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.

4af56302c502-birdillustration.png

Jane Austen’s 12 Most Delightful Insults

We love your sass, Jane. Don't ever change!

Literary Pilgrimage: Virginia Woolf’s England

Take a tour of England through the life and work of Virginia Woolf.

In Defense: Elizabeth Gilbert

Gilbert haters cite Eat, Pray, Love as proof of her failings, and in the process neglect her fantastic, near-perfect novel.

Live Your Own Life: 10 Inspiring Facts About Margaret Mitchell

The Gone with the Wind author was a woman ahead of her time.

Gloria Steinem on Domestic Violence and Next Time, She’ll Be Dead

Ann Jones's revolutionary work offers powerful insight into domestic violence.

Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple: Feminist Icon

In "Miss Marple vs. The Mansplainers," Alice Bolin salutes Agatha Christie's feminist detective hero.

The Genius of Kate Atkinson

With Life After Life, the English writer takes the reincarnation story to new heights.

Literature’s Sexual Rebels

Erica Jong shocked readers with her novel about women's sexuality in the 1970s, and she tells us why she's ready to do it again.

This Is Susan Griffin, Hear Her Roar

The pioneering ecofeminist and Woman and Nature author discusses her book and today's discriminatory climate.

7 Fascinating Facts You Didn’t Know About Cats

Read what anthropologist and author Elizabeth Marshall Thomas has to say right meow!

Gloria Steinem on Exterminate All The Brutes

Author Sven Lindqvist takes readers on historical journey across the Sahara Desert and the African continent.

The Mermaid and the Minotaur: “The Uncle Tom’s Cabin of Men Raising Children”

Gloria Steinem reflects on Dorothy Dinnerstein's feminist classic and gender equality in early societies.

Still on the Edge: Gloria Steinem Explores the Marge Piercy Classic

Gloria Steinem discusses the continued importance of Marge Piercy's sci-fi classic, Woman on the Edge of Time.

The Sacred Hoop: “Patriarchy is Neither Universal Nor Inevitable”

Paula Gunn Allen, a Native American activist, offers hope for the future in The Sacred Hoop, says Gloria Steinem.

Gloria Steinem on Patriarchy and Power in The Handmaid’s Tale

How Margaret Atwood's classic shows the significance of reproductive freedom.

Gloria Steinem on the Many Reasons to Read The Group

How Mary McCarthy's classic can be read as an indicator of change—or the lack of it.

Gloria Steinem Discusses Sex & World Peace

Valerie Hudson's critical book shows how violence against women is a proxy for nationwide violence.

Forever Relevant: Robin Morgan's The Demon Lover

Gloria Steinem discusses the lasting impact of Robin Morgan's political classic on terrorism.

My True Romance Behind “Trail of Secrets” by Eileen Goudge

Eileen Goudge takes us behind her writing of Trail of Secrets!