In the middle of the sweltering heat this week, Sarah Salway and I launched #100women100books: a virtual women’s Library for the 21st Century.
Inspired by our Spreadsheets & Moxie residency in the Compton Verney 19th Century Women’s Library back in January, we wanted to know what books were dear to the hearts and minds of contemporary women. So we asked 100 women in our lives – from toddlers to eighty year olds – what one book they’d like to see on our library’s virtual shelves and why they’d recommend it.
Between now and July 19th we’ll be posting a daily selection of their responses on the #100women100books Facebook Page. There’s a delicious mixture of bonkbusters, cookery books, poetry, plays, essential essays and riveting short stories. As well as old childhood favourites we have cutting edge literary fiction, obscure titles I’d never heard of and a cornucopia of non-fiction. It’s just glorious.
Then on July 19th we go analogue: Sarah returns to Compton Verney in Warwickshire for the second half of our residency (I’ll be cheering her on long distance from the Maternity Ward), taking a bound pamphlet of the full list to donate to their library. If you’re in the area then high-tail it along on the 19/20/21st to write/chat with her in the Women’s Library.
We’ll also be making a PDF of the pamphlet available to download from the 19th, for all you lovely people who can’t make it down in person. At the time of writing this, we have over 250 of you in the virtual Women’s Library with us, which is a joy to behold and we’re not even close to running out of imaginary seating space.
I bet you’re thinking of a book by a woman that you think we should have in our library… so tell us about it! We have a nifty little web form on the Spreadsheets & Moxie website for you to help us grow our virtual library.
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Viccy Adams 
Cool!
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