The Year I Only Read Books Written By Women

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?