Let me be clear from the outset: I am a Feminist. Yes, I might have a willy, but I believe very firmly in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. To be honest, the issue for me lies with those who do NOT believe in this. If anything, we should stop talking so much about 'feminism' and spend more time heaping shame on those idiot men (and women) who continue to believe that a woman's place is in the home, or a strip club, or behind a secretary's desk. If we were all feminists by default, then gender equality would become less of a choice, and the sceptics would be shown for what they are - a bunch of arserags.

An experimental feminist book , Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Body and Other Parties freely combines elements from sci-fi, magical realism, horror, and queer theory to create refreshing short stories designed to move you and creep you out at the same time. Her Body and Other Parties is the kind of book that leaves you feeling like you’ve really witnessed something astonishing, and need a friend to discuss it with as soon as you put it down. 54. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende Not That Kind of Girl , a collection of essays by Lena Dunham, creator of HBO’s Girls , is a fearless and witty examination of millenial girlhood. Dunham, famous for her feminist politics and admirable willingness to be vulnerable, does not shy away from difficult or graphic topics. She keeps things real and flawed and doesn’t sugarcoat anything, instead celebrating life for the inexplicable mess it often is. 26. Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates There have been peace marches, and reclaim the night marches, because it is that thing that we all fear, a woman walking alone, randomly taken from the streets, and it’s really divided a lot of women. Because there have been those who have said, “don’t blame the victim, we need to be free to walk the streets at any time, it’s men who need to be taught not to rape and murder.”

While it’s impossible to capture the nuances and richness of the female experience, the following 10 books present unique, moving portraits of being a woman.

In this magical realist novel, Isabel Allende spans several generations of the same Latin-American family, but focuses on protagonist Clara. In the tradition of Gabriel García Márquez, this is an epic book full of life and events, where everything happens in an endless stream of dramatic family developments — which sounds like a lot, but you’ll be hooked. Widely considered to be Allende’s finest novel, The House of the Spirits is a riveting read that will leave you feeling that you’ve stepped into a whole new world full of magical women. 55. The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Moran's funny, unapologetically irreverent take on everything. I didn't always agree with her views, but admired that she had the daring to say them. If there's one thing you can't claim, it's that she's inauthentic. Slow Food ( http://www.slowfoodusa.org/) also inspired by another awesome book I'm reading - Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World - more on that later! NOW – Caitlin Moran rewrites The Female Eunuch from a bar stool and demands to know why pants are getting smaller. There’s never been a better time to be a woman: we have the vote and the Pill, and we haven’t been burnt as witches since 1727. However, a few nagging questions do remain…

An American classic, Willa Cather’s 1918 My Ántonia is a vivid evocation of life in the Nebraska prairie. The lyrical novel is a long-enduring snapshot of the American West and the explorations of nature and growing up. Praised at the time of publication for viewing the rural lower classes as worthy of literary depiction, the book continues to wield its exalting power over readers to this day. 36. Circe by Madeline Miller Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in. I’ve always known I was different, but I’ve only embraced that in the last few years. This started with an uncharacteristic decision to live alone by the mountains in Switzerland for three years.Another excellent video series. My favorite part of Beth Moore Bible studies is doing the homework she writes. She does good research and has insights that are always new and applicable. I think the outstanding thing about this study was not so much how Esther 'came into the kingdom for such a time as this.' Or even Esther's willingness to die to save the Jews, "If I perish, I perish." In this study the God who is not mentioned in the Bible book is the real hero. God's timing is perfect. The whole situation turns on the king's sleepless night when he reads the chronicles. I'm amazed at Esther's sensitivity to God in not making her request at the first banquet. She waited on God's timing. Lots of good information!

With burlesque, not only does the power balance rest with the person taking her clothes off...but it also anchors its heart in freaky, late-night, libertine self expression: it has a campy, tranny, fetish element to it. I have many mixed feelings about this book.
I am aware of the importance of aiming for the highest and not killing your ideal (through dismissive cynicism, for example). So I have tried to keep an open heart and have filled here and there her blunt exhortations with more biblical context and depth (which made them more swallowable). I guess I have much to learn from the book: being a christlike servant, loving and open-handed because I am already secure, shaking my egocentric tendencies, being a better watcher over my people and my home, more disciplined and diligent, more intentional with my time, health and other resources. And I was glad to refresh the wisdom in the beginning chapters on the word, prayer and obedience to God. Also, there are many beautiful and important Bible references which make up much of the book’s worth for me. (In fact, the book appeared as a by-product of her fervent desire of reading through the Bible looking for what it tells her as a woman to be and to do, as she was starting her faith-journey, which I find commendable). In fact, while visiting the UK last fall, I saw one of her columns in that paper (I think I only read real newspapers when I’m visiting somewhere else) and thought: Aha! And I was hooked. Unfortunately the e-reader I was using at the time has lost all of my notes on this, but I wanted to write something here anyway because I think Caitlin Moran is such an extravagantly gifted writer and I thought this book was a kind of masterpiece of its type.I found it especially annoying when she would ask the reader to answer a comprehension type question and then provide the answer in the paragraph below the space for filling out the answer (perfect example of this on p. 40). A bit of a non-specific description that, wasn't it? This pretty much sums up how I feel about the book. It is often very funny, sometimes thought-provoking and, in places, very moving... but it suffers a bit from not knowing what it wants to be. Well it turns out she is quite a big deal in the UK, where she wrote a novel at 15, became a music journalist for the weekly Melody Maker at 16 and briefly hosted a Channel 4 pop culture show called Naked City at 18 before embarking on a long career as a TV critic and satirical columnist for The Times. Policemen don't have guns in the UK" Oh, so those armed men standing outside New Scotland Yard that I passed every day on my way to Tube were holding toy assault rifles? George Eliot’s 19th century classic Middlemarch tells the story of several characters in provincial England. It’s a moving and wise narrative documenting a moment in time, but also a timeless tale about human nature. Eliot’s book is brimming with idealism and a belief in people’s power to do and be good; it’s no wonder that many consider Middlemarch the book that changed their lives. Brilliant and optimistic, this admittedly long novel really is worth your time. 45. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

I think that’s partly because autism is just who I am. It hasn’t been a barrier to living well as much as anxiety and PTSD. But really, my autism – even if it’s mostly invisible to others – has been at the centre of everything. With passion and personality, Elizabeth George shares how a woman can follow God and seek His heart in every area of her life— Story: A Woman After God's Own Heart is a book that teaches women skills of becoming a woman after God's own heart. It covers everything from being a good wife and mother to prioritizing your life and household. *STAR* Much as there is to quibble over a strictly academic handling of feminist thought, if your introduction to feminism began here chances are you will be tempted to think that a jocular disdain for transpeople and tch-tch-ing sympathy for women outside the sphere of Europe and America could be pardoned in the light of light-hearted banter.

Hot Books

Everyday Sexism began as an online community project by British journalist Laura Bates. Exasperated by the normalization of everyday sexist behavior and sexual harassment, Bates created a community for over 50,000 women to share their stories. This book retells some of those stories, focusing on the pervasive impact of sexism on women’s lives, in a world that largely seems to think it has overcome gender inequality. This book is an eye-opening call to arms, a reminder that the fight is not over. 27. Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez