FABClub (Female Authors Book Club) discussion

Are you taking the challenge? What is your list of books for 2013?

I'm definitely going to try the challenge. I'm not sure if I can generate a list up front; might have to do it one book at a time. Some of the categories are a lot easier than others (for me). Maybe over the course of the year we can make sure that the discussion books fall into the various categories?

Yeah I think we could start a discussion topic for each number on the list, it would be interesting to see what people pick!

Here's my list so far:

1. A work of fiction
The Blind Assassin
The Tiger's Wife
The Robber Bride
Cat's Eye
Lady Oracle

2. A work of non-fiction
The Vagina Monologues
Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty

3. A collection of poetry
The Moon Is Always Female: Poems

4. A collection of short stories or essays
Vampires in the Lemon Grove: Stories

5. An anthology of all female contributors
New South Asian Feminisms: Paradoxes and Possibilities
Women of Wonder: Science-Fiction Stories by Women about Women

6. A biography/memoir
Coal to Diamonds: A Memoir
Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell
Cleopatra: A Life
James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon
Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison
Eating Dirt

7. A work of science fiction
The Word for World is Forest
The Ship Who Sang
The Lathe of Heaven
MaddAddam
Doomsday Book
Patternmaster
Mind of My Mind
Survivor
Wild Seed
The Door Through Space
Clay's Ark
The Telling
The Snow Queen
The Gate to Women's Country

8. A work of fantasy/supernatural
The Diviners
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
The Madman's Daughter
The Golem and the Jinni

9. A book that discusses feminism
Why Have Kids?: A New Mom Explores the Truth About Parenting and Happiness
The Feminine Mystique

10. A book that discusses race, gender and/or sexuality
Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture
Yes Means Yes!: Visions of Female Sexual Power and A World Without Rape
Sex Drive: In pursuit of female desire

11. A book by a transgender author
Excluded: Making Feminist and Queer Movements More Inclusive

12. A book by an openly lesbian author
The Miseducation of Cameron Post

13. A graphic novel, manga or comic book
Alex + Ada #1
Alex + Ada #2

14. A book published in 2013
A Guide to Being Born: Stories

15. A book written before 1960
Their Eyes Were Watching God
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

16. 5 works by Women of Colour
The Round House
Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America
I Put a Spell on You: The Autobiography of Nina Simone
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty
We Need New Names
A Tale for the Time Being

17. 5 works by international women
Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter (CHILE)
White is for Witching (UK/NIGERIA)
Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India (INDIA)
Letters to my Daughters (AFGHANISTAN)
Karma Cola: Marketing the Mystic East (INDIA)
I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced (YEMEN)

Holy moly what a year!

Just finished Shadow of Night. Not sure yet if I'll count it for #1 or #8 (although I'll probably have lots for those two categories).

Did you like it? The reviews look like they are mostly love it or hate it.

I'm right in the middle. I enjoyed it, but it was definitely flawed. The plot and the dialogue were somewhat clunky in places; on the other hand the author seems to so enjoy her descriptions of Elizabethan London that it made up for the shortcomings. I can see how some might find it deadly dull though. It drew me in enough though that I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel.

And my list:
1. A work of fiction
Fragile Eternity
Darkest Mercy
The Lady Most Willing...: A Novel in Three Parts
Compromised
Wedded Bliss
A Perfect Gentleman
Attachments
The Duel
The Middlesteins
Revealed
The Summer of You
The Secret History
The Homecoming of Samuel Lake
The Governess Affair
If I Fall
2. A work of non-fiction
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Mark Twain and the Queens of the Mississippi
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People
3. A collection of poetry
The Dream of a Common Language
4. A collection of short stories or essays
Faery Tales & Nightmares
Women of Wonder: Science-Fiction Stories by Women about Women
5. An anthology of all female contributors
Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions
6. A biography/memoir
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon
7. A work of science fiction
Queen City Jazz
The Sky Inside
The Walls Have Eyes
The Snow Queen
World's End
8. A work of fantasy/supernatural
Shadow of Night
Radiant Shadows
The Diviners
Breadcrumbs
The Name of the Star
The Hollow Kingdom
Close Kin
In the Coils of the Snake
By These Ten Bones
The House of Dead Maids
9. A book that discusses feminism
Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America
Follow My Lead
10. A book that discusses race, gender and/or sexuality
Wicked Lovely
Ink Exchange
The Round House
The Red Tent
Mississippi Blues
11. A book by a transgender author
Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity
12. A book by an openly lesbian author
Fun Home: a Family Tragicomic.
13. A graphic novel, manga or comic book
Are You My Mother?
14. A book published in 2013
Splintered
The Madness Underneath
The Golem and the Jinni
The House Girl
Let It Be Me
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
As You Wish
15. A book written before 1960
The Yellow Wallpaper
16. 5 works by women of color
Red Dust Road
My Beloved World
My Year of Meats
Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism
Their Eyes Were Watching God
17. 5 works by international women
A Christmas Bride/Christmas Beau - Wales/Canada
Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter - Chile/Canada
The Winter Sea - Canada
Letters to my Daughters - Afghanistan
The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait - Mexico
In the Woods - Ireland
I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced - Yeman
We Need New Names - Zimbabwe

Great list Alexa!

Actually, your list is far more intriguing! Mine is totally self-indulgent, while yours is far more thought-provoking. I'll have to work on that!

They have all been great, I especially liked Something Fierce, Blind Assassin and The Word for World is Forest. I'm trying to read more memoirs/biographies this year.

I have very fond memories of The Word for World is Forest, although it's been a long time. I remember being somewhat disappointed by The Blind Assassin. I read it right after The Handmaid's Tale (which was amazing) and it just wasn't nearly as powerful or as meaningful; but perhaps I was spoiled by having impossibly high expectations.

It certainly wasn't what I was expecting! I had figured out who wrote the Blind Assassin long before the end, so nothing really came as a surprise like I think it was supposed to. None-the-less I really liked how the story unfolded through the articles, the voice from the present day telling the story of the old days, and the mysterious dialogue between the two 'mystery people'. There was so much going on; stories within stories within stories. By the end I loved it, though you're right its a far cry from Handmaids Tale. And oh man, Laura sure had a shit life.

I've been thinking maybe I should read it again, that it deserves another look.... I'm also planning on reading Something Fierce, which looks great. What about Why Have Kids? I'm thinking that must be a totally different read for those who have kids and those who don't.

Why Have Kids was a good overview of modern parenting and the expectations society put on women to be totally self-sacrificing for the well-being of their children. I haven't read much in the way of parenting books (or any, really, I don't have children either) so I found it interesting, though I think for some people it's not saying anything new. I really liked it though!

I just started Something Fierce. It's quite compelling so far. She's a great writer. I'm surprised at how much it reads like fiction.

I really loved that book! The pacing is perfect and she has a wild story to tell.

The story is fascinating, and in the end she may be glad she experienced all this, but it's really hard for me to get over how furious I am at the mom. Reading between the lines, first she abandons her children, then exposes them to someone who seems capable of serious abuse, then kidnaps them from their father in order to put their lives at risk.

On the other hand, and in the mother's defense, I loved this line: "As far as she was concerned, a woman shouldn't have to choose between motherhood and revolution." That's hard to argue with. In fact, substitute almost any word for "revolution" and it still works for me.

I loved that line too. I felt the same way about the mom bringing her kids into that kind of environment, but then she said that... and, I kind of had a change of heart haha

Now that I've finished it I have really mixed feelings. As an adult, looking back, she had only good things to say about her mother. Yet as a teenager she was really angry about how often her mother left her. Those teenager's feelings were real, even though her adult self seems to dismiss them. So I think I'm coming down on the side of saying that no woman should have to choose between motherhood and (fill in the blank), yet she should still realize that she can't give her whole heart and soul to that revolution (or whatever). Having chosen to have children, she then has to give a decent chunk of her heart, soul, time and attention to those children.

She definitely came across as an absentee mother, and as one who put another cause (the revolution) above the needs of her daughters. Which I don't agree with. But the story that came out of it all was so fascinating and powerful, it's hard to want to reprimand the mother for being so involved in the freedom of her country when it taught so many things to Carmen in the long run.

Part of what makes it so interesting is that what Carmen most seems to long for is the freedom to be an open revolutionary, to protest and publicly fight, rather than always having to keep her true beliefs quiet.

http://msmagazine.com/blog/2012/12/19...

This review of Something Fierce is a good read

Thanks! I really enjoyed this! She does a great job of describing the conflict Aguirre clearly felt between her personal life and her political one, even as a child.

Hi, just joined the group. very excited about filling my year with female author books, and really glad i found a community doing the same thing. What got me started was a book i urge the whole world to read Cunt: A Declaration of Independence. Thats the first on my list for this year, and it has taken me onto:

2. King Kong Theorie
3. The Hunger Games
4. Wuthering Heights
5. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking (Just started)

that covers point 1, 10, 12, 14 and 15 on the suggested 20 types list already! im really excited about finding out what other people read and dipping into those books too!

Awesome! Welcome to the club Laura!

You've got a great multi-genre collection there Laura! I have to go back and update my list. (It's always tricky for me when one of my books fits several categories and I have to figure out where to fit it in.)

thanks. I'm actually finding it hard to read non-American literature... fiction or non at the moment.

Laura we should definitely collect a list of international female authors, I just looked through my list of books and they are predominantly American, Canadian and British haha. I'll do some research!

Laura wrote: "thanks. I'm actually finding it hard to read non-American literature... fiction or non at the moment."

Hard because? You have to force yourself outside of your comfort zone? You can't find any? You need some recommendations?

Stephanie wrote: "Here's my list so far:

1. A work of fiction
The Blind Assassin
The Tiger's Wife
The Robber Bride
2. A work of non-fiction
The Vagina Monologues
Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty
3...."

Looking good Stephanie! I've got a book in mind for each of my unfilled categories except #11 - a trans author. Any suggestions?

Definitely suggest:


Also good:

Thanks for the suggestions! Whipping Girl appeals to me the most, but Stone Butch Blues is the one my local library has, so we shall see. I have to REALLY want to read a book to jump through the hoops of interlibrary loan....

(Does Whipping Girl count as a memoir? Maybe it will magically appear one of these months as our monthly memoir read and then I would feel obligated to request it.) Or maybe I'll just request it anyway!

Alexa you are killin' it!! I added another item to the list of suggestions, which was sorely overlooked when I put the list together; 5 works by Women of Colour.

The bases I have left to cover are a book of poetry, a book by a transgender author, and a comic book/manga/graphic novel. Plus 3 more by WOC which can be done if I read the group selections for the next couple of months.

I have a book of Emily Dickinson's collected works, but I have yet to tackle it...

Yes, I noticed we've both been ignoring poetry! I've got my eye on a volume of Elizabeth Bishop that was strongly recommended to me. Also Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity, Persepolis, and Their Eyes Were Watching God (which I've finished - I just need to figure out what I want to say about it - which is a lot). I'm not sure if I want to shift some of the books around to fill the WOC, or just wait and see what the rest of the year brings. (Oh, and I like the new Group Rules that pops up when you post - nicely done! Thanks!)

Yeah group rules! Haha
Their Eyes Were Watching God... I didn't know what I thought about it either, until I read Sister Citizen and Harris-Perry discussed in a bit more detail and I was like "Ooohhhh. Yeah that was a good book."

Also, yes the upcoming books... I picked a whole whack because I found I was getting distracted around book-change-over-time and it would be easier to just have a few in the queue. There's a double whammy selection from the Booker finalist list for September/October, We Need New Names - NoViolet Bulawayo and A Tale for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki (both WOC) then I thought it would be good to get back into the sci-fi with a James Tiptree biography and some more Octavia Butler because obviously she is amazing.

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced - Nujood Ali and I Put a Spell on You: The Autobiography of Nina Simone (voted for in the poll from the 100 books by black women everyone should read list) are two more interesting memoirs from WOC (plus Ali is international, from Yemen which I haven't read much about)

I was thinking of doing a poll for open nominations to round out the year, what do you think?

They all look quite interesting! And yeah, I like the idea of having things set up a month or two in advance - makes planning easier. And I also love polls!

Stephanie wrote: "Here's my list so far:

1. A work of fiction
The Blind Assassin
The Tiger's Wife
The Robber Bride
Cat's Eye

2. A work of non-fiction
[book:Th..."

What an impressive/fantastic/inspiring year you've had! With still 6 weeks to go! I seriously need to update my list too. Does it just give you a glow of pleasure to be able to look over your year like this?

It's pretty exciting to look back and think "Wow those are some great titles". I definitely enjoyed this challenge! Just a couple left and all the bases are covered. Yes please update your list I wanna seeeee!

I finally updated my list. This has been a really fun challenge. I'm really impressed with the way you constructed it. Thanks! (I'm torn between wanting to do it exactly the same next year - because it really felt like a great way to structure the year - a good set of goals - and between wanting to see how you might decide to improve it.) What do you think?

And I'm done!

Fabulous list Alexa!!! I just finished mine off, goodness what a crazy list of books. Was there anything you read last year that really stood out for you?

Oh that's a hard question! Let's see....
Books that were especially thought provoking:
Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter
The Round House
Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

Books that were just a great read:
The Round House (both categories!)
Attachments
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity (also in 2)
Queen City Jazz
Fun Home
In the Woods
My Year of Meats
We Need New Names
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

And I'll further narrow it down to:
The Round House
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
My Year of Meats
We Need New Names
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

But I can't decide between those five which was my absolute favorite!

How about you?