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

8 Books Like Before We Were Yours

From harrowing stories of orphans to multi-generational sagas, these books will captivate you.

9 Books for Fans of Sharp Objects

These thrilling mysteries will keep you hooked long after the miniseries ends. 

New Trailer Offers First Look at Bel Canto

Julianne Moore and Ken Watanabe star in the adaptation of Ann Patchett's novel based on the Lima hostage crisis.

Shonda Rhimes to Adapt Julia Quinn's Historical Romance Series

The Grey's Anatomy and Scandal creator is bringing the Bridgerton series to Netflix.

10 Captivating Writer Biographies

See these talented authors in a whole new light.

The 10 Best Mr. Darcys: From Favorite Films to Books

He's bewitched us, body and soul—on the page and on the screen.

Jane Austen’s Unfinished Novel Sanditon is Being Adapted for PBS

Acclaimed screenwriter Andrew Davies, who also wrote the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries, will be adapting the novel for the small screen.

6 Gloria Steinem Books That Will Inspire You

Through her writing, the feminist icon shares the wisdom she's gained from decades of activism.

9 Thought-Provoking Books by Marge Piercy

The author of Woman on the Edge of Time was way ahead of her own.

10 Delightful Barbara Pym Books

Often compared to Jane Austen, the 20th-century English novelist challenged societal norms with witty social comedies.

8 Pulse-Racing Mysteries by Ruth Rendell

The three-time Edgar Award winner introduced psychological thrills to the mystery genre.

A Mother Can't Escape Her Past in This Drama by Euphoria Author Lily King

In The English Teacher, a dark secret drives a wedge between Vida Avery and her new family.

Excerpt: The English Teacher by Lily King

After entering a marriage she doesn't exactly want, Vida Avery becomes increasingly haunted by her past. 

Queen of Crime: Margery Allingham's Mystery Novels Still Hook Us Today

Best known for her Albert Campion series, Margery Allingham was a contemporary of Agatha Christie – and is well worth investigating.

How Mary Roberts Rinehart Got Her Start—and Invented a New Kind of Mystery

The so-called "American Agatha Christie" revolutionized the mystery genre with her 1908 novel, The Circular Staircase.

The Perfect Mother Author Aimee Molloy on Blending Genres, Motherhood and Kerry Washington

BookTrib and Aimee Molloy discuss the psychological thrills, feminist message, and upcoming adaptation of her hit novel.