What Smart Women Read was conceived as a virtual reading room—a comfortable, inviting place where you can find something wonderful to read and, if you desire, engage in conversations about the marvelous ideas you find between the covers. There is so much to read, and there is an impressive community of smart women seeking good books to inspire, provoke, catalyze, educate, and enrich us.  Here, at What Smart Women Read, we will provide lots of titles and corresponding material to get your literary juices flowing. And, you will have the opportunity to share what you are reading with us.
The beauty of What Smart Women Read is that a fabulous story is always at your fingertips. You will never wonder what you should read, what’s new and exciting in the literary world, or what you can share with your book club. The answers will all be found here at What Smart Women Read. We also will suggest essays, short stories, poetry, and anything else that will excite your mind. What we promise is that the site will always be fresh, stimulating, and fun. After all, that’s why smart women read!
What you will find on What Smart Women Read
- Camaraderie and Community
- Book Recommendations
- Essays, Events, and News Related to Books
- The Philosophy of Reading
- How to Read Critically
- Discussion Questions
- Controversial Books
- Good Resources
- Links to Fabulous Reviews
You cannot embark on life, that one-off coach ride, once again when it is over,
but if you have a book in your hand, no matter how complex or difficult,
when you have finished it, you can, if you wish, go back to the beginning, read it again,
and thus understand that which is difficult and, with it, understand life as well.–Orhan Pamuk’s The White Castle
About Duffy
Duffy, a stately Boston gentleman, is our site mascot. His appearance reminds us that while reading can be serious and solitary, life should be joyful and social. Duffy is special (although he is also quite the pirate). My father gave him to me for my birthday just before he passed away, and his memory lives on through Duffy. When this sweet little guy curls up in my reading chair, I feel the presence of all that is good in the world. After all, what could be better than a story to delight my mind and woman’s best friend to comfort my heart?