“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.
If you didn't read the books, you're missing some of the story.
Or, what to read before The Second Sex.
Give Mom the gift of the written word, courtesy of Candice Bergman, Erma Bombeck, and others.
Give her a gift she'll love using this curated list.
Her depictions of race, religion, and history are uniquely poignant and informative.
Penelope Fitzgerald once described herself as "an old author who had never been a young one."
This 1927 novel is a philosophical reflection upon the complexity of the human experience.
Inspire your little ones and honor the women who made history.
By Nicole Klett
Honor Virginia Woolf's birthday with her own words.
The British author was known for her exploration of men and women.
Depressed that Mad Men is no more? Read your way through the pain.
By Jessica Ferri & Kimmy Kelly
"Someone spat in my face because I was with a white man."
By Tineka Smith