Challenge 10: Read Only Women Authors

So, what's this challenge all about?

I read a lot.  A LOT.  After board games, it's probably my second biggest leisure activity.  Back in the days of physical media, I had to make regular runs to the charity shop just to clear space on my bookshelves.  The introduction of e-books was a godsend for me!  Even now, with limited time due to children, I tend to get through around 12- 24 books a year, and not small books either.  We're talking 500 page fantasy doorstoppers.  But my reading habits can get into a rut.  I like what I like and find it hard to branch out, so this challenge both encourages me to read more broadly in terms of authors, but also in terms of genre.


A tip of the hat to Juliet for this one.

How's it going to work?

This one is pretty straightforward.  Any book I read for entertainment has to be written by a female author.  Instructional manuals are exempt, such as the drawing course I've been following, as are things read for work.  I'm going to try and alternate between my preferred genres (fantasy, sci-fi and crime) and other literature.  (Not to suggest that genre fiction can't be literature, mind you, and I'll fight you on this topic if needs be.)  So far, I've read two books, one historical fiction, one fantasy-steampunk.

The Red Tent (Anita Diamant, paperback, Kindle edition)

The Red Tent is a historical fiction, telling the story of Dinah, daughter of Jacob (from the bible).  It's an in-depth exploration of women's society and lives in early biblical times.

It's almost brilliant.  Almost.

For the first two thirds of the book, it's filled with rich, fascinating detail and texture.  From the lives of Jacob's many wives to the practices of ancient midwives, the narrative is fascinating and emotionally moving.  But then, in the final third, all that disappears.  Dinah moves to Egypt and her life just seems to go onto fast forward.  I can't help but feel Diamant did vast amounts of research into the lives of the ancient Jewish people, but then skimped on the Egyptians, leaving the final third of the book rather disappointing and flavourless compared to the rich banquet of the first two thirds.  It's a real shame, as I'd recommend the first two-thirds without hesitation.

The Invisible Library (Genevieve Cogman, paperback, Kindle edition)

If The Red Tent was outwith my normal reading bounds, The Invisible Library is firmly within it.  A fantasy-steampunk novel featuring fae beings, dragons, snark and bibliophiles, it reads like a cross between Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series and Charles Stross' Laundry files.  (Although not as batshit as the formner, nor as grim as the latter.)  There's not anything amazingly, astonishingly write home about it, but it gallops along with a certain joy and delight in its own story.  Plus, it's only 99p on Kindle, so you can't go far wrong with it, especially if you happen to have a £1 e-book credit sitting about like I did.  There's another three books in the series and I greatly enjoyed this one, so I think I might just chew through the rest now, alternating with other genres be damned.  (There's a pretty good respresentation of female authors in fantasy at the moment, so I'm not worried about running out of this particular genre.)  An enjoyable, fluffy snack of a book.

Long-term updates


French words "learned" (according to the memrise app): 317.  Due to going out for dinner on Saturday with Renae, I've had two days off my French lesson this week.

Daily photos taken? One posted a day late, but yes.
Swordfighting learnt: None.  Going tonight though.
I am currently reading: The Masked City, by Genevieve Cogman (the sequel to The Invisible Library - told you I enjoyed it).

"Cheat" days on food since last week: None.  Been pretty good this week.

"Cheat" days on exercise: Oh, just fucking loads. At least we're getting a puppy soon.  That'll get me out the house, yeah?

Drawings:  Rather than spending 20 minutes a day, this last week I sat down and spent three hours in a single go working on a sketch for Renae's birthday.  I was pretty Damme pleased with it.
The Canal At Damme - See, it wasn't a typo...


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