Hi friends, and happy Saturday!
I hope that, in your little corner of the world, that you are staying healthy and happy. In uncertain times, it’s easy to get stuck inside of ourselves, but please know that I will forever be your advocate, cheering you on from my little corner of the world. Also know, that I am always here if you ever need a chat, a ramble, or a full on venting session.
With that all said and done, I couldn’t be more excited to bring you this post today! With March being Women’s History Month, Margaret from Weird Zeal took the time to create this incredible tag, celebrating just a few of the women that have left their mark on this world.
So, a huge thank you goes out to Margaret for not only being an awesome human being (in general, and for coming up with this tag), but also for tagging me in it!
Rules:
- Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post.
- Link to the creator’s blog in your post
- Answer the questions below using only books written by women
- Feel free to use the beautiful graphics that Margaret created!
- Tag 8 others to take part in the tag
Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Özge Samanci
Perhaps there are more “fitting” books I could’ve chosen for this category, but something about Dare to Disappoint felt really very accessible. A memoir-turned-graphic-novel, Dare to Disappoint follows Özge’s life as she tries to figure out exactly what she wants to do with her life, who she wants to be—even if that means going against her parents wishes and her culture’s social norms.
Renegades by Marissa Meyer
Blame it on who I am as a person, but I can’t not take this opportunity to gush about Renegades. If you’ve been around here for a few months, you’re more than well aware of my newfound love for Marissa Meyer, and that love propels even into her Renegades trilogy. The whole time I was reading these books, I was completely dumbfounded at how resourceful and intelligent Nova was. The girl assess every situation she’s trapped in, figured out how she can escape said situation, and she could probably make a weapon out of a paper clip and a satin ribbon. Although, there are countless insanely smart women in this series—Honey, Ingrid, Ruby, Danna, Maggie. Take your pick.
Fairest by Marissa Meyer
I promise that I tried my darnedest to avoid using this book for this category, sincerely. But, 1)I’m a sucker for Marissa Meyer and 2) this is the perfect villain story surrounding a woman in power. Queen Levana is quite honestly terrifying, and I loved learning more about her background. Although, I will admit, I’m fascinated by Queen Elizabeth and all of the work she did for the arts specifically, so I feel kind of horrible for using Queen Levana here.
In all seriousness though, I’ve realized that I haven’t read many (or any) books focused on female warriors written by female authors; please give me all of your recommendations!
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
It’s been a long while since I gushed about anything by Alexandra Bracken, hm? The Passenger duology is not only wildly underrated, but the writing itself is lyrical, poetic, and it gripped me from beginning to end. It was as if Alexandra Bracken purposefully plucked every single word straight from the dictionary, and only chose it if it was worthy of telling this particular story. I might be biased, but it really is stunning.
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
Okay. So, maybe Felicity Montague isn’t your quote-en-quote typical warrior, but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t a force to be reckoned with. I mean, the girl is growing up in a time when she’s expected to have different dresses for different daily occasions, to always hold proper manners, and to betrothe someone who will better her status in society. Felicity doesn’t have time for your conventional and sexist stereotypes; the girl wants to be a pirate, off fighting the bad guys. Despite being told “no” time and time again, Felicity comes back swinging, always saying “yes.”
Someone send me a recommendation for a book set in space written by a woman. Please. I beg of you. I haven’t read any!!
I’m just having flashbacks to becoming viscerally angry in science class after finding out that some male scientists took Rosalind’s hard work and passed it off as their own. ANYWAYS.
Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young
Why don’t we talk more about this book?! Girls With Sharp Sticks is a dark commentary on what it means to be a woman and feminine, and it’s so hauntingly beautiful. The girls in this book attend a boarding school that essentially is teaching them how to be the type of woman that is expected in their society: perfect makeup, perfect hair, perfect manners. Everything from their posture to their weight is monitored at this school, and it’s terrifying. That’s all I can say. Go read it!!
*You can read my full review on Girls With Sharp Sticks here!
Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa
I can’t not talk about this book, even when I try to. Fans of the Impossible Life is your quintessential coming-of-age YA novel all about discovering yourself, but that discovering was so well done. When all is said and done, this is a story about misfits finding themselves as they find each other, and it couldn’t warm my heart more.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
I remember We Are Okay being just about everywhere when it first came out in 2017, and with good reason. This story and the way that Nina LaCour presented it really grabbed a tight hold of my heart and refused to let go. Plot wise, not much happens whatsoever; and I mean that in the most endearing way possible. By focusing on the main character and her different forms of grief and her loneliness, I related to Marin more than I was ever expecting to.
*You can read my full review of We Are Okay here!
Margaret Tobin (1867 – 1932)
Ah, I’ve got to choose Ms. Margaret Tobin for this one. But, you may know her as Molly Brown. The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
Thanks to my childhood obsession of all things Titanic, I immediately became fascinated by Molly Brown and what she accomplished throughout her life. Molly—fun fact: she was actually never called Molly while she was alive—led a usual childhood but, after she married and had a daughter of her own, she began to take note of the wrongs in her life. Because of her husband’s employment at a mining company, Molly began working to help the miners and their families, vouching for their rights, as well as helping to improve the town’s schools: the start of her philanthropy career. Continuing her improvement of schools, she then ran for state senate in 1912.
Most known for surviving the Titanic shipwreck, Molly also attempted to help others burdened by the tragedy, raising money to help the poorer passengers get back on their feet. After that, she began speaking out for women’s rights and joined the suffrage movement, even speaking at the 1914 Conference of Great Women. And, at the onset of WWI, Molly worked with the Red Cross and set up facilitates, before working with the American Committee for Devastated France, helping to rebuild the dang country.
Whew. I could obviously go on. But, we’re here to talk about a book that inspires me as much as Margaret Tobin herself!
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed
First things first, I have a lot of respect for the way that diversity is both represented and talked about in this book. It feels realistic and raw, and it’s so lovely. All of that aside though, Yes No Maybe So inspires me on the level that no matter how small we all may feel from time to time, we can make a pretty big impact in this world so long as we’re passionate about it. You may just be canvassing, knocking on an endless amount of doors, but you never know who’s door you might be at next or who you might persuade.
I tag…
- Lais @ The Bookish Skies
- Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books
- Xandra @ Starry Sky Books
- Sofii @ A Book. A Thought.
- Clara @ the bookworm of Notre-Dame
- Meaghan @ Hail & Well Read
- Rebecca @ Bookishly Rebecca
- And YOU!
If you’ve already done this post, I apologize for double-tagging you but please link me to your blog! I’d love to see your answers.
I absolutely am so happy to have participated in this tag, featuring women that did so much for us. A big thank you again goes out to Margaret!
I also learned that I really need to get my hands on more women-centered books by women. Got any recommendations?
twenty-seven letters 
Ahhhh thank you so much for doing this tag!!! ❤ I actually love that you chose Felicity for a female warrior – she is truly a force to be reckoned with. And wow, I'm SHOCKED that you have a couple Marissa Meyer books on here 😉 Wouldn't the Lunar Chronicles technically work as books set (at least partially) in space?
Oh man, I also remember being so angry learning about Rosalind Franklin in science class, which was why I HAD to include her in this tag. And I completely agree about We Are Okay!!
YES I love that you chose Molly Brown for the last question!! She is truly incredible…and she has a great first name 😉 I can't wait to read and be inspired by Yes No Maybe So too!! 😀
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Of course; it was so much fun, truly! Right?! A TOTAL shocker that I included Marissa Meyer – didn’t see that coming at all!! And trust me, I was tempted to use The Lunar Chronicles as my space cop out, but three books of hers felt excessive – even to me 😂
Exactly! If I’m remembering it right, my teacher went over what she discovered first without ever giving away her identity. Then, when he mentioned that she was a female, we were all thrilled. But then all of my hopes and dreams were immediately killed when he told us the truth.
She is so great! And I guess her first name is okay…😉
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Ahh.. I love this tag so seeing your answers has been so fun!! ❤
I love how much you love renegades and honestly it makes me so excited to read it (I know I already said this but you've made me even more excited in this post, haha)!
I literally just read Fairest and I really enjoyed it, it was a great villain origin story and I was surprised by how much I ended up liking it!! Some books with great female warriors are The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang and An Ember in The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir!! I find Queen Elizabeth I interesting as well!!
Ohh.. Girls with Sharp Sticks sound so interesting !! I will definitely have to check it out at one point!! Margaret Tobins does sound amazing, I never knew all of that so it was really fascinating to read about her, thank you for sharing!!
Great post Lauren!! ❤
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I probably love Renegades too much?! But it also feels like my job now to just scream about it from the rooftops and make sure everyone reads it. You’ll have to tell me what you think of it if you end up reading it!
Fairest was such a great villain story! I always weirdly love that conflicted feeling you get when you learn about a villain’s tragic backstory but it obviously don’t excuse the way they act so horribly. I’m glad you enjoyed it too! Oh, and thank you for the recommendations; I’m definitely going to add them to my list!
Yes! Girls With Sharp Sticks was such an interesting story, and I truly didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. Plus, the sequel just came out, so that’s always exciting!
Thanks for reading and commenting, Sophie!! Sending all of my love that you’re staying well!
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thank you so much for tagging me, lauren! i am absolutely in love with this tag and going through everyone’s answers.
much like you, i didn’t have a space/sci-fi book written by a female author to recommend, which was a bummer. i already have a few on my TBR, though, so hopefully this will change soon.
when i answered this tag, i also chose a villain as my answer for “a book about a woman in a position of power”. it’s interesting that we gravitated to the same kind of characters. i really like reading about villain stories, and this one sounds really good. i have yet to continue with the lunar chronicles, but i do remember finding queen levana a really interesting character when i picked up cinder, so i can only imagine what her background must’ve been like!
i also love you chose felicity as a female warrior, because that’s so true! she really fights hard to be who she wants to be, damned society. i think it was a very clever answer!
thank you so much for sharing margaret’s story! that’s what i loved the most about this tag, as i learned about a lot of amazing women in history i knew nothing about. i’m glad yes, no maybe so had a positive impact on you.
the most recent book written by a woman that i loved a lot was call it what you want, by brigid kemmerer. i’m currently reading another book by her and i definitely think she’s on the way to become one of my favorite female authors ever, which is yay! i love finding new favorite authors.
amazing tag, lauren!
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Of course, Lais! I absolutely loved the tag as well, and really enjoyed writing it up.
That actually is really interesting! When I first say “a woman in a position of power,” I immediately thought about a villain. I don’t know that I’ve read many books that have a female character in a position of power, and she uses that power for good? Of course, there are the books that end with a great female character in power doing everything good for the world, but they end up there after trials and tribulations and dealing with a villain.
Felicity is such a great female warrior! She’s always fighting for what she believes in, despite her societal norms. And I feel the same way! So many people choosing different women in history have really helped me learn of some historical figures that I was never taught.
Oh! I’m definitely adding that author to my radar – that’s such high praise that she’s becoming one of your favorites! I will for sure look into her books.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Lais. Sending all of my love that you’re staying well!
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Ah! I can’t wait to do this tag, thank you for tagging me. 🙂
I think Fairest is such an awesome pick. I read it last year and I still think about it. Levana is such an interesting character so she could probably have her own series lol. Even though she’s a villain, she ends up being almost as interesting as the heroes. Maybe that’s just me, though!
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Of course!
And right?! I love when villains are complex and not just bad because they’re supposed to be. I totally agree with you!
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AH YES I really liked Renegades and loved the main character so, so much. I can’t wait to continue this series!
I’m so happy to see you talking about Girls With Sharp Sticks. I really really want to read that book, it sounds INCREDIBLE, really, I’m so happy you loved it so much and recommend it so highly! 🙂
Thank you so much for tagging me! 🙂
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I’m SO happy to hear that you loved Renegades! I’m definitely really interested to hear all of your thoughts after you finish the series.
And Girls With Sharp Sticks was SO interesting! I had read books by the author previously and enjoyed them, but I didn’t necessarily fall in love with them the same way that I did with GWSS. It’s so dark and horrifyingly realistic; you’ll have to let me know what you think!
And of course!
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