Posted on January 8, 2009 - by Amanda

100 Books Every Woman Should Read Part 1

Women should read. Men should read too, but this site isn’t about them. We should read good books, rich books and enjoyable books. Not only should we read them once, we should read them again and again. Owning your own copy really helps this. Read and share!

This is not one of Twain’s more popular works, but given his extremely satiric style, it is a surprisingly and pleasingly reverent book. We particularly enjoyed his unwillingness to question tradition and the loving detail throughout the book. Do pick up a nice copy and read about a remarkable woman.

We will only count this recommendation as one book on our list of one hundred although we are recommend all six of Jane Austen’s novels at once. It really doesn’t matter which one you read or how many or in what order. All three embody rich lesons on manners and morals and are equally charming, instructive and entertaing. We are particularly fond of Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility and Emma…who are we kidding? We love them all.

After reading Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey pick up this Gothic novel and see where the all the satire comes from. Engaging, fun and dark it is a good read in its own right but even more interesting when understood in the context of Austen’s criticism.

“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

Tolstoy not only wrote this immortal opening line, he lived up to it throughout the rest of the novel.

This is a lovely book. Slightly Gothic, very romantic and literary. Jane makes moral decisions, enjoys a rich mental life and gains her just reward. This is one of our personal favorites and we highly recommend reading the book and avoiding the movie.

This book should be read for several reasons. One, it is really, really old. Two, it is really, really good. If 1700 years of admiration isn’t enough to recommend a book to you, well we’re not sure what will be. This book is powerful, intellectual, spiritual and compelling evidence that modern man isn’t so much better or wiser than ancient man. And every woman should be free from chronological snobbery.

This beautiful novel is a powerful portrayal of the inner life of a woman. It is real life mixed up with a myth and it is amazing that this deep understanding of a woman’s thought life came from the pen of a man. This is a novelization of the myth of Cupid and Psyche and Lewis originally intended for it to be an epic poem. When he couldn’t get the poem to take shape he started writing it as a novel and it all came together. It is dedicated to the woman who became his wife, Joy Davidman.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare are necessary reading for every English speaking person. The best approach is to read one of the plays, the see it performed (movies are ok) then read it again. This will give you a deeper understanding of the themes than simply reading them. After you have done this for a few plays, go ahead and just read through a few without seeing them. Soon you will be a Shakespearean!

Maxine Hong Kingston wrote an amazing little book about being a woman, about being the child of immigrants, about being Chinese. The Woman Warrior covers a lot of ground in impressive, rich, lyrical prose. We highly recommend this book and the companion volume China Men.

This is a dashing, dark and romantic tale. Revenge takes center stage and its machinations are complex. What would you do with essentially unlimited knowledge and power?

Another tale of revenge but one that deals with infinite love and forgiveness too. The chariot race simply will not allow you to put your book down.

With a Rodrigo and an Elvira this book is the very definition of Romantic. Robert Southey’s translation work was much like Malory’s with the Arthur legends, a compilation and conflation of sources.

And speaking of Malory…his compendium of Arthurian lore is a classic and well worth reading. It is commonly known as Le Morte D’Arthur or “The Death of Arthur” but that is properly only the title of the final section. There is much to love about this book, not the least of which is its gorgeous Middle English prose.

This tale of homecoming has fascinated for millenia and the Robert Fitzgerald translation makes it as engaging and fast-paced as Homer ought to be. The final destruction of the suitors is hugely satisfying.

More about sons than lovers this novel clearly illustrates the potential tragedy of loving ones children too selfishly. A mother is discontent in her own marriage and sows discontent in her sons.

The noble male characters are almost overshawdowed by the engaging, dark, mysterious and virtuous Rebecca. Well worth the many hours it will take to get through it.

This fantasy title is richly mysterious and difficult to summarize. Lilith was Adam’s first wife (before Eve) and this story plays with the myth and dislplays a rich world of delight.

This early feminist work is full of insights into the perception of women in nineteenth-century England. Read it for a renewed appreciation of simply having access to higher education and for a contrast to feminism of the lipstick variety.

This tale of revolutionary Russia is rich with detail and the character of Lara is almost more fascinating than that of Zhivago himself.

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are a fascinating insight into Stoic philosophy and while we don’t advocate Stoicism, we do appreciate that he tells you how to get up in the morning when your pillow doesn’t want to let you go.

This coming-of-age novel is engaging on several levels. The naturalist’s love of the Limberlost, the tormented mother-daughter relationship and the final realization of perspective and truth all work together in a truly delightful story.

There is no way to describe this book without explaining the entire thing. It is unexpected, profoundly unexpected. It is literary post-modernism and that is, for it, a high compliment. Go out and get a copy and then read about yourself doing so.

This classic Orwell title is both a quick read and a powerful insight into totalitarian regimes. Orwell was himself a Socialist but clearly saw the dangers inherent in the Russian regime.

In an age of genetic experiments, stem cell research and cloning we need a reminder to examine the moral issues surrounding science. Mary Shelley, the daughter of Mary Wollenstonecraft and the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley, wrote a fascinating novel that can do just that.

Another fabulous book, which like If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler… defies description. The denouement is as glorious as it nearly defies description.

Raskolnikov’s torment is the center of the story but the striking and strong female characters almost carry the story away from him.

This classic by Lousia May Alcott has everything; the tomboy, the domestic, the artist and the angel. They have always been and will always be lovable.

Anna Sewell wrote to end the abuse of animals and it is striking that our day in America still sees the same spirit animating activism. This a great book for children too as it can ingrain that sense of obligation toward animals in the very young.

OK, you don’t have to read this one, but you should learn about it. It is a very long, repetitive work but it is the first novel ever written and it was written by a woman in eleventh century Japan.

So much of Western thought is colored by knowledge of Plato and his forms, it can be frustrating to try and read a philosophy textbook but actually reading Plato is relatively simple and very satisfying.

If you want to understand the bad-boy appeal and the drive for independence and adventure this is the book for you.

This is the story of a young woman’s struggle for independence. It doesn’t end in a satisfying way but there is so much about youth and love and power here that the book should be re-read many times.

Willa Cather has other books that one might think of as more “womanly”. She does masterfully craft the strong female character, but this books has striking depth and richness and in our opinion ought to be higher on people’s lists.

This espionage novel is a fascinating account of human weakness, wisdom and folly. Parsing the moral decisions would take months but the book itself can be read in but a few days. Graham Green is rich.

This Russian novel is dense and layered but don’t be intimidated by the convoluted opening or the opaque situations. Sit back, let the novel wash over you and glean what you can. You won’t be lessened by reading it.

This novel about age, loneliness and education, centers around a male lead and the wisdom and peace and intensity of the novel are all quite worthwhile. Very enjoyable.

This classic novel is actually much more complex than the movie lets on. Scarlett strives to survive on her own in a rapidly changing topsy-turvy world. We don’t recommend her narcissism but we do admire her spirit.

This classic title is still discussed and re-interpreted. Whatever your moral boundaries, Hester Prynne has something to teach you. The story is satisfying too with tension, drama and love.

Although this is a young-adult novel, it’s information and context mayhelp illumine the period for you . Especially nice if you read it along with The Scarlett Letter.

This is an all-time world classic and well worth the extra effort. The language may be somewhat unfamiliar to most but will be readily understood with a bit of patience.

Dashing adventure, fictional kingdoms and mistaken identity make Anthony Hope’s novel sheer delight.

Another coming of age novel that will keep you at the edge of your seat. This one is all about discovering what one really thinks and why. An astonishing first novel from one of the 20th century’s greatest.

This slender volume is a must despite it’s seeming incongruity with modern female life. We have to be on our toes all the time and Sun Tzu fully understands and explains how to think about this.

This work is toweringly beautiful and surprisingly deep. The punishments meted out in the inferno are shocking to modern ears but truly fascinating.

Wonder why we’re recommending so many books? Read this and feel the urgency, the necessity of literacy and education. Also, it is just a great read!

Another great book and an interesting parallel to modern American life. You’ll also feel the need for more Shakespeare after reading this…which is a very good thing.

This is an astonishingly good, fun read despite the fact that it weighs in at about 5 pounds. We love that a 12oo page book can be so immensly readable.

This is an epistolary and loosely autobiographical novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, first published in 1774; very dramatic and even overwrought it is nonetheless very moving.

We don’t think we have to offer much of a recommendation to get you to read these; they are after all, extremely popular. But just in case you needed an extra push, we will provide it. They are amazing, rich and imaginative and very much worth the many hours they will take to get through. One caution: once you get into them you may not be able to put them down.

Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales were revolutionary both for their style and their subject matter. We recommend an annotated rather than a translated edition to enrich your understanding of the English language.

Another one that doesn’t need much of an introduction. This collection is wonderful for both children and adults. If you’ve got them, read this one out loud to your kids.

For Part Two go here.