What to read this International Women’s Day – as recommended by authors

This International Women’s Day (IWD), we’ve decided to turn the lens on inspiring women authors.

From a groundbreaking genre-bending biography to a debut fiction pick, the work of these authors will delight any reader.

But – we didn’t stop there. Curious to know what books our beloved authors adore, we asked them to share their picks for IWD.

Keep reading to learn about each author’s book and see what they think you should pick up to celebrate IWD 2024.

The recommendations

Anna Funder, author of Wifedom

About her book

In Wifedom, Anna Funder shares the untold story of George Orwell’s brilliant but overlooked wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy. Using newly found letters written by Eileen to her best friend, Anna reveals Eileen’s role in Orwell’s life from their early marriage through WWII.

Her recs

Anna recommends (in no particular order) Virginia Woolf, Jane Austen, Alice Munro, Adrienne Rich, Elizabeth Strout, Jenny Offill, Jenney Erpenbeck, Zadie Smith, Anne Enright and Margaret Atwood.

Maxine Fawcett, author of Everything is Perfect

About her book

Maxine’s debut novel follows Cassie Prince: a woman in her mid-forties who seems to have it all. She has the beautiful house, the ‘perfect’ family – but still, something feels off. As she continues burying her feelings, Cassie begins to spiral until she’s convinced herself that an unsuspecting acquaintance is the answer to all of her problems.

Her recs

This IWD, Maxine suggests you check out Ghosts by Dolly Alderton, Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid and The Break by Marian Keyes. You can’t go wrong with any of them!

Kemi Nekvapil, author of POWER

About her book

Kemi taps into her renowned leadership coaching skills to introduce how women can cultivate power from the inside out. Too often, women have their power diminished, but the strongest power is built internally – and this book will help you find it.

Her recs

Get your reading list ready, Kemi has a few recs to share: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo, Braiding Sweet Grass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland, Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, Soil by Camille T Dungy, The Mad Women’s Ball by Victoria Mas and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.

Victoria Devine, author of Property with She’s on the Money

About her book

As you probably know by now, buying property in 2024 is not an easy feat. Thankfully, Victoria breaks it down in this easy-to-understand book. Outlining everything from saving for a deposit to renovating and selling, this book is your one-stop guide to navigating the property market.

Her recs

Victoria is the creator of the #1 finance podcast in Australia, She’s on the Money. So, fittingly, she recommends reading Rich AF by Vivian Tu. If you’d rather reach for something non-finance related, she suggests hopping on the Dolly Alderton hype with either Everything I Know About Love or the author’s newest novel, Good Material.