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I think this could also be a good time to nominate The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood for the fiction category. Many of us here have probably already read this (which is great!) but if it got selected it would make for a great excuse for a re-read and a discussion. I know I never really had the opportunity to discuss it with anyone after I read it.

From Goodreads: "Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now..." (Goodreads)

I nominate

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (fiction) (Goodreads, Amazon).

All I know about the book is that it's a novel about an intersexed individual, and that I've wanted to read it for a long time but never got around to doing so. Maybe someone can provide more info (no spoilers!)

For the Fiction category I am nominating Save Me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald. This was Zelda's only novel and is commonly regarded to be a loose account of what happened within her marriage and life. She and F. Scott drew upon the same autobiographical material from their life together for SMtW and Tender Is the Night.

From Wikipedia:
>"When Scott finally read Zelda's book, a week after she'd sent it to Perkins, he was furious. The book was a semi-autobiographical account of the Fitzgeralds' marriage. In letters Scott berated her and fumed that the novel had drawn upon the autobiographical material that he planned to use in Tender Is the Night, which he'd been working on for years, and which would finally see publication in 1934."

Also of note about Zelda note from Wikipedia: >"[Zelda: A Biography] recast Zelda as an artist in her own right, whose talents were belittled by a controlling husband. Thus Zelda became an icon of the feminist movement in the 1970s—a woman whose unappreciated potential had been suppressed by patriarchal society."

It's a short novel at 225 pages and I think it would be interesting to hear her side of things.

I'm nominating The Awakening by Kate Chopin for the fiction category (however, it is rather short so maybe it could go in the light reading category?)

"... Story of a woman's struggle with oppressive social structures. Chopin's depiction of a married woman, bound to her family and with no way to assert a fulfilling life of her own, has become a foundation for feminism and a classic account of gender crises in the late Victorian era." (Goodreads, A prettier edition on Goodreads)

I've been working on Soul Music by Terry Pratchett and more of Introduction to Algorithms. They're both great! Things are pretty hectic for me at the moment, and I'm hoping to be able to get back into House of Leaves. I don't think I'll be able to do any of our official reads this month though.

I've been continuing reading Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett and House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. I also started reading through the CLRS (Introduction to Algorithms) for interview prep. It's been most of my reading lately :P.

For Coming of Age: Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown. I have not read it, but it was known for being one of the first books to explicitly portray lesbian sex in the 1970s. It piqued my curiosity a bit. (:

Okay this is not really specific to this month but does anyone else listen to music when they read? I sort of have to because I have tinnitus which is a ringing in the ears but it doesn't bother me though if there is some kind of music or sound in the background. So I listen to this a lot when I am reading it is "a tropical vacation for your ears!" http://www.hawaiianrainbow.com/

And there are a lot of sites online that play nature sounds in the background which is nice and relaxing too I really like this one: http://naturesoundsfor.me/

I've been playing rain sounds there with a little bit of thunder when I'm reading Frankenstein and it helps to set the mood!

I also nominate

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden (fiction) (Goodreads, Amazon).

Again, I know very little about this book, except that it's about two girls who end up falling in love and dealing with backlash from those around them. It's another that I've wanted to read but haven't got around to (there's a lot of those).

I nominate In The Country: Stories, by Mia Alvar for fiction. This is moreso "by a woman" than about women.

It's a collection of 9 short stories about several different folks from the Philippines (or of Filipino ancestry) experiencing life in a different country for the first time (having moved to the US, Middle East, or elsewhere).

Fiction:

I nominate <strong>Snow Flower and the Secret Fan</strong> by Lisa See. It won the APALA award for 2005-2006. From Amazon:

>In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, an “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s written a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on the fan and compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together they endure the agony of footbinding and reflect upon their arranged marriages, their loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace in their friendship, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their relationship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

It sounds very interesting to me, and not too downbeat for my preferences.

Nonfiction:

I nominate <strong>Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food</strong> by Jennifer Lee. It won the APALA nonfiction award for 2008-2009. From Amazon:

>Jennifer 8 Lee traces the history of Chinese-American experience through the lens of the food. In a compelling blend of sociology and history, Jenny Lee exposes the indentured servitude Chinese restaurants expect from illegal immigrant chefs, investigates the relationship between Jews and Chinese food, and weaves a personal narrative about her own relationship with Chinese food. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles speaks to the immigrant experience as a whole, and the way it has shaped our country.

History and cultural experiences chronicled through food sounds great to me.

Nonfiction:

I nominate <strong>Bento Box in the Heartland</strong> by Linda Furiya. It got honorable mention for the APALA award for 2007-2008. From Amazon:

>Bento Box in the Heartland is an insightful and reflective coming-of-age tale. Beautifully written, each chapter is accompanied by a family recipe of mouth-watering Japanese comfort food.

You might be noticing a theme here with my nonfiction nominations ;). This sounds like a very interesting read to me. The description kind of reminds me of a book I read years ago, Everything on a Waffle, which I liked a lot.