh!

I also read Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. It was meh. It was okay, but I wasn't too impressed. It's hard to pull off a novel where there are no likable characters. She didn't quite manage it.

Jen wrote: "I had a similar question-
Sonia and Gail, I saw from your plans you may be reading Allende. Ideas for which one you might read?? ..."

These are the ones that I have read and my rating:
Inés of My Soul -4
Slow to start, this was worth the effort. Ines Suarez has been all but written out of the history of the first Spanish settlers of Chile. Thanks to this wonderful author, Ines' story is there for the reading.
My Invented Country: A Nostalgic Journey Through Chile -5
Portrait in Sepia -3
In the Midst of Winter -4
The Japanese Lover -5
Beautiful story. Not your typical Allende in the characters she has chosen, but still with her magical touch.

I have an embarrassing number of others that I haven't read yet, but right now I'm thinking I will do Eva Luna for the challenge.

Misty, I'm sending you a truckload of good luck! I'm so sorry you and your family have been going through so much. I hope the rest of your year goes much better.

@Gail and Sonia, thanks for the thoughts on your past Allende reads- got me interested in many now. Happy to see that 5-star rating for the nonfiction from you, Gail :)

@Misty- yes, what Ozsaur said! That's... omg ALOT. Sounds like, yes, you definitely could use some uplifting and fun and funny reads... I hope you find some. Sending good vibes and best wishes.

I am going to try one bingo:

B5: Louise Erdrich - The Plague of Doves
I4: Han Kang - The White Book
N3: FREE SPACE - any Brontë sister - The Brontë Sisters: Selected Poems of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë
G2: Mona Awad - 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl
O1: Sandra Cisneros - Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories

Misty wrote: "Okay - I know it doesn't technically start until July, but we're not working for a prize or anything, so..... :) I already started.

I have read two books for the BINGO. I had never read a Joan Di..."

Oh wow, Misty! This year has been extremely rough on you all! I am sorry for that, and I do hope that everything will pass soon! Sending wishes for fast recoveries!

Thanks all. My son is being discharged today (still has a long road, but hallelujah!)! I have decided on the next Murderbot Diaries book. The first three were fabulous, so fingers crossed that this one follows suit! :)

Crazytourists_books - The White Book is kind of a strange book, but I really enjoyed it. It's short, so it's a quick read. I think the strange really works. I'll be curious to see what you think of it.

For those who like using widgets to track completion, here's a link to our Author BINGO tracker: https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/...

*It may not let you tee it up until July 1

Crazytourists_books wrote: "I am going to try one bingo:

B5: Louise Erdrich - The Plague of Doves
I4: Han Kang - The White Book
N3: FREE SPACE - any Brontë sister - [book:The Brontë Sisters: S..."

I'll be curious to hear what you think of the Awad. I've not read her and am super interested in this one; it just keeps getting pushed back by new shiny objects.

Misty wrote: "Okay - I know it doesn't technically start until July, but we're not working for a prize or anything, so..... :) I already started.

I have read two books for the BINGO. I had never read a Joan Di..."

I can imagine, Misty. i listened to the audible of Vanessa Redgrave narrating a stage version of Magical Thinking and it was , wait for it ... magical. Also quite short.

Last year I read Play It As It Lays and I recommend it, but I also wouldn't call it heartwarming or uplifting. It's a slice of life of mid-century California amongst a certain class of bored/aimless/ creative types. Trigger warning: (view spoiler)[at some point there's a suicide off-screen, as it were (hide spoiler)]

So...... I just want to put this out there for anyone who might be slotting Earthlings for the Sayaka Murata prompt - it is hard. There is a lot of abuse, and it is pretty graphic, and it involves a child. I'm only about 1/4 of the way through. The book, so far, is really good, but I had to put it aside for a while. I think I will need to read this one in small sections. Just thought I would put that warning out there. I switched over to another Murderbot Diaries story! :) I needed something a little less tough on my soul. (Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells - SciFi)

Misty wrote: "So...... I just want to put this out there for anyone who might be slotting Earthlings for the Sayaka Murata prompt - it is hard. There is a lot of abuse, and it is pretty graphic, and it involves ..."

Appreciate those kinda warnings, thanks. I was hoping to check off Murata here too but was actually leaning toward Convenience Store Woman or Life Ceremony.

Misty, thanks for the tough read warning about Earthlings. Have had my fill of difficult reads for a while. I have also found that Japanese authors seem to write rather dark material. When the word "horror" is a descriptor of a book, I tend to pass it over. I know many people enjoy horror, but it's just not my cup of tea. I'm ok with and do read difficult books that educate but I pace myself and take care to choose uplifting books as well.

I did read Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata and quite enjoyed it. I rated it 4 stars. It's a quiet book with lots to think about that you might enjoy if you haven't read it yet.

It won the Foyle's Prize for Fiction in 2018.

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

I also rated Convenience Store Woman four stars. I thought it was pretty interesting.

I finished Earthlings, and it was extremely weird. The abuse was only during one chapter - it was a long chapter. Without giving anything away, it gets pretty gross. It's not a book I would recommend honestly.

There’s an excellent essay in the NYT today on Joan Didion’s books, including two rarely mentioned at least in my GR feed: Let Me Tell You What I Mean and Democracy. It has changed my mind about which book I’m reading and why. If you can’t access it at this link, dm me for a gift article.

https://www.nytimes.com/article/joan-...

@Misty - you are knocking it out of the park! I am so impressed, friend. Also nosy.

Jen wrote: "Misty wrote: "So...... I just want to put this out there for anyone who might be slotting Earthlings for the Sayaka Murata prompt - it is hard. There is a lot of abuse, and it is pretty graphic, an..."

Warning to those of you who found earthlings difficult to stomach, life ceremony is also very dark. I thought they were both very good but you certainly have to be in the right frame of mind. Contrarily, I didn't really understand the appeal of convenience store

Hannah wrote: "Jen wrote: "Misty wrote: "So...... I just want to put this out there for anyone who might be slotting Earthlings for the Sayaka Murata prompt - it is hard. There is a lot of abuse, and it is pretty..."

I didn't like Convenience Store Woman either. Murata is not an author for me.

Carol wrote: "@Misty - you are knocking it out of the park! I am so impressed, friend. Also nosy."

LOL - don't be impressed! I'm just living in a hellscape this year, and reading is my escape! It is keeping me sane - well, somewhat sane.

I have a question for anyone who has read Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë. I started it, and when she goes to be a governess, her young male charge is a young psycho. The outrageous animal cruelty is disgusting. Is it only at the beginning of the book? Because if it is throughout the book, I just can't do it. As I mentioned - living in a hellscape - I cannot handle it right now. So, please - anyone who has read it, let me know! Gracias!

Sorry not read Agnes Grey, only read The Tenant of Wildfell by Anne Bronte, which I liked. When I am looking for a comment on Victorian literature my first stop is Katie on the YouTube channel Books and Things. Had a quick skim through her review of AG, which she did some years ago. It is not her favourite, and she does mention what you have. Where she does find the book interesting is in an historical depiction of what it was like to be a governess - you are in charge of the children, but they are superior to you in station, and if you have no support from the parents you are going to have a pretty desperate time. I think it shows the limited choices available for educated, but cash poor women.
Probably not the right book for you now. Sounds like you need something a bit lighter.

Thanks Sonia!

Misty wrote: "Carol wrote: "@Misty - you are knocking it out of the park! I am so impressed, friend. Also nosy."

LOL - don't be impressed! I'm just living in a hellscape this year, and reading is my escape! It ..."

I haven’t read this one either, but the blurb makes me think it’San ongoing if not escalating issue as it seems to be a major driving point of the plot… it doesn’t look good. Hopefully someone who has read it can let you know, or maybe read some reviews?

Misty wrote: "Carol wrote: "@Misty - you are knocking it out of the park! I am so impressed, friend. Also nosy."

LOL - don't be impressed! I'm just living in a hellscape this year, and reading is my escape! It ..."

Sorry to hear that, Misty. I so relate. In 2017 I was shocked to be reorged out of a job and I read so very many books during the 14 months I was unemployed and no one was calling. Every time someone noticed my distinctly high volume of books finished, I thought, my life is a chaotic disaster, of course I"m reading a lot!

I hope the hellscape lightens up for you, and soon.

Taking Agnes Grey off my TBR now and forever, btw. I am so glad for my learnings from this thread. You can't un-read some things.

If anyone wants to buddy read Tenant of Wildfell any time this year, let me know. I'd like to read it but am more likely to stick with it if I'm discussing with a friend.

Carol wrote: "I thought, my life is a chaotic disaster, of course I"m reading a lot!

I hope the hellscape lightens up for you, and soon."

Right?! I mean, it's either read or lose your mind! ;)

And thank you. Me, too!!!

I really enjoyed Tenant of Wildfell. I hope you like it. I'm not sure I am going to even get back to Agnes Grey - probably not.

Holy cow. I think I am going to have to step aside from this challenge for a bit. I just finished Human Acts by Han Kang. It is a very good book. It is just super duper heavy. I definitely recommend it, but there are serious trigger warnings - sexual abuse, torture, violence. It is about a time of political violence in South Korea. I am nearly the same age as Kang, but growing up in the US, I knew nothing about it. Very good book - very, very hard read.

I'm going to go read some fluff now.

Misty wrote: "Holy cow. I think I am going to have to step aside from this challenge for a bit...."

Good for you! I had to do that last month. Best antidote to intense reads.

I'm using roadtrips as opportunity to audiobook some of these.

I just finished and super enjoyed The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. Loved the joint narration by the author and actress Joan Chen (swoon).
Grateful to this challenge and this group for getting me to revisit this author. For high school, decades ago, I read The Joy Luck Club, but I think I like TBD even more but I guess it's hard to compare as I now don't remember TJLC well...

I was thinking of doing Allende as audiobook but based on the few samples I listened to, the narrators are too dramatic for me- hate that- and I think I'll prefer reading her books.
So for my upcoming big drive, I'm leaning toward Octavia E. Butler's Wild Seed. My first inclination was the more familiar title Parable of the Sower but that has a really long waitlist. Wild Seed sounds cool too. Fingers crossed it'll be a fun roadtrip listen...

For a shorter drive last month I listened to Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata and that was quite cute. Enjoyed it.

Carol wrote: "Taking Agnes Grey off my TBR now and forever, btw. I am so glad for my learnings from this thread. You can't un-read some things. ..."

Sorry, I lost track of the thread on this one. I read Agnes Grey for the challenge. My "private notes": I almost gave up, the first half was so terribly depressing. But then Agnes' story with Mr Weston began and it was lovely.

The young serial-killer-in-training is only in the beginning. She doesn't stay with that family for more than a year. The second family is just as "my kids are perfect, it must be you" but without the animal abuse.

I rated it 3.5 rounded down to 3.

Started Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata last night and the first story is about an engaged couple coming to terms with their differing views on re-using human parts after death… for fashion, jewelry or furniture. So she’s still stretching those social norm boundaries, ha. I’m a fan of hers, so to me this is a good thing! Bonus as she works for women in translation.

Gail W wrote: "Carol wrote: "The young serial-killer-in-training is only in the beginning. She doesn't stay with that family for more than a year. The second family is just as "my kids are perfect, it must be you" but without the animal abuse."

That's good to know. Thank you.

I am struggling with The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. I'm almost 70% through it, so I am going to finish it, but I am really not enjoying it. I find that I do not care about a single character - at all. I read Daughter of Fortune, and I liked it, but I did not love it. Maybe she's just not for me.