Best Women Author Recommendations

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”

—Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, 1818

Historically, women (and people of color) have been sorely underrepresented on many reading lists. To help change that, we're highlighting women authors who more than deserve your attention. 

Discover classic women authors who flew under the radar with male pen names, and re-discover those who broke the mold and dominated their genres (hello, Agatha Christie!) or invented new ones (see: the history of Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein). 

You can also browse books by Black women, by early Irish female writers, or even books by royal women. For more modern and global women’s fiction, we suggest books that pass the Bechdel test, books by Elena Ferrante, and even books by women crime writers. Regardless of what you’re looking for,  all of the recommendations below will add some much-needed feminine perspective to your reading list.

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Angela Thirkell and Her 29 Adventures into Barsetshire

Writing so rich makes us wish we could live in Barsetshire too. 

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Read about women who challenged the status quo.

All the Lord Peter Wimsey Books In Order

The debonair sleuth charms everyone who comes his way—including generations of mystery readers.

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The Pulitzer Prize winner captured the American South in her own way.

A Death Doula Faces Life in This Charming Novel

The taboo subject of death becomes a reason to celebrate.

11 Books by Pulitzer Prize Winning Author Alison Lurie 

“You can't write well with only the nice parts of your character, and only about nice things. And I don't want even to try anymore. I want to use everything, including hate and envy and lust and fear.” ―Alison Lurie

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