Celebrating Women’s History Month

Will the following authors please stand up: Marie Benedict, Jude Berman, Teri M. Brown, Denny S. Bryce, Diana R. Chambers, Janet Skeslien Charles, Stephanie Dray, Joan Ferndanez,  Jill George, Nicola Griffith, Kristen Hannah, Penny Haw, Carole Hopson, Piper Huguley, Martha Hall Kelly, Eliza Knight, Judith Lindbergh, N.J. Mastro, Paula McLain, Heather B. Moore, Victoria Christopher Murray, Gail Ward Olmsted, Allison Pataki, Gill Paul, Rebecca Rosenberg, Erika Robuck, Aimie K. Runyan, Mary Sharratt, Joshunda Sanders, Tracey Enerson Wood, and Caroline Woods.

Can you hear that? The sound of thousands—who knows, maybe millions—of readers’ hands clapping for you in appreciation for writing stories of women who have remained in the shadows of history.

In honor of Women’s History Month 2025, I stand with those readers and applaud these authors. Through their exhaustive research, they’ve combined facts with fiction to include imagined emotional responses of the woman/women in history as they strode forward with dreams in their minds and hopes in their hearts.

These novels strike a chord in delivering a reader’s desire for life-long learning. In the words of T. Ailshire, a respondent to a survey about the popularity and importance of historical fiction: “Well-researched historical fiction teaches me more than any history book. Then it intrigues my brain to see how individuals comport themselves within the constraints of the times and the imagination of the author.”

In order to elevate the awareness of these authors, the books they have written, and the subjects of their books, I have curated a list of 31 titles to read in celebration of Women’s History Month. The subject of the titles range from women doctors who operated rural hospital units in Appalachia during the Depression 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 SOLITARY WALKER 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

The list spans eras in history from the first century with the story of Princess Selene, daughter of Cleopatra, in Stephanie Dray’s LILY OF THE NILE, to the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s with female writers breaking barriers to write “racy, sexy” novels in SCANDALOUS WOMEN by Gill Paul. From ancient Asian steppes and the Amazon warriors found in AKMARAL by Judith Lindbergh to a meandering, 1907 drive through New England in KATHARINE’S REMARKABLE ROAD TRIP by Gail Ward Olmsted, women in history are well represented thanks to the authors who wrote their stories. 

The success of this list, however, will only arise if it circulates to a wide audience. In the name of a literary citizenship effort, I have engaged with the other women writers to encourage sharing through their networks. Rebecca Rosenberg, author of MADAME POMMERY (#17 on the alphabetically ordered 2025 list), and I have 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? 

  1. Akmaral by Judith Lindbergh
  2. American Daughters by Piper Huguley
  3. Can’t We Be Friends by Denny S. Byce & Eliza Knight
  4. Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
  5. The Dark Lady’s Mask by Mary Sharratt
  6. Daughters of Green Mountain Gap by Terri M. Brown
  7. Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki
  8. Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray
  9. Hild by Nicola Griffin
  10. Illuminating Darwin by Jill George
  11. The Invincible Miss Cust by Penny Haw
  12. Katharine, the Wright Sister by Tracey Enerson Wood
  13. Katharine’s Remarkable Road Trip by Gail Ward Olmsted
  14. Lady Flyer by Heather B. Moore
  15. The Last Twelve Miles by Erika Robuck
  16. Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
  17. Madame Pommery by Rebecca Rosenberg
  18. Mademoiselle Eiffel by Aimie K. Runyan
  19. The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods
  20. Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles
  21. A Pair of Wings by Carole Hopson
  22. The Path Beneath Her Feet by Janis Robinson Daly
  23. The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
  24. Saving Vincent by Joan Fernandez
  25. Scandalous Women by Gill Paul
  26. The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers
  27. Solitary Walker by N. J. Mastro
  28. Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly
  29. The Vow by Jude Berman
  30. The Women by Kristin Hannah
  31. Women of the Post by Joshunda Sanders

Readers can also fill out an online survey (https://bit.ly/4fVDDq6) which offers chances to win paperback copies of the thirty-one books. A summary of the full list of 2025 books, plus different lists of books from 2023 and 2024, is also available to download from www.janisrdaly.com//women-in-history-2025/. 

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About Janis Robinson Daly

Daly graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Wheaton 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 celebrate Women’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. 

Professional Associations: Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Historical Novel Society, Cape Cod Writers Center, National Women’s History Alliance.

Book Clubs: Participant in a local women’s group, advisor to several Facebook groups, guest facilitator for a library group, ambassador for Adventures by the Book, and resource for many with recommendations, tips, and ideas.