"So many books, so little time."

That's what most of the book lovers' line.

Reading for me is like an escape but the past months have been really stressful for me, so much that I can't find enough time to read as much as I wanted to. The last book I finished was from two months ago. Though I still have few books that are currently "on read", I still can't find much free time to finish them. I wanted to have a "book review" for so long and this will be my first time and I'm so excited about it. Bear with me as I know I could really be biased.😁
As a first, I wanted to talk about my three favorite books last year that has something to tell about women empowerment. Since I had read the classic, Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, I started searching for other books that could make me open about being a woman. And these three are like gems that I found:

1. BLOOD WATER PAINT

You will rage and be called you are too small, too weak, too feebleminded to be of use. You are not.

This is based on the life story of an iconic painter from the seventeenth century, Artemisia Gentileschi. Gentileschi was sexually violated during her teenage years but fought her way to obtain justice. The book is written in verses that captured me in every pages. Verses that conveys strong messages of courage, self-respect and empowerment. I admire how artistic the author is, as if painting and writing are interwoven with one another.

2. CIRCE

Humbling women seems to me a chief pasttime of poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep.

Greek mythology never bore me and this book surely never did. Circe may be known as a villain in some stories but the author's portrayal of the character is very unique. In this novel, I admire Circe's strong character. Circe fell in love with a mortal that later left her broken and had her revenge through witchcraft. As a punishment, she was exiled and forced to live in solitude . There she discovered more of her magic. And when another mortal tried to break her and violated her as a woman, Circe made sure to present a severe punishment to her perpetrator.

2. THE PRINCESS SAVES HERSELF IN THIS ONE

The princess locks herself away in the highest tower, hoping a knight in shining armor would come to her rescue. - I didn't realize I could be my own knight.

This is a beautiful collection of poems from Amanda Lovelace. Verses that are very true and straight that could inspire young women. The book explores love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, and inspiration. Almost every pages left me thinking, some made me smile and some made my eyes cloudy. 😄

These are my top three books that could inspire and empower young women. Finishing books like these felt amazing and could make you hug more women out there who are in a different and uneasy situtation. It made me love myself more and be proud that I'm a woman. Most women may believed that they are weak in many situations but these books could be an inspiration to not be afraid, to be independent, to build up thyself, to embrace self-love and fight for what is right, to be brave and strong and to win every battle they thought are impossible to overcome.