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37. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell A less sparking, more thoughtful Pride and Prejudice . I've discussed more of my thoughts here . For those who wish Jane Austen was more political. 38. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith The third installment in this character-driven detective series finally focuses purely on the detective, Cormoran Strike, and his assistant and would-be co-detective, Robin Ellacott. The novel gets into some interesting disability politics, and of course many shades of evil, and will thoroughly break the hearts of Strike/Robin shippers. 39. My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem (audiobook) I'm glad I read this, because I was familiar with Gloria Steinem's name linked with the feminist movement, but not much else. Now, I feel like an expert! Her memoirs about all the places she's been cover her childhood, and many of the momentous occasions of her adulthood. I feel like I have a much better idea of what an activist actual...

As I commented before , North and South  is like a less sparkling, more political Pride and Prejudice. Margaret Hale and Mr. Thornton are more muted, but also more thoughtful, characters than Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. While Jane Austen concentrated on her "little bit of ivory," Gaskell tackled social inequalities head-on, and through her characters, expresses the disparate political opinions of poor and rich, and ventures to propose compromises between them. It's really quite revolutionary work, and I wonder if anyone at the same time was writing anything quite like it.  I've also read Gaskell's Cranford , which similarly exposes social inequalities, but although it's possible to sympathize with the ladies of Cranford, one always feels they are being mocked almost as mercilessly as those who oppress them. Margaret and Mr. Thornton, however, are real people, not caricatures. Although North and South does take a more conventional romantic plotline, it s...