I have always avoided books written by women. Too sappy. I did read "The Giver" by Lois Lowry recently and it was really good.

Any good fiction by women authors?

Certain genres are dominated by authors of one gender or the other. If the genre(s) you prefer are one that is dominated by men you probably would read mostly male authors.

If you can tell the gender of the author just by the words on the page, the FBI would like to hire you. No doubt you have other psychic talents that would aid in crime solving.

I want a good story. I want to be engaged, I want to feel the action, I want a satisfying resolution, I want believable characters and I want to enjoy myself. Doesn't matter if the author stands or squats, is green blue red or any variation thereof. Make me want to live there (or run from there) and I'll keep buying until a) they quit writing, or b) their off-screen antics force me to quit giving money to the enemy, or c) they change their focus and starting writing crap I don't want to read.

Sci Fi: Lois McMaster Bujold writes some space opera that just bowls me over. Been doing it 30 years now, more or less.
C J Cherryh does some amazing stuff in her Union vs Alliance world.
Andre Norton was published as a man, because 'women can't write sf'. Bull crap. Yes its been 50 years, but her stories were groundbreaking at the time.

Don't let your perception of plumbing arrangements deprive you of good stories. That's just silly.

I used to read all the EU Star Wars books, and AC Crispin had some good ones. But the genres I'm interested in don't have a lot of women writers, so I really don't care either way.

Pretty much this.  I just looked through about 200 of my books and I didn't find any fiction by Women.  This was not by design, I generally buy books from by new authors based on recommendations for the book.  I'm thinking there are just not a lot of women that write fiction about the military, shooting monsters in the face, survival, ect...    All the non fiction I have that was written by women is great.  Mary Roach would be one example.

Rachel Aukes has some good zombie books.

Anything in particular you recommend?

 

Bujold. Especially the Vorkosigan series.


Cecelia Holland for serious historical fiction(I.E., non-bodice rippers)


 

Try  "Mistress of the Art of Death"  by Ariana Franklin   A great mystery novel IMHO

Stay safe

Deadland Saga. I am going to try her Colliding Worlds series, at least the first book.

Robin Hobb, if you like fantasy. The Assassin's Apprentice books are really good.

Lucinda Frank's My Father's Secret War.  Nonfiction book about a daughter's investigation into her father's activity in the NIS (Naval Intelligence Service) during WW II.  Fluent in technical German, he was sent behind the German lines several times. In one mission, he was caught breaking into a safe and he killed the German who caught him.  In another he killed an American double agent who also worked for Stalin.