Mark International Women's Day and Women's History Month with LoveReading

March is all about celebrating women's achievements with both Women's History Month and International Women's Day. And here at LoveReading we'll do what we do best, curate a fabulous list of brilliant books to join the celebration.

What is Women's History Month?

Women’s History Month is an annual celebration in March that highlights the contributions of women to history, culture, and society.

Recognising often-overlooked contributions of women in history, it encourages discussions about gender equality and women's rights and looks to inspire future generations by showcasing female role models. And hurrah for that.

What is International Women's Day?

Celebrated on the 8th March every year it's a global campaign that focuses on honouring the achievements across all aspects of life. This includes celebrating historic figures and advocating for gender equality now and in the future.

International Women's Day was first celebrated in 1911 and there's still lots of work to do when it comes to raising awareness and campaigning for gender equality through persistent issues like the gender pay gap, lack of representation in leadership roles and unequal access to opportunities and education. The global outlook at the moment looks bleak and so it's more important than ever that we make the most of these occasions to amplify women's voices.

Books for International Women's Day

Whether you're wanting to dive into the depths of human emotion or indulge in the extraordinary range of feminist-minded fiction on offer, we have a tonnes of book recommendations that centre women regardless of the style, genre and themes you're searching for.

Katy Brent's sassy anti-heroine Kitty Collins brings a twisted twist to feminine rage. Starting with How to Kill Men and Get Away With It, these twisted, twisting serial killer page-turners "turn the tables on male predators in outrageous, darkly comic style". Fans should also make sure they've read Bella Mackie's How to Kill Your Family and Julie Mae Cohen's Bad Men.

For those looking for a feminist reimagining of classics, take a look at books like Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons which subverts Romeo and Juliet into an edge of your seat thriller for our times. Jessie Burton's Medusa is a story finally giiving voice to the famous Greek gorgon, and Sandra Newman's Julia offers an un-put-downable feminist companion to Orwell's 1984.

The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird is a dark and dazzling debut set in 1950s America on a divorce ranch that "unpacks female friendship, charisma, patriarchal constraints, and the desire for freedom with tinderbox tingles and thought-provoking punch".

In "spellbinding un-coming-of-age story" How to Be Somebody Else by Miranda Pountney shows a 30-something Briton break her own boundaries and unravel her life. She walks out on her career, then apartment with experiments that test loyalties and boundaries until she is forced to confront her future. It's a showstopping debut performance on the literary stage and we can’t wait to read what Pountney writes next.

Books for Women's History Month

Women's History Month and International Women's Day have the overlap of celebrating women's achievements and shining a light on historic female figures which is reflected in the selection of non-fiction books in this collection. Explore people, times and places you've heard of and some you haven't to understand more about the female contribution to history and society today.

Offering a "ground-breaking new perspective on human evolution." Eve by Cat Bohannon answers questions that should have been addressed by scientists for decades. An urgent and necessary revision of human history and evolution that focused on the male body for far too long. Eve featured on the inaugural Women's Prize for Non-fiction longlist.

All That She Carried by Tiya Miles is another Women's Prize for Non-Fiction selection, making it to the shortlist in 2024. This poignant story of resilience not only recalls how an enslaved woman faced the crisis of the imminent sale of her daughter. Harvard historian Tiya Mies carefully traces these women's faint presence in archival records before having to turn to objects, art and the environment when the records fall short creating a singular history of the experience of slavery and the uncertain freedom afterward.

Janina Ramirez's Femina is a LoveReading Star Book described as "inspiring, fascinating, and addictively moreish, this is a seriously serious and compelling look at some of the women who feature in medieval history". See the medieval world with fresh eyes and learn why these remarkable women were removed from our collective memories.

Blockbuster author Philippa Gregory first wrote Normal Women in 2023. A culmination of her life's work, this ambitious and ground-breaking book tells the story of England over 900 years. However, for the very first time women are no longer invisible but at its beating heart. Now this book has been adapted for teen readers. A story of ingenuity, diversity, rebellion, survival and sisterhood illustrated throughout by Alexis Snell.

Scroll to find LoveReading's 50 book recommendations to satisfy your bookish need this International Women's Day and every day.

Educating the Future Generation

It is important that everyone celebrates the achievements of women and men while working for equality. This is most important when it comes to educating the future generation. If you have children and you would like to support their knowledge for International Women’s Day, head over to our LoveReading4Kids blog post.