Celebrate Women’s History Month with Janis Daly

#31titleswomeninhistory

Looking for something to add to your to be read list? --How about thirty-one titles in one fell swoop? For the speed readers among us, how about a book a day for the month of March? For readers of historical fiction and for any reader looking to discover the stories of women who have remained in the shadows of history, I’m happy to share a curated list of 31 titles to read in celebration of Women’s History Month in March. Why women’s history? As noted by Anita Diamant, bestselling author of THE RED TENT, “Women’s history and women’s stories are still under-told, which means that there’s a hunger for them.”

With my third annual #31titleswomeninhistory list, I hope to satisfy that hunger. By joining with other historical fiction authors like myself, we have tuned into that need and have worked tirelessly to discover, research and tell these stories. By combining facts with fiction, historical fiction addresses the emotional responses of the woman/ women in the stories for readers to imagine how those women strode forward with dreams in their minds and hopes in their hearts.The appeal of the genre will lead more readers toward discovering, learning, celebrating, and sharing the stories of these women. They’ve been invisible for too long,

The subject of the titles range from pioneering women doctors as presented in my second novel, THE PATH BENEATH HER FEET, to African-American female aviatrix Bessie Coleman, who predates Amelia Earhart in Carole Hopson’s debut novel, A PAIR OF WINGS, to SOLITARYWALKER by Nancy Mastro to tell the story of Mary Wollstonecraft, the 18th-century British philosopher, to the trials of the U.S. Army Medical Corps nurses who served during the Vietnam War in Kristin Hannah’s epic bestseller, THE WOMEN, plus twenty-seven other titles.

For each title, I used a defined set of criteria to pick the final thirty-one:

1. Historical fiction genre which appeals to a wider readership

2. Women authors only

3. Diversity in author—cultural, as well as type of publishing and name recognition

4. Diversity in subject matter—cultural, setting, field of recognition

5. Goodreads ratings

In order to elevate the awareness of all the books, especially by lesser-known authors, I have engaged with the other authors on the list to encourage sharing through their networks. Rebecca Rosenberg, author of MADAME POMMERY (#17 on the alphabetically ordered 2025 list), and I have also identified several Facebook interest groups, podcasts, and Instagrammers who will assist with spreading the word throughout the month of March. Readers can interact with the list over social media by answering the questions: Which titles have you read? Which ones have you added to your To Be Read list? They can also fill out an online survey (https://bit.ly/4fVDDq6) which offers chances to win paperback copies of the thirty-one books. The summary sheet of the full list of books is also available to download here.

About Janis Robinson Daly

Daly graduated with a B.A. in Psychology fromWheaton College, Norton MA, at the time, a women’s college. At Wheaton, she developed a fond appreciation of the supportive relationships established between students and a heightened awareness of female-centric issues. A presentation of how her genealogy research inspired her to begin writing has made Daly a sought-after speaker for book clubs, women’s groups, libraries, and writers’groups. She has presented at the Historical Novel Society's annual conference, as well as local chapters of AAUW, teachers’ sorority ADK, and Soroptimist International, the Clarksville Writing Conference, Black Rose Writing Author Fest, and virtually with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the American Medical Women's Association. Her annual #31titleswomeninhistory curated list has gained recognition from historical fiction authors and avid readers as an innovative way to celebrateWomen's History Month in March. After a professional career in sales and marketing, Daly now applies her experience to assisting other authors through her marketing consultancy service.