The Year I Only Read Books Written By Women
- Sharon
- Jun 28, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 24
What started out as an accident, turned out to be a fun experiment!

2023 was a slower year for me, reading-wise. I only read 9 books. However, it jumpstarted my voracious reading habits for this year. Once I had read the first three books (that were actually on a pre-written list), I realized that most of the books on my list were written by women! That lead me to scratch off some other books, and re-work my list to only include books written by women for the rest of the year.
So here are all the books I read, written by women, in 2023:
Jesus Through the Eyes of Women, by Rebecca McLaughlin
I typically try to intersperse non-fiction with my fiction, and what I like to call "Jesus books" in that non-fiction. This can sometimes feel like homework at first, but I typically finish the book feeling refreshed and glad I took a minute away from fiction.
Emma, by Jane Austen
The last Jane Austen novel I had not read! I had mentioned in another post how the first time I had tried to read Emma I had not been able to get into it. Well, this time, I persevered and I was so glad that I did!
Anne of Avonlea, by LM Montgomery
One thing that is so lovely about LM Montgomery's "Anne" books is that they are so memorable. I read Anne of Avonlea over a year after I read Anne of Green Gables, but I did not lose anything by waiting that long. It was still just as wonderful as I hoped it would be.
The Murder of Mr. Wickham, by Claudia Gray
You can read my full review of both The Murder of Mr. Wickham and The Late Mrs. Willoughby on the blog!
The Late Mrs. Willoughby, by Claudia Gray
The Murder at the Vicarage, by Agatha Christie
Only my second Agatha Christie novel, and my first Mrs. Marple mystery. I loved it.
At Home In Mitford, by Jan Karon
A bit too slow for my taste, with a plot that moved at the pace of everyday life, (which was arguably the point) but still a charming little (long) book. It was a nice palate-cleanser after so much murder!
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
How had it taken me so long to read something by a Bronte? Even though I pretty much knew the "big twist" already, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. I plan to read everything that the Bronte sisters have written as soon as I can!
Piranesi, Susanna Clarke (not pictured above)
I have reviewed this book in more detail on my blog as well-- as one of my first posts! Head there if you want to hear more about my favorite book that I read through this little experiment.
Thank you, readers, for joining me on this journey! What is your favorite woman-authored book?
Currently about 3/4 of the way through Little Women. It's shaping up to be my favorite woman-authored book!