retelling of the Cinderella story from the perspective of the "evil" stepmother, who is actually a strong , determined woman set on protecting her daughters and securing futures for them in a world where the safety and security of unmarried women is far from assured.

Historical fiction set in the West also lends itself to stories of strong female characters in a time when the world around them didn't support women's abilities, independent thinking, or determination. Kate is a tough young woman posing as a male cowboy. Turner's story is inspired by her family's memoirs, and her Sarah Prine is a strong woman living on the Walk on Earth a Stranger tells the story of Lee, a young woman with a powerful secret: an ability to

Carriger women with unique talents, clever minds, a nose for mystery, and next-level bantering capabilities items as weapons, use their feminine wiles to distract, and use diminishing assumptions about young women I loved each time period and the evolution of each strong female character . I loved that the women of each time insist upon creating situations in which they have autonomy and agency The full roster of knights--and the women who hold important roles in the tale--are all misfits who don't

For my full review of this book, please see Funny Story. 07 Lone Women by Victor Lavalle LaValle mixes Victor LaValle's Lone Women begins in 1915 with a determined young woman, Adelaide Henry, covering her She's set on becoming a homesteader in Montana, one of the "lone women" taking the government up on its I've seen Lone Women listed as a horror book, and there are horrifying elements, but the novel is far Please click here for my full review of Lone Women. 08 Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino In Beautyland

look at the music business, musical creativity and songwriting processes, and body-image pressures on women Male guards come and go, feeding the women minimal rations and never speaking. The women have no recollection of how they came to be in this place, and no information is forthcoming Then a blasting alarm sounds, the nearest guard drops his keys and flees, and the women scramble for The novel's tone doesn't assure a satisfying set of answers as to why the women were chosen for this

Tough women, secrets and smarts, and sneaky spying! If you like stories about brave women during wartime, you might also like the books I listed on the Greedy Reading List Six Great Stories about Brave Women During World War II . Kristin Hannah is also the author of many other novels, including The Women . 05 Wolf by Wolf by Ryan I loved the strong female protagonists and seeing their fire and grit and growth.

The Isle in the Silver Sea ; I'm reading Thrity Umrigar's recently published mystery about a missing woman Simran is a strong female knight sworn to the queen, and Vina is a witch of the woods. As Sam's disappearance stretches on, Ali, as a gay culturally Muslim woman, is excoriated in the press daughter Ash thinks Nick might be too smooth, and the timing of his entrance into their lives seems strange

, The Fragile Threads of Power; and I'm listening to Lone Women, Victor LaValle's Western, which so far features strong female characters and a gothic undercurrent. Victor LaValle's Lone Women begins in 1915 with a determined young woman, Adelaide Henry, covering her She's set on becoming a homesteader in Montana, one of the "lone women" taking the government up on its I'm listening to Lone Women as an audiobook.

I love historical fiction about female physicians before this was common; Nora is a willful, clever woman fighting against prejudice in 1849 London and aiming for better healthcare for women--until cases of Gibson is a female surgeon (the only female surgeon in the city) in a time when it was a battle for a woman Nora is battling prejudice against women in the medical field while also trying to do something revolutionary weaves in issues around body autonomy, pregnancy challenges, and societal and professional issues for women

For my full review, please check out The Strange Case of Jane O . my favorite elements: a Maine setting, a missing-person storyline, an unforgiving wilderness, and a strong woman succeeding in a male-dominated field. afar, Valerie, and Bev are inexorably connected, and Valerie's survival depends upon the other two women's I love a Maine setting, a missing-persons story, and a tale of brave women thriving in a traditionally

who invents an alternate identity of Sherlock Holmes, A Study in Scarlet Women; I'm reading Less Is 01 A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas I'm listening to Sherry Thomas's A Study in Scarlet Women age in which women have little choice and even less voice. Charlotte is strong-willed and an irresistible character so far. The two women become linked through coded messages and a shared urgency to save the lives of those in

story of sisters trying to find their way back to their childhood closeness in the midst of a local woman's Marjan Kamali's story of class, politics, and enduring friendship in Tehran and New York, The Lion Women Then a woman in Frankie's social circle goes missing, and the disappearance serves as a catalyst for I'm listening to an audiobook version of this title courtesy of Libro.fm and Harper Muse. 03 The Lion Women But after her father's untimely death, daughter and mother quickly face the hard reality of women's inability

Anatomy of an Alibi pits privileged greed against savvy morally gray characters, and the women caught The two women become unlikely partners in sniffing out the truth about Camille's husband Ben's secrets Soon the women are facing a death, difficult truths, and a complicated web of destruction as their clever Only one of the women has an alibi, and the security of both of their precarious lives is on the line I was obsessed with the premise of Elston's First Lie Wins (con woman possibly being double-crossed)

When she sees an ad seeking for the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program, Joan becomes obsessed with being part of the 1980s training and with becoming one of the first women in space The women's fights to fully be part of a traditionally male-dominated field and the various ways in which

, and they can order almost anything they don't have in stock. 01 How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music How Women Made Music is pulled from the NPR series Turning the Tables and includes Turning the Tables began in 2017 as a multi-platform way of exploring the equal position of women in music and the ways women make music. How Women Made Music draws also on fifty years of NPR coverage of women in music, as well as newly commissioned

Collum is an instinctually gifted, strong knight who has literally fought for sword training as a lowly The full roster of knights--and the women who hold important roles in the tale--are all misfits who don't

I'm also fascinated by the optimistic explorer spirit--and I love reading about strong female characters in a time when the world around them didn't typically support women's strength and determination. Inland by Téa Obreht Much of Téa Obreht's Inland is centered around Nora, an impulsive, hot-tempered, strong woman fighting for a hardscrabble life for her family in a remote town during a devastating drought.

Tough women, secrets and smarts, and sneaky spying! If you like stories about brave women during wartime, you might also like the titles I listed on the recent Greedy Reading List Six Great Stories about Brave Women During World War II . 01 Miss Graham's Quinn makes the urgency of World War II code breaking come alive through the stories of three young women The Rose Code is a wonderfully spun historical fiction story of three very different women who answer

Isola , based upon the story of a real-life sixteenth-century woman, shifts between details of a life These prescribed behaviors suggest a goal of women's disappearing into the background, serving as beautiful

fighting against prejudice in 1849 London and aiming for better healthcare for women--until cases of weaves in issues around body autonomy, pregnancy challenges, and societal and professional issues for women The young women cope with their pain in divergent ways, and while I was interested in the story, I wanted to secure invitations for her daughters (who are not, after all, shallow and greedy horrors of young women I adored the details of the late-1700s-feeling setting; the exploration of women’s struggles to carve

When the two women become unlikely partners in sniffing out the truth about Camille's husband Ben's secrets Three generations of women in a dysfunctional Mexicali family struggle to come to terms with the disappearances and loss of beloved friends and family members, all women. Givhan explores Latina culture, Indigenous issues, folklore, instinct, tough women, magical realism, Jennifer Givhan is also the author of River Woman, River Demon; Trinity Sight; Jubilee ; and other novels

with the sisters' complicated relationships and with the link Harrow draws between witching and the women's The women must decide whether to ignore what's occurred and move on, or to try and harness and master the spells they've been taught--and those they've picked up from women and stories and whispers along hate feels in her chest: the bitter, futile hatred of the weak for the powerful, the small for the strong I adored how Harrow intermingled the women's suffrage movement with the reemergence of witching and women's

If you like books about World War II and women spies, you might also like the books on my Greedy Reading Lists Six Great Stories about Brave Women During World War II and Six Books about Brave Female Spies Please click here for my full review of Good Material. 05 The Women by Kristin Hannah Hannah offers a The Women shines a light on the women who served pivotal roles in the Vietnam War--but whose existence I listened to The Women as an audiobook.

into fiction with a story about a taboo relationship that serves as a catalyst for an increasingly strong McCurdy plunges the reader into a fascinating, deeply uncomfortable scenario in which Waldo, a young woman Waldo is eager for affection but in many ways is not a desperate young woman, nor is she gleefully testing book somehow separately and compartmentalized from the story, it's clear that Half His Age features a strong watch Waldo (within a consensual but morally horrifying relationship) grow into herself as a young woman

The deep bond that builds between an injured Union soldier and the Virginia woman who secretly takes fighting for the Confederacy since soon after they were married, and Libby is warden to her orphaned, strong-willed Because she hopes that a Union woman would take pity on her husband in the same situation, she secretly The story is based upon a real account of a Southern woman who helped a Union soldier during the Civil

Joe's neighbor Lila is a tough young woman who's endured hardship and is slow to trust. and Joe's budding love coming from a mile off (his early, eager interest in her came off as a little strong The pacing of this one felt strange to me.

Jessica Knoll's novel inspired by real-life events surrounding a serial killer in the 1970s, Bright Young Women 01 Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll Jessica Knoll's novel Bright Young Women is inspired by real-life But when the studious, responsible Pamela stays home from a party and investigates a strange noise in I'm reading Bright Young Women for my book club. 02 A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang In Ann Liang's A Song to Drown Rivers , Xishi is a beautiful young woman who makes her village of Yue proud, for she

But the male characters are largely disappointments to the women, who wish they had actually earned the confidence they often exude; wish they were reliable and emotionally strong; and wish the men allowed The women frequently see the clear way but are usually powerless to effect change, so the men's missteps

In Steve Cavanagh's twisty mystery Kill for Me, Kill for You , two strangers, women bearing the brunt Because the women aren't linked outside of an anonymous grief support group, and because their friendship Ruth, a young married woman living elsewhere in the city, is brutally attacked in her own home--and the

I was looking for more assertiveness from Emmy and less of a dynamic in which men solve women's problems Luke Brooks is a local bar owner, a recognized womanizer, Emmy's brother's longtime best friend, and reinvigorated, independent new outlook--and I acknowledge that a rugged ranch setting might very well involve strong

bright points: some rare friendships emerge, sisters build intense loyalty to each other, girls and women find joy in secret reading and in books, women find strength and demand truth rather than secrecy, and thread throughout the book of the food, spices, and meals that create much of the structure of the women --but also many other real-life women in comparable situations--to write a new history, one in which For my full review of this book, please see A Woman Is No Man .

famed, sought-after "boy player" in Shakespeare's company, and his roles skillfully playing lovely women When she emigrates to New York City, she is befriended by two strong young sisters, Anne and Alma, and When she sees an ad seeking for the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program, Joan becomes obsessed with being part of the 1980s training and with becoming one of the first women in space The women's fights to fully be part of a traditionally male-dominated field and the various ways in which

A good woman. How odd that the phrase has such a particular meaning. But there is only one way to be a good woman. finds herself shocking others and herself with her frank speech, her rejection of societal norms for women This is a feminist historical fiction story in which women--long kept quiet and still, supervised to that haunts, challenges, and pushes them to take the form of a beast, whose presence only the bravest women

In Jacqueline Harpman's novel I Who Have Never Known Men , forty women (one is a young girl, our main Male guards come and go, feeding the women minimal rations and never speaking. The women have no recollection of how they came to be in this place, and no information is forthcoming Then a blasting alarm sounds, the nearest guard drops his keys and flees, and the women scramble for The tone doesn't assure a satisfying set of answers as to why the women were chosen for this imprisonment

When she sees an ad seeking for the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program, Joan becomes obsessed with being part of the 1980s training and with becoming one of the first women in space The women's fights to fully be part of a traditionally male-dominated field and the various ways in which I loved each time period and the evolution of each strong female character. famed, sought-after "boy player" in Shakespeare's company, and his roles skillfully playing lovely women

Xishi is a beautiful young woman who makes her village in the region of Yue proud, for she will almost This story ticked so many of my boxes--a strong, young, underestimated female; an important quest; forbidden The ending is fanciful and strange; the tone of the book doesn't seem to be leading to a too-convenient

banter, and their in-progress stories as well as a new antagonist and a new potential hero who are both strong , fascinating young women. Meanwhile, two young women, a new antagonist and a new potential hero, trickle into the story until their

my favorite elements: a Maine setting, a missing-person storyline, an unforgiving wilderness, and a strong woman succeeding in a male-dominated field. afar, Valerie, and Bev are inexorably connected, and Valerie's survival depends upon the other two women's I love a Maine setting, a missing-persons story, and a tale of brave women thriving in a traditionally Family Matter . 03 Trust by Hernan Diaz This story-within-a-story-within-a-story reveals a clever woman

Mistress by Chris Bohjalian The deep bond that builds between an injured Union soldier and the Virginia woman fighting for the Confederacy since soon after they were married, and Libby is warden to her orphaned, strong-willed Because she hopes that a Union woman would take pity on her husband in the same situation, she secretly The story is based upon a real account of a Southern woman who helped a Union soldier during the Civil initially annoyed, then inexplicably drawn to Eva--and eventually a torrid love affair begins between the women

I loved the futuristic space-mission capabilities, smart and strong all-woman crew, the mystery and suspicion

Blackgoose offers a fascinating, layered story about a strong-willed, whip-smart young Indigenous woman And everyone's about to find out how disruptive a whip-smart, open-minded, and strong-willed young woman

Knoll's novel was inspired by real events; Bright Young Women  traces a serial killer targeting young women and in the character of Pamela, offers a no-nonsense, brilliant nemesis who won't let up until Jessica Knoll's novel Bright Young Women  is inspired by real-life events: the targeting of a sorority I read Bright Young Women  for my book club. For my full review, check out Bright Young Women . 03 Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera Listen for the

your alley, you might also like the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Great Stories about Brave Women in A Well-Behaved Woman , both in the surroundings and the rigid views of the period about women, marriage between what feels frivolous and what is Ava's meaningful growth, including her important role in the women Meanwhile, privileged Charlotte has her own secrets, and when both women's true situations begin to be (especially black women) in that time who were without men to protect them.

where she struggles with imposter syndrome and individuality--and quickly befriends Mathilde, a young woman At the intersection of the women's lives comes a bizarre linking of their minds, possible because of trauma, and living in the present all become too complicated to parse as one being or the other, and the women

invincible--who has dropped out of sight and settled down to raise her young daughter alongside her strong-willed Amina soon finds herself entangled in a dangerous ocean quest to rescue a young woman, while fighting Bracken's story offered sassy banter that I loved, a great enemies-to-(not-quite)-lovers setup, a strong A friend's borrowed, rambling home becomes a refuge for unwed mothers and mothers-to-be, with the women on site treating Ursa as a goddess--and the children being horrifically neglected as the women enjoy

Annis is a young Southern woman enslaved, sold, and abused in the years before the Civil War. Some scrabble for crying babies, rot-gutted women, soft-eyed men, shivering children clustered about compounded: she's separated from her mother, sold, and forced to begin walking in a trail of roped women Without her mother's protection--and inspiring tales of their warrior-woman ancestors--Annis is left powerful, and it is able to control storms, but its advice, based upon accounts of the histories of the women

Sittenfeld's wonderful second short-story collection, we meet imperfect characters, often fortysomething women Throughout the book, characters, often middle-aged women, consider art, expression, love, respect, friendship I laughed out loud repeatedly while I was reading this charming memoir by this strong, funny woman. look at the music business, musical creativity and songwriting processes, and body-image pressures on women Are the strange coordinates she's receiving on her phone after seven years a message from Luke?

Men and women pass by in the street, shadows that avert their gaze and adjust their paths. training and putting a roof over the heads of young boys who have no other options; and the poverty, strong

Tayari Jones's newest novel, Kin , about childhood friends and the diverging paths of two Southern women Vernice headed to Spelman College, befriending powerful young women, fighting inequality, and finding In the second book in the Head Cases series, Camden is back on the job--with two enormous, strange, urgent confidential informants, militias arming themselves with black-market guns, a serial killer, and missing women

I laughed out loud repeatedly while I was reading this charming memoir by this strong, funny woman. Throughout the book, characters, often middle-aged women, consider art, expression, love, respect, friendship When she sees an ad seeking for the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program, Joan becomes obsessed with being part of the 1980s training and with becoming one of the first women in space The women's fights to fully be part of a traditionally male-dominated field and the various ways in which