As I was putting this general recommendations list together, I realized I had too many recommendations for one post, so I have decided to split it up between genres. Stay tuned for the nonfiction and Young Adult recommendation lists!
Titles Link to my reviews
This is a great place to dive in to both Woolf and feminist nonfiction if you are looking for a jumping in spot. Although this was written about ninety years ago, it still rings very true and is very accessible for the modern reader. If you have an interest in feminist literature, this is a must read.
Chopin is the ultimate feminist author. The Awaking is a feminist manifesto for women in every century. Chopin is clever and talented but also fearless with her heavy feminist themes in a time where they were even less accepted than today.
Plath is one of my all-time favorite authors, and I am constantly in awe of the power her words posses. Her poetry leaves me speechless, and every time I read a poem of hers, I find something new to admire or ponder, which is really saying something, because I have read some of her poems countless times. Plath with always be one of the most talented poets that literature has ever seen in my eyes.
This novel is a true masterpiece. I thought I would enjoy it when I picked it up, but I didn't know I would be awed by its beauty and power and go on to spend a semester completing two different projects on it. The genre of science fiction was created by a teenage girl, and I really don't think that is a sentence that is said enough.
Maya Angelou is my ultimate inspirational woman. I love all of her works and various talents and forms of activism. I have been making my way through her autobiographies and loving each and every one, but her first memoir is my favorite. This book made me laugh and cry and I was completely consumed by Angelou's written voice, and verbal voice, as I listened to this on audio. This book is fantastic and should be read by all.
I really enjoyed researching this book after I finished it. This novel's history is so much more interesting than the actual novel itself. This is not di Prima's real memoir, as the publishers were not interested in publishing the true story of a female Beatnik poet, but a fictionalized memoir that di Prima wrote to sell to the publishers to fund her poetry projects. I loved reviewing this one and talking about the story of how it came to be, and the reception of the novel. I've got my eyes on di Prima's actual memoir, as I think her life is super interesting.
This novel was wildly popular in its time, but is now mostly forgotten. It is a long Victorian novel written by a female author about a female main character. It follows the main character all through out her life (Jane Eyre style) and is a classic example of the domestic novels that allowed women an opportunity to earn their own income in the mid 1800s. For more information on this time period of "scribbling women" check out this post on forgotten American women writers.
I couldn't make this list without including my favorite Austen novel! This novel is so funny, and all of Austen's works are so timeless. Emma is so irritating yet redeemable and really pushes the boundaries set on Georgian women. All of the Austen's works I have read so far are great, but this is by-far my favorite.
This is just a small collection of recommended reading; this list could be pages and pages long. For more recommendations see my Women Writer's List for reviews of books I have read, and authors I want to read.
