But, interesting content – Dubravka Ugresic sounds fascinating, but the “Nobody’s Home” link is dead.

Stevie Smith – Novel on Yellow Paper

Stevie was her nickname, rather than literary cross-dressing. Or maybe not. Anyway, fascinating reading.

I’m compiling a boy’s list as well, for what the gender categorization is worth.

But all three of these books come from an intentionally female perspective. Not sure how to express that in a title. Maybe “from” instead of “by”?

Are you aware that J. K. Rowling publishes as J. K. rather than Joanne, because her publisher, in the 1990s, felt that her books wouldn’t sell as well if it were known that she is a woman. Gender may not matter in writing, but it apparently still matters in publishing.

“Now call it a guilty pleasure, but I like today’s young adult novels better than most of what is passing for literary fiction these days.”

books for the young have always been better than books for the “olds.”

still i agree with all the recommendations made by rough dushkoff.

Hours later, a new #4 has arrived on the scene. Peculiar.

I’m more interested in championing #5 than #4.

In any case, clearly an interesting topic that’s sadly overshadowed for me by a thoughtless choice of title.

Carry on.

Great Books By The Retarded!

Great Books By Jews!

What does it matter, the race, religion, or gender of an author? Why would we bother holding up a double standard on thought and expression?

It is shaping up to be a very literary big important social novel. At least, I hope it ends up being that good.
Sorry for the very long post.

Never! I have felt that way for years, that YA is far more entertaining than “adult” fiction.

wld nvr xpct t s blg ntry wth ttl s snn s ths n bngbng.

The Sparrow was too brutal for me. Are you sure a woman wrote that? Kidding, kidding.

I also second that recommendation of “look at me” by jennifer Egan.

Another great book by a woman that this crowd would appreciate: Eat The Document by Dana Spiotta. In it, a woman who participated in a Weathermen-like group in the 60′s goes underground after a bombing goes wrong, and 40 years later, can’t discern which is actually her: the “real” identity she gave up, or the “false” cover identity she’d been ever since.

@Rushkoff I’ve enjoyed your writing for years, especially Media Virus and you’ve been posting some great stuff here. Cheers for that.

Beyond that, I’m speechless. I didn’t recognize a single name in Doug’s cabal. (Frowny face.)

But I do love the idea of getting slowly stoned on absinthe with my favorite writers. I want Jonathan Franzen, Kurt Wenzel, Jeffrey Euginides, Joyce Carol Oates, and Christopher Buckley at my table. Probably a few dozen others as well.

I’m pretty much a graphic novel virgin, but I do appreciate the expert recommendations.

It was a book full of ideas. I find many women-authored novels are so plot driven and character driven. The emotional experience can be rendered in exquisite detail, but they can lack an analytical appraisal of the culture at large outside the lives of the book’s characters. Anyway, the authors mentioned here do seem to transcend the norm and achieve a higher status (at least in my mind.) Oh, and there are plenty of books by men that fail to meet the threshold of what I consider to be “literary.”

Then again, we all have different standards.

Speaking as the author of #4 I would like to say that I was glad to see other posters repeating my sentiments, and say that it is not a double-post by the same author.

A reader of boingboing for nearly ten years, I have never commented before this.

I have a question: why was my closing remark turned into gobbeldy gook? It said nothing offensive, it only said I would never expect to see an entry title as ‘asinine’ as this.

Women authors as a special category? C’mon. Yes, it is a thoughtless, silly title.

Okay, enough said anyhows.

Accomplished fiddler and step dancer, Julie Fitzgerald, was allegedly the first family member to confirm the infamous “Eagan-Fitzgerald Cabal“, a term coined by famous crokinole player and analyst Eric Miltenburg of Toronto. In the World Crokinole Championship’s very backyard in Tavistock, in early July 2010, Fitzgerald explained in great detail to Bill Gladding of the Tavistock Gazette the importance of her family’s contribution to crokinole’s history. Fitzgerald stated that many of Thomas Eagan’s descendents still play dominant crokinole, but are now scattered across the continent, with some in the Greater Toronto Area, the Ottawa Valley, remote areas of Northern Ontario, British Columbia, and San Francisco. The family do not participate in the World Crokinole Championships, because they consider the level of competition inferior to their own and concentrate on developing their family’s skills. Fitzgerald boasted about the family’s political connections and stated they are developing crokinole software with an unnamed technology company in Sunnyvale, California. Unfortunately, the story was never published in the Tavistock Gazette. Bill Gladding and Julie Fitzgerald have since denied any conversation taking place. However, Julie’s sister Kerry and brother Tom have confirmed they were in Tavistock with Julie and that she spoke to Gladding on two separate occasions on July 2 and 3, 2010.

It’s also going mainstream! 2010 WCC champ Justin Slater, was the first to secure a major sponsor in his exclusive arrangement with O’Neill Canada. Justin is also rumoured to be “the face” of Nova Scotia crokinole manufacturer Muzzies Canada, once he attends university there in the Fall of 2010.