📚 Her Voice, Our Shelf 📖

lady_wyrm's profile picture lady_wyrm Host

14 participants (239 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
There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

There Are Rivers in the Sky

Elif Shafak

470 pages • hardcover • 2024

fiction contemporary historical literary emotional reflective sad medium-paced
The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien

The Country Girls

The Country Girls Trilogy #1

Edna O'Brien

175 pages • paperback • 1960

fiction classics emotional reflective sad medium-paced
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

One Italian Summer

Rebecca Serle

253 pages • hardcover • 2022

fiction contemporary magical realism romance emotional reflective medium-paced
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

To the Lighthouse

Virginia Woolf

226 pages • paperback • 1927

fiction classics literary challenging reflective slow-paced
What World Is This?: A Pandemic Phenomenology by Judith Butler

What World Is This?: A Pandemic Phenomenology

Judith Butler

4 hours, 18 minutes • audio user-added

nonfiction philosophy politics challenging informative reflective medium-paced
ĂŤ by Jehona Kicaj

ĂŤ

Jehona Kicaj

176 pages • hardcover • 2025

fiction contemporary literary
Unterwegs verloren: Erinnerungen by Ruth KlĂźger

Unterwegs verloren: Erinnerungen

Ruth KlĂźger

240 pages • hardcover • 2008

nonfiction autobiography challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
weiter leben. Eine Jugend by Ruth KlĂźger

weiter leben. Eine Jugend

Ruth KlĂźger

289 pages • digital • 1992

nonfiction history memoir emotional informative reflective medium-paced
Sula by Toni Morrison

Sula

Toni Morrison

5 hours, 46 minutes • audio • 1973

fiction classics historical literary dark emotional reflective medium-paced
Nobel's Women of Peace by Maggie Mooney, Michelle Benjamin

Nobel's Women of Peace

Women's Hall of Fame

Maggie Mooney, Michelle Benjamin

152 pages • digital • 2008 user-added

nonfiction autobiography biography informative reflective medium-paced