Can a hashtag change reading habits?
2014 has been declared as the year of reading women by the Guardian in an article - and that article now went viral with the hashtag: #readwomen 2014, with more and more readers joining, and new notes and links appearing continually in the twitterstream
Here's the key line from the original article: "Female authors are marginalised by newspapers and literary journals, and their books are given 'girly' covers. Take action against this inequality by making sure the next book you read is by a woman."
The thing is, for a while i had made it a habit to read a well-gender-balanced mix of authors. But then my focus had shifted towards the region the author is coming from. Now i just did a count of the books i read in 2013: 19 were written by women, 27 by men. and this january, i happened to read mainly male authors.
So i guess i will join #readwomen, too, and will read more books from women this year, starting with a book i had picked up in November, after the Nobel Prize for literature was awarded to Alice Munro: "Dear Life".
Taboos, Wisdom, and other recommended reads
I now started to mark some of my favourite books by female authors with a tag, here are some direct links:
- Taboos & Role Models: reading Wetlands by Charlotte Roche with some notes on "female books"
- Leaving India by Minal Hajratwala: fascinating family story that tells a lot about migration
- Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman: reflections on reading
- The Wisdom of no Escape by Pema Chodron this book keeps accompanying me
- Wild by Cheryl Strayed: from lost to found
Links
- For more, visit the feature with several links in the blueprint lit blog:
#readwomen2014: who will you read in 2014? - the Guardian article is online at: Will #readwomen2014 change our sexist reading habits?
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More Reads:
For more reading notes in this blog, click here: life as a journey with books
A reading list by regions is online at: World Reads by country
& Other book blog and their current reads: It's Monday! What Are You Reading? link list
1 comment:
I'm in my third year cohosting and reviewing for The Australian Women Writers Challlenge and Iim thrilled to see the idea getting more attention
Have a great reading week,
Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out
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