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Original poster

My DH has expressed an interest in reading a book by a woman

169 replies

ringle · 18/11/2017 16:12

He is an academic and very well and widely read. Save that he has never read a book by a woman.

He likes classic texts basically. Stuff that would make him better read.

Where to start? Could you help me make a shortlist?

OP posts:
DrinkFeckArseGirls · 19/11/2017 09:00

So he read books by women then Confused

notangelinajolie · 19/11/2017 00:30

Not possible.

Giraffey1 · 19/11/2017 00:21

He clearly isn’t well and widely read. Blaming this on his age and saying it’s a ‘genartion thing’ is a cop out and silly.

What’s his field of study? I bet, whatever it is, there are (shock, horror) women who’re experts in it and have written papers etc on it.....

BikeRunSki · 19/11/2017 00:06

Agatha Christie
Daphne du Maurier
Any of the Bronte sisters?

kooshbin · 19/11/2017 00:00

Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy.

It's got "soldiers" in the title, so should appeal to his manly perceptions. And the author has the title "Professor", according to Amazon, so should appeal to his academic perceptions.

(Though she seems to only have that title via honorary doctorates, but you don't have to tell him that.)

Whatever his discipline, he would have read material written by women, but perhaps that didn't register with him, though I can't imagine what kind of discipline doesn't have women writing books about it. Even that last bastion of white male privilege of Philosophy.

Original poster
ringle · 19/11/2017 00:00

"To be honest, unless it’s for a prompt in a reading challenge I do over on goodreads I tend to avoid Male authors these days, so bored of the masculine point of view!"

I have been rebalancing more towards this -same thing re boredom.

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 18/11/2017 23:55

Where is he from that they don’t have female authors? I’ve read female authors from almost every continent so I can’t understand it!

BakedBeans47 · 18/11/2017 23:54

Hmm

My DP is also over 40, not an academic, not particularly well read and has still managed to read books written by females.

I cannot fathom how on earth someone can believe they are “well read” when they haven’t read a single piece of literature written by a female.

Composteleana · 18/11/2017 23:53

Seconding lots of the recommendations here, for the classics and also Barbara Kingslover and Margaret Atwood (Alias Grace is my all time fave).

Some other ideas - Hilary Mantel - the Cromwell books and I love The Assasination of Margaret Thatcher which is a short story collection. Sarah Waters - great storytelling. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - I liked Americanah. Flannery OConnor - again more short stories. Donna Tartt’s The Secret History is set in academic circles. Helen Dunmore also excellent. Kate Atkinson.

To be honest, unless it’s for a prompt in a reading challenge I do over on goodreads I tend to avoid Male authors these days, so bored of the masculine point of view!

Crispbutty · 18/11/2017 23:48

He's not as widely read as he thinks then. Blytons books sold worldwide and were translated into 90 different languages according to wiki.

BatteredBreadedOrSouthernFried · 18/11/2017 23:47

It’ll be because they were only sold in the “silly wimmins scribblings” bookstores.

BatteredBreadedOrSouthernFried · 18/11/2017 23:46

You think society kept those books from him?

Wolfiefan · 18/11/2017 23:46

Society doesn't stop him picking up a book written by a woman.
You sound very eager to make his excuses for him. He's an adult. He gets to choose his own reading material.

Original poster
ringle · 18/11/2017 23:44

He's not proud of it.

I think it's more about society than him as an individual.

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 18/11/2017 23:43

No? I'm over 40 and so is DH. We have both managed to read books by people of the opposite sex.
Sounds like he's taking pride in his misogyny.

Original poster
ringle · 18/11/2017 23:43

Not English so no...

OP posts:
BatteredBreadedOrSouthernFried · 18/11/2017 23:43

If it’s true, then he has deliberately, and at a very young age, made the decision to exclude female authors from his reading choices.

That just blows my mind! How could someone who holds such contempt for women manage to persuade one to marry him? How did he hide his true feelings for so long that you didn’t know him before marrying him OP?

Crispbutty · 18/11/2017 23:40

At his age he must have read Enid blyton books.

Original poster
ringle · 18/11/2017 23:38

Thanks for the posts.
Sadly I can't put this down to individual misogyny.

OP posts:
SparkleFizz · 18/11/2017 23:36

Sounds like quite a feat to have reached 40 and never have read any book written by a woman - and how he can say this and still seriously consider himself very well and widely read is mind boggling.

But really, none at all?
Not even Beatrix Potter, Judith Kerr, Enid Blyton or the Just William books as a child?

Original poster
ringle · 18/11/2017 23:31

"I decided not to bother reading books by men for a while. Men seem to be better promoted, turned into films more often and generally have an unfair advantage over women authors. "

I have been doing similar but for different reasons: I was bored of reading books about how it feels to be an aggressive man.

This has prompted discussion at home.

Yes, arts.

OP posts:
Original poster
ringle · 18/11/2017 23:29

Thank you for the lists.

I think he must have read Frankenstein and Kill a Mockingbird out of those.

OP posts:
LizzieSiddal · 18/11/2017 23:25

Gosh what an idiot. I’d be too embarrassed to admit that to anyone.

Original poster
ringle · 18/11/2017 23:24

"Or Sue Townsend (he’s never read Adrian Mole? What a life wasted)."

Ah! Hang on! He has read that. When we first met. I introduced him to it.
He laughed so much he fell off the bed.

Apologies, it appears he has read one...

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 18/11/2017 23:21

MN in women write books shocker!
Does he think his penis will fall off if he opens a book written by a woman?
I don't believe it BTW. No way has he made it through school without reading anything written by a woman.
Is he always a raging misogynist?

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