Happy Really-Belated International Women’s Day!

Today I’ll be celebrating by eating sushi and blogging about good books with strong female characters. You can also check out my post about how to write strong female characters.

The theme of this “Good Books” is coincidental. I don’t actively go searching for books based on the gender of their protagonists, but recently my reading list has been topped by vivid, interesting female protagonists.

The books with said strong female main characters are Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Divergent by Veronica Roth, and I read both in a few marathon reading sessions that translates into a shiny stamp of approval.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Premise: Girl goes missing under mysterious circumstances. Her husband is the lead suspect. All hell breaks loose.

This book hijacked my weekend. I started reading it because my trusted partner-in-crime recommended it to me, and he has a great taste in fiction, and I couldn’t put it down.

I can’t laud the literary intricacies of this book without spoiling the riveting plot, but I can say this much: the characters are top notch, the suspense is riveting, and the surprises are unexpected and fresh.

The female lead in this book is lively and her voice is distinct. You think you know her… until you realize you don’t.

I know my review reads like a movie trailer at this point (OVER BLACK: “YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW THESE CHARACTERS…. BUT YOU DON’T *cue ominous music by Hans Zimmer and snippet shots of scenes randomly cut together*) but I’m desperately trying to get you to read this book without spoiling anything.

I’ll say this, to end things: I haven’t read a great book like this in months. This unsettling, haunting thriller won me over, and will remain on my “favorite books” list for a time to come. [Read more…]