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📚 Her Voice, Our Shelf 📖

lady_wyrm's profile picture lady_wyrm Host

11 participants (156 books)

01 Aug 2025—31 Jul 2026

Overview

Building a bookshelf full of women’s perspectives.

When you look at your shelves (or scroll through your e-reader library), how many of those books are authored by men? I you took them away, how many would be left?

Many readers are surprised when they examined their shelves and realize that the majority of the books they own (and have read…) are written by men. I certainly was a couple of years ago. Once I noticed the imbalance, I made a conscious choice to seek out books by women and set aside men’s voices - at least for now. 

This isn’t because books written by men are bad or unworthy, or because their voices lack variety, but because I wanted to intentionally honor and make space for women’s voices in my reading life.

This challenge is your invitation to do the same: rebalance your reading, add diversity to your shelves, and discover just how rich and varied women’s writing can be. Over the course of the challenge, you’ll explore books written (or translated by women) from around the globe, across genres, time periods and perspectives.

Whether it’s a classic penned a century ago, a contemporary bestseller, or a hidden gem in translation, every book you choose will spotlight the creativity, insight, and influence of women writers.

‼️ For this challenge, ‘women authors’ includes cis women, trans women (and non-binary authors who identify with women’s perspectives). The aim is to celebrate and amplify the wide spectrum of voices and experiences within women’s writing.


Goal:
The challenge is set at 100 books. It’s an ambitious number, yes, but think of it as an invitation rather than a demand. This isn’t about pressure or perfection, it’s about curiosity and exploration. You might reach the full 100 or you might discover that even a handful of books by women transforms your reading life. Every step toward balancing your shelf counts. 

Why Join?
Because every story told by a woman adds another thread to the rich tapestry of human experience. The more we read them, the stronger those threads become.

Challenge Books

All books added
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

A Certain Hunger

Chelsea G. Summers

254 pages • digital • 2019

fiction horror thriller dark funny medium-paced
The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron

The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye

Briony Cameron

368 pages • digital • 2024

fiction historical lgbtqia+ adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts, and the Death of Freedom by Grace Blakeley

Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts, and the Death of Freedom

Grace Blakeley

11 hours, 45 minutes • audio • 2024

nonfiction economics informative fast-paced
Anarchism and Other Essays by Emma Goldman

Anarchism and Other Essays

Emma Goldman

290 pages • digital • 1910 user-added

nonfiction essays feminism philosophy politics challenging informative reflective slow-paced
The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House by Nancy Pelosi

The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House

Nancy Pelosi

10 hours, 45 minutes • audio • 2024 user-added

nonfiction autobiography history politics informative inspiring reflective fast-paced
The Sea Witch: A Little Mermaid Retelling by Rebecca F. Kenney

The Sea Witch: A Little Mermaid Retelling

For the Love of the Villain #1

Rebecca F. Kenney

431 pages • digital • 2022 user-added

fiction fantasy romance adventurous dark medium-paced
Little Reunions by Eileen Chang

Little Reunions

Eileen Chang

393 pages • digital • 2009 user-added

fiction historical challenging reflective medium-paced
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

Lab Girl

Hope Jahren

290 pages • hardcover • 2016

nonfiction autobiography memoir science emotional informative reflective medium-paced
She Didn't See It Coming by Shari Lapena

She Didn't See It Coming

Shari Lapena

9 hours, 49 minutes • audio • 2025

fiction mystery thriller dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

Hwang Bo-Reum

8 hours, 1 minutes • audio • 2022

fiction contemporary literary hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced