📚 Her Voice, Our Shelf 📖

lady_wyrm's profile picture lady_wyrm Host

14 participants (246 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
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

Ceremony

Leslie Marmon Silko

262 pages • paperback • 1977

fiction classics historical literary challenging emotional reflective slow-paced
The Round House by Louise Erdrich

The Round House

Louise Erdrich

321 pages • hardcover • 2012

fiction historical literary mystery dark emotional sad medium-paced
No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

No One Is Talking About This

Patricia Lockwood

210 pages • hardcover • 2021

fiction contemporary literary emotional funny reflective medium-paced
Medea. Stimmen by Christa Wolf

Medea. Stimmen

Christa Wolf

217 pages • paperback • 1996

fiction literary dark reflective slow-paced
Jenny by Fanny Lewald

Jenny

Fanny Lewald

288 pages • hardcover • 1843

fiction classics romance emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Die Gelbe Straße by Veza Canetti

Die Gelbe Straße

Veza Canetti

180 pages • paperback • 1932

fiction short stories reflective medium-paced
Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler

Bloodchild and Other Stories

Octavia E. Butler

214 pages • paperback • 1995

fiction literary science fiction short stories challenging dark reflective fast-paced
Kassandra by Christa Wolf

Kassandra

Christa Wolf

6 hours, 39 minutes • audio • 1983 user-added

fiction classics fantasy historical literary challenging dark reflective slow-paced
Co-wives, Co-widows by Adrienne Yabouza

Co-wives, Co-widows

Adrienne Yabouza

128 pages • digital • 2015

fiction contemporary literary challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
Die vier Zweige des Mabinogi by Evangeline Walton

Die vier Zweige des Mabinogi

Mabinogion Tetralogy #1-4

Evangeline Walton

763 pages • paperback • 2002

fiction classics fantasy adventurous slow-paced