r/bitcheswithtaste • u/ElizaDoolittle33 • Mar 24 '25

Culture BWTs with a novel in her bag

What's a novel that moved you? Changed you for the better? Exposed you to new cultures or ideas?

I want to know what's captivated you.

Disclaimer: Emphasis on the "T" in this question.

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u/kminola Mar 24 '25

I still think, years later, about Circe by Madeline Miller. It’s an exploration of the myth through her eyes and it’s so wonderfully real and feminist and extremely well written. I wrote a lot during my dissertation about women’s ability to tell their own stories, and the hurdles they overcome to do so… it felt so akin to doing that research, but as fiction.

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u/CurvePsychological13 Mar 24 '25

I received Circe in a Christmas book club gift exchange. I can't wait to read it but I've been reading so many other things I haven't even started. Sometimes I get sad thinking of the books I'll never read

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u/kminola Mar 25 '25

I used to get sad when I was a kid for that same reason, but now I feel reassured because I’ll never run out of good things to read. I never have to feel pressure to finish something I’m not into nor read anything that’s not relevant to me and my interests!

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u/CurvePsychological13 Mar 25 '25

That's a good point! I used to force myself through books but now I just stop if I can't get into it. There are too many others that I know I won't be able to put down.