Read Women discussion

It's that time of year! Let's look back and share the best and worst reads of the year for each of us. Also, if you draft and post a GoodReads 2020 summary of your reading year, share the link to it in this thread.

The 3 books by female authors that I gave 5 stars this year were:

The Mere Wife - Maria Dahvana Headley
Everything Under - Daisy Johnson
The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri

A few other excellent reads for me were:
Abandon - Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Choke Box: A Fem-Noir - Christina Milletti
Blue Self-Portrait - Noémi Lefebvre

And my disappointing reads for 2020 were:
Our Dead World - Liliana Colanzi
Woman on the Edge of Time - Marge Piercy

I either had a great year or I was generous on my star ratings. My 5 star books by female authors were:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
A Burning by Megha Majumdar
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin

The disappointing books are few because I tend to DNF without rating the bad books. My disappointments were:

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
After the Spring: A Story of Tunisian Youth by Hélène Aldeguer

I'm already moving books on, up and off of my TBR - thank you, Liesl and Laurie!

These were the best books authored by women which I read this year, and I'd recommend each without reservation to anyone with the slightest interest in them.

• The Friend by Sigrid Nunez (contemporary)
• S. S. Proleterka by Fleur Jaeggy (#WiT)
• The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge, and India's Quest for Independence by Anita Anand (non-fiction, history)
• The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (classic, Canada)
• The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden (classic, France)
• Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (contemporary, historical fiction, Nigeria/Biafra)

In the disappointing stack were:

To Tell You the Truth by Gilly Macmillan
Requiem by Shizuko Gō (abandoned)

Liesl wrote: "The 3 books by female authors that I gave 5 stars this year were:

The Mere Wife - Maria Dahvana Headley
Everything Under - [author:Daisy Johnson|142..."

Liesel, I own Everything Under. I need to get to it next year.

Carol wrote: "I'm already moving books on, up and off of my TBR - thank you, Liesl and Laurie!

These were the best books authored by women which I read this year, and I'd recommend each without reservation to a..."

Carol, you have one of my all time favorites on your best list. Half of a Yellow Sun is so good. I plan to read The Blue Castle next year and I am sure I will love it.

I'm saving my lists until the end of December but enjoying following this and finding out what other people have been reading. I also really liked 'Half of a Yellow Sun' and have the Jaeggy to read, so good to see you rated it so highly Carol.

Laurie, some of my favourites on your list so will definitely be checking on the rest.

Liesl I thought 'The Namesake' was an excellent portrait of first/second generation Indian-Americans too. And keen to read some of the other titles you mention.

Quite a few to add to my WIT possibilities.

My favourite is still The Eighth Life and my worst was The Murmur of Bees which I found to be racist and classist

My 4-star reads by women so far this year (4 stars to me means 'very good'):

• Je wist het toch by Josepha Mendels (Dutch, also translated into German)
• Of Cats and Elfins: Short Tales and Fantasies by Sylvia Townsend Warner
• I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell
• Jigsaw: An Unsentimental Education by Sybille Bedford
• The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis
• The Sibyl in Her Grave by Sarah Caudwell
• Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner (re-read)

Currently re-reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, which was a 4-star read before and will be again (at least).

Most disappointing read:
• Lucky Girls by Nell Freudenberger

(I handed out a rare 5-star rating this year, but it was for a book by a male author: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 😁)

Hannah will be sure to avoid 'The Murmur of Bees' and am definitely going to get round to the 'Eighth Life'.

Lethe, interesting list, I abandoned the latest Freudenberger, I was very disappointed by it. But love 'Lolly Willowes' and planning to read Townsend-Warner's short stories soon, as well as the Bedford. Look forward to checking on your other recommendations.

My favorites by women this year are:
Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
Ghosts Go Haunting by Sorche Nic Leodhas
The Witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo
A for Alone by Curtis Sittenfeld

My disappointing read (although chosen for fluffy escapism):
Rosecliff Manor Haunting by Cheryl Bradshaw

@Alwynne, thanks & hope you enjoy!

Of the 84 (so far) books by women authors I read this year, twenty made my 5-star list. I typically give 4 stars to books I consider excellent and save 5 stars for ones that just blow me away and affect me in ways I cannot explain. These books made it onto my favorites list:
The Night Watchman byLouise Erdrich
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
The Possible World by Liese O'Halloran Schwarz
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

These books did not work for me but I do not discourage others from trying them. I am very much a mood read.

The Matchstick Girl by Suzanne Hocking
Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
House Rules by Jodi Picoult Somehow I still stick with this author. She picks current topics and presents all sides to a controversy. Maybe it's just the writing.
The Obsession by Catherine Cookson
Never Smile at Strangers by Jennifer Jaynes


Thanks everyone for sharing your lists and fabulous reviews that make my ever-increasing TBR list .

My favourites were:

The Mountains Sing by Nguyẽ̂n Phan Qué̂ Mai: The absolute best. It's wonderful. Favourite book of the year.

The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz: Citizens are required to get permission from the Gate to do virtually anything. But the Gate doesn’t open, and the queue keeps getting longer and longer. The book is brilliant in its serious portrayal of total absurdity. It gets more interesting towards the end, it starts out pretty slow, so give it a chance even if the start doesn’t catch you right away.

The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee: Written by a girl who escaped North Korea. I was so worried during the entire book. I even took time off work so I could continue reading it.

Circe by Madeline Miller: It’s one of those books that I wondered “how is the ending going to be?”. Much better than I could’ve ever expected!

A Little Annihilation by Anna Janko: The author shares many of my opinions but I hadn't heard them mentioned elsewhere before, so it was comforting in that sense. Made me want to learn more about my own family who were also involved in the war.

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips: So many characters, so write down all the names you spot, but each story is intertwined. Characters mentioned in passing at the start pop up again later on in someone else's story and it was just a super fun way to discover a community.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: I started this book one evening, not knowing what I was getting into. I went to sleep dreaming of Quey and Cudjo and the next morning I woke up at 8am and binge-read the remaining 300 pages in one day. I couldn’t put it down. And, once I was finished, I phoned my parents and spent an extra hour gushing about it. It’s a fantastic book. That said, I did enjoy the first 2/3 more than the last part.


And my least favourites (possibly controversial? ;) ):

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison;

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata;

Oculus: Poems by Sally Wen Mao

I tried getting into contemporary poetry this year, I thought I would like it, but I didn't have much luck. I'm going to try Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth this week, it looks good, but I might try some Spanish old-school poetry next year and see if that fits my tastes more.

Laurie wrote: "I either had a great year or I was generous on my star ratings. My 5 star books by female authors were:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
[book:Good Talk: A Memoir in Con..."

I also really enjoyed A Burning! I loved all the different point of views, especially the tiny chapters in between the main three charaters and PT Sir's storyline.

Maria wrote: "My favourites were:

The Mountains Sing by Nguyẽ̂n Phan Qué̂ Mai: The absolute best. It's wonderful. Favourite book of the year.

The Blue Fox by Sjón: Iceland, snowy..."

The OP doesn't say so explicitly, but I think the intention is to list the best books by female authors that you've read this year? :)

lethe wrote: "Maria wrote: "My favourites were:

The Mountains Sing by Nguyẽ̂n Phan Qué̂ Mai: The absolute best. It's wonderful. Favourite book of the year.

The Blue Fox by Sjón: ..."

Whoops, my bad! I deleted all the men :P

Maria wrote: "Whoops, my bad! I deleted all the men :P "

👍 😉

It's a wonderfully diverse list!

Sophie wrote: "Of the 84 (so far) books by women authors I read this year, twenty made my 5-star list. I typically give 4 stars to books I consider excellent and save 5 stars for ones that just blow me away and a..."

I've been on the fence about trying night watchman and red at the bone but you've convinced me sophie! I've been looking forward to reading a tale for the time being for a while too. I gave up on matchstick girl and trust exercise too

Maria wrote: "My favourites were:

The Mountains Sing by Nguyẽ̂n Phan Qué̂ Mai: The absolute best. It's wonderful. Favourite book of the year.

The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz: Citi..."

I've been on the fence about mountains sing too, glad you enjoyed it maria. The queue is also on my tbr. I also really enjoyed homegoing and circe. A shame you didn't enjoy the Morrison, I've been looking forward to that one. I couldn't decide if I loved or hated the convenience store woman...

Sophie wrote: "Of the 84 (so far) books by women authors I read this year, twenty made my 5-star list. I typically give 4 stars to books I consider excellent and save 5 stars for ones that just blow me away and a..."

A Little Life is one of my favorite books. I'm so happy to see it made it to the top of your 2020 list. The Island of Sea Women has been on my tbr too.

I was looking back through my reads for the year, trying to compile my list of favorites and non-favorites, and I realized that 2020 has been like 2 separate years for me. There's Before Corona, and then Since Quarantine. I am baffled by some of my ratings, and surprised at some of my reads. Like, "I just read that this year?!" It felt like AGES ago. I have thought I was very generous with my 5 star reads this year, but I read a lot this year. At a certain point I was tossing them around like sprinkles on cookies. This was also the year I discovered audiobooks, and I even made a shelf just for books that were outstanding audio performances (I named it audiophiles, aren't I clever?).

my 5 star non-fiction was a great mix of genres - true crime, memoir, biographies, history, cultural and social studies, politics and music:
Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home Nora Krug
Becoming by Michelle Obama - an audiophile shelved book
Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim - (WIT) about Lee Ok-Sun and comfort women during Japanese occupation of Korea
The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West - for feminist reading
She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman by Erica Armstrong Dunbar - great book
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong - gave me major feelings
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge - I think a lot of us turned to reading to actively educate ourselves this year
Nobody Ever Asked Me about the Girls: Women, Music, and Fame by Lisa Robinson - this was really good for music fans I highly recommend
Pelosi by Molly Ball - learned a lot. Pretty much a Pelosi stan book
AOC: The Fearless Rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and What It Means for America by Lynda Lopez - another political figure stan book. very good.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (male author, and the reason I created my audiophiles shelf) - all true crime fans need to read this one.
Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton - another audiophile, and very nice to hear Dolly read and sing.

My 5 star fiction surprised me. I did a bit of a horror binge at the end of the year and came up with some surprising gems. I'm also surprised at the number of literary fictions I rated 5 star, I didn't think I was cultured enough for those, but this year has changed me apparently. Also still managed to get in a few good sci-i and fantasy reads, and while most of my shorts and novellas fall into those two categories with 5 star ratings, I don't include them in wrap ups.

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James a ghostly mystery/crime
Malorie by Josh Malerman (sorry! another male author but it was good!) a Bird Box sequel I didn't even know about!
The Fair Fight by Anna Freeman fun Victorian about a lady boxer
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende which brings me to:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck which I was reminded of while reading Daughter of Fortune because of the setting
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls was similar to the two aforementioned, although she marked this as fictional, it's based on her grandmother's life.
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (WIT) another horror but like escalating social complacency? made me think of classic dystopians like Animal Farm, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna - not out but a great YA fantasy from Netgalley
Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves by Glory Edim - collection of essays and stories
SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki graphic novel
The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht, I actually read this twice in a row
The Lost Queen by Signe Pike - historical fiction that de-mystifies the times of Merlin but through the story of his sister. very good.
The Unsuitable by Molly Pohlig -this was a great gothic wrapped around mental health but with sever self-harm
Obsidio by Amie Kaufman - another audiophile
The Iliad: A New Translation by Caroline Alexander by Homer - this translation by Caroline Alexander was AMAZING
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance by Zora Neale Hurston - of course, I read her autobiography this year too
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - another audiophile
The Poet X and With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Bright by Duanwad Pimwana (WIT), touching story of an abandoned boy and his neighborhood
Valley of the Dolls: 50th Anniversary Edition by Jacqueline Susann - I can't believe I hadn't read this classic feminist fiction before.

and these two series:
The Rising: The Newsflesh TrilogyFeed by Mira Grant - I read right at the beginning of our quarantine and it probably added so much to my enjoyment of the series and horror at reality as time went on!
The Complete Memoirs of Lady Trent Series: A Natural History of Dragons, The Tropic of Serpents, The Voyage of the Basilisk, In the Labyrinth of Drakes, ... Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan - definitely recommend for audiobook

These were just my 5 star reads! I have so many great 4 star reads as well, feel free to check out my shelves. What a year! I'm very grateful for you all and getting to share our love of books and reading with each of you. Thank you all for the amazing recs I've gotten from you this past year and I hope I've given you a couple as well.

Great list Anita, a few I've read and loads I'd like to try.

The Tiger's Wife was one of my favourites this year too, Anita.

I also enjoyed Tyll (male author), The Mirror & the Light, The Glass Hotel and so many short story collections by women that it seems unfair to single one out!

I don't think I've really disliked anything I've read this year. The New Wilderness came closest but there was still some good stuff in there and I liked that author's short stories more.

Sadly, I really didn't click with Hamnet. For me, it was a case of "this is beautifully written and crafted but I don't believe in any of it". But I'm happy to accept that I'm the problem and not the book!

I read so many books this year, but for whatever reason, I wasn't as moved by my reading as I usually am. I think the pandemic has left me feeling a little numb. Nonetheless, here are ones I enjoyed the most (in no particular order.)

FICTION
Love After Love
Two White Queens and the One-Eyed Jack
Miss Benson's Beetle
Girl, Woman, Other
The Mercies
Mary Ann Sate, Imbecile
Nervous Conditions
The Beguiling
Hamnet
A Children's Bible
The Weekend
Frankissstein: A Love Story
Birdie

NONFICTION/MEMOIR
The Art of Frugal Hedonism: A Guide to Spending Less While Enjoying Everything More
The Census Taker: Stories of a Traveler in India and Nepal


It's hard to say what my least favourites were as I've DNFed so many books since the pandemic started. I was very disappointed with The Lost Generation: Chronicling India's Dying Professions which I ordered from an Indian bookseller after reading a glowing review of it. An expensive mistake! And How to Fall In Love with a Man Who Lives in a Bush left me queasy.

Anita wrote: "I was looking back through my reads for the year, trying to compile my list of favorites and non-favorites, and I realized that 2020 has been like 2 separate years for me. There's Before Corona, an..."

Amazing list Anita! The Lady Trent series is so much fun and I loved The Fair Fight and wish more people knew about it.

I've added a few of yours to my tbr.

lethe wrote: "My 4-star reads by women so far this year (4 stars to me means 'very good'):

• Je wist het toch by Josepha Mendels (Dutch, also translated into German)
• [book:Of ..."

So glad to see both Lolly Willowes (a personal favourite) and Of Cats and Elfins on your list, lethe. I'm planning to read more Sylvia Townsend Warner this year if I can track them down.

Maria wrote: "My favourites were:

The Mountains Sing by Nguyẽ̂n Phan Qué̂ Mai: The absolute best. It's wonderful. Favourite book of the year.

The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz: Citi..."

Inspiring list, Maria! Thank you for taking the time to share your reactions to the books.

For a recap of 2020 highlights -

www.Goodreads.com/review/show/3731303077


2020 women writers in hindsight

My best nonfictions include -

▪︎ Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez - excellent foundational book

My review - Www.goodreads.com/review/show/2939846323

▪︎The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
- bringing attention to long hidden crimes against humanity

My review - Www.goodreads.com/review/show/3075329135

▪︎ Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick. It was fascinating!

My review- www.Goodreads.com/review/show/3658935172

▪︎ Honorable mention to The White Devil's Daughters: The Fight Against Slavery in San Francisco's Chinatown by Julia Flynn Siler - This book covered an awful part of American history, but I'm quite pleased that it's been revealed. It's not just about Chinese-Americans but about women's slow crawl toward empowerment.

My review - www.Goodreads.com/review/show/3673134664

My disappointments in nonfiction -

▪︎The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness by Susannah Cahalan - interesting look at the 20th century psychiatric field but very disorganized

My review - Www.goodreads.com/review/show/3115629932

▪︎ Silver, Sword, and Stone: Three Crucibles in the Latin American Story by Marie Arana
- an attempt to define the Latin American character

My review - Www.goodreads.com/review/show/3152985373

My best titles from crime fiction -

▪︎ Road Kill by Zoë Sharp - my favorite crime fiction female protagonist

My review - Www.goodreads.com/review/show/2999156939

▪︎Honorable mention to The Doll #3 by Taylor Stevens

My review - Www.goodreads.com/review/show/3420233092

▪︎most promising debut - The Ninja Daughter by Tori Eldridge

My review - Www.goodreads.com/review/show/3127885189

Least favorited in crime fiction -

▪︎ The Informationist #1 by Taylor Stevens - it's a good thing that I didn't read in sequence

My review - Www.goodreads.com/review/show/3431175682

My best in urban fantasy - the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews even though it didn't really hit its stride until book #3.

Weakest in urban fantasy - the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost because she hit my pet peeve button, but it was still entertaining.

Best from miscellaneous fiction genre -

▪︎ WiT Delirium by Laura Restrepo - 2004 Premio Alfaguara winner set in 1983 Colombia

My review - www.Goodreads.com/review/show/3697266099

Weakest in miscellaneous fiction genre -

▪︎ In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren - for some light Christmas cheer

My review - www.Goodreads.com/review/show/3693095107

Hmm, thanks Carol, Anita, and Maria, for some nonfiction ideas:

The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge, and India's Quest for Independence

Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning

The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story

Carol wrote: "I'm already moving books on, up and off of my TBR - thank you, Liesl and Laurie!

These were the best books authored by women which I read this year, and I'd recommend each without reservation to a..."

I loved The Friend too!

Liesl wrote: "The 3 books by female authors that I gave 5 stars this year were:

The Mere Wife - Maria Dahvana Headley
Everything Under - [author:Daisy Johnson|142..."


I started the Namesake o few days ago, only read two chapters so far, but I love it!