Before I give too many details, let me just state that I am not trying to classify books within gendered terms; I.e a great piece of literature trumps anything and I am not trying to employ gender bias when it comes to reading. HOWEVER, I do find myself very often titillating towards predominantly male authors, particularly white male authors. I don't think this is a very uncommon phenomenon. From what I gather, a lot of people tend to feel pulled in this direction, because of how readily available they are, how recommended they come, etc… And don't get me wrong either; I love male authors, I love masculinity in writing.
bell hooks asked: "I read patriarchal men, whose work I love, and how is it that they can live without reading our work?". This is the crux of it. I can't live without reading other work, and yet it's always too easy to fall into line with all the male greats.. I want more variation, more voices and perspectives, and more great writing. I love literature in translation too, and of course I LOVE reading female authors(but I find I vear more towards non-fic when I'm reading women). I am not looking for books catered towards women per say, I'm just looking for canonical books written by women. Below are some people I have read and loved to give you a sense of my reading tastes.
Cormac McCarthy, bell hooks, Toni Morrison, Yukio Mishima, Eve Babitz, Izumi Suzuki, Norman Lewis, Bulgakov, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Kerouac, Baldwin, Jean Rhys, Ryszard Kapuscinski, Zweig.
This is a mixed list of my favourites but I noticed on my bedside table it's practically just guys: Jonathan Raban Cormac McCarthy John McPhee Wallace Stegner (And one from Svetlana Alexievich)
I mean I'm sure these will all be great but would be good to get more variety… Please could someone give some recs of some outstanding pieces of literature written by women?
by toosmalltograte
11 Comments
N.K. Jemisin is geeat!
Nalo Hopkinson, particularly [Brown Girl in the Ring](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57504.Brown_Girl_in_the_Ring)
[Isobel Allende](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2238.Isabel_Allende)
[Angela Carter](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/27500.Angela_Carter)
If you like Marquez you’ll likely enjoy Isabel Allende. House of the Spirits is a great one.
I feel like you would dig Margaret Atwood’s writing. Handmaid’s Take is her flagship piece, but I’d also recommend The Blind Assassin and Surfacing.
I’ve really enjoyed all of Jesmyn Ward‘s works-they are visceral and brutal but also beautiful. I started with Let Us Descend and had to read more of her work.
You may enjoy Emily St John Mandel- I like everything she’s written, most recently Sea of Tranquility.
Jhumoa Lahiri has beautifully written books, I’ve never read a thing by her I didn’t like but would start with The Namesake
Anything by Margaret Atwood
_Woman On The Edge of Time_ by Marge Piercy
_We Have Always Lived In The Castle_ by Shirley Jackson
_Going Out_ by Scarlet Thomas
_A Visit From The Goon Squad_ by Jennifer Egan
_The Kindred_ by Octavia E. Butler
*Washington Black*, Esi Edugyan
*Homegoing*, Yaa Gyasi
*The God of Small Things*, Arundhati Roy
*Kintu*, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
*Their Eyes Were Watching God,* Zora Neale Hurston
*In the Time of the Butterflies*, Julia Alvarez
*Wolf Hall*, Hilary Mantel
If you are keen into reading Asian literature, I highly suggest Meiko Kawakami, Cho Nam-Joo and Han Kang.
Barbara Kingsolver (Poisonwood Bible or Demon Copperhead)
Ann Patchett (Bel Canto)
E. Annie Proulx (Shipping News)
Sarah Donati (Into the Forest series)
Anything by Ursula K Leguin is always a win
Barbara Demick is great if you want non-fiction. Annie Proulx (Barkskins) Yaa Gyasi (Homegoing), Jenette Winterson (The Passion), Angela Carter (The Bloody Chamber), Zadie Smith (The Fraud). Stellar writing from all these women and all are versatile when it comes to the types of stories— just super range and lots to explore, but the titles I mentioned are good intros to their writing.
Oh and edit to add Yoko Ogawa!
Margaret Atwood. The Handmaid’s Tale, Oryx and Crake, etc.
Jane Eyre
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Pride and Prejudice
Anything by Ursula K. LeGuin. Some of my favorites are the Earthsea books, The Lathe of Heaven and Lavinia.
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Anything by Tracy Chevalier but especially Girl With a Pearl Earring; and The Lady and the Unicorn.
Anything by Annie Ernaux. My favorites are Simple Passion and A Frozen Woman, but they are all very good.
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls