5 Must-Read Books to Celebrate International Women's Day

International Women’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate the incredible women who have shaped our world, both past and present. One of the best ways to do this is by diving into books that highlight powerful female voices. Whether it’s through thought-provoking fiction or empowering stories, reading is a way to connect with the experiences of women across different cultures and times. To help you celebrate, here are 5 must-read books that will inspire, educate and spark conversation this International Women’s Day.

The Calendar Mums by Lauren McKellar

The Hickory Creek Community Centre is a lifeline for new mums. So when a bad case of black mould threatens to end the only women’s services available in their small town, a new mothers’ group bands together to save it. Their plan? Create a fundraiser calendar featuring themselves … in the nude. As the mothers bare all, it doesn’t take long for them to start baring their secrets too. Stay-at-home mum Rhea is hopeful this project will be enough to distract her from the gnawing guilt she’s been feeling about her dissatisfaction with being ‘just’ a mum. Single mother Samantha is recovering from a heartbreaking loss and isn’t sure if the anxiety she’s feeling is normal or not. And everyone says new-to-town Tahlie is so lucky to have such a present and supportive partner in Hamish, the town’s golden boy. So why does she feel so lonely? As the calendar takes shape, the women begin to reclaim their identities, embrace their imperfections and forge new friendships. And perhaps the most unexpected result of all, in their bid to save the community centre, they just might also save a life …

Buy a copy of The Calender Mums here.

The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens

Tasmania, 1874. Growing up in the impoverished tenements along the Hobart Rivulet, Harriet Brown is used to doing whatever it takes to survive. Including, at just twelve years old, shearing off her hair and pretending to be a boy to secure a job as label-paster at the George Peacock and Sons jam factory. Four years later, the deceit becomes too much to bear and Harriet risks everything on the chance at a future with her ambitious friend and workmate Henry Jones. But this decision forces her into a new deception: play the role of expert jam maker, or else be cast out onto the streets. As the secrets and lies grow, Harriet is driven to more and more desperate choices. Choices that will end with a dangerous secret which, if discovered, could destroy not only her life but the lives of those she loves and protects. Intertwined with the fascinating history of the Tasmanian jam industry and the striking historical figure Henry Jones, The Jam Maker is a tale of danger, deceit and the desperate measures one woman will take to succeed in love and life.

Buy a copy of The Jam Maker here.

Geraldine by Andrea Thompson

The story of a woman who changes the world that wants to change her. Geraldine is born with an adventurer’s heart. Whether it is sneaking out of home in Yorkshire, escaping from boarding school in Rhodesia, or buying hormones from the local speed dealer in Weston-super-Mare, Geraldine is wide open to all the world has to offer – even if the world doesn’t know what to make of Geraldine. Arriving in Australia as an adolescent, Geraldine will use music as the key to unlock her soul. And as a woman, she will find a way to inspire others, and to be accepted for herself.

Buy a copy of Geraldine here.

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

In 1581, Emilia Bassano is allowed no voice of her own. But as the Lord Chamberlain’s mistress she has access to the theatre and finds a way to bring her work to the stage secretly. But creating some of the world’s greatest dramatic masterpieces comes at a cost: by paying a man for the use of his name, she will write her own out of history. His name? William Shakespeare. In present day Manhattan, playwright Melina Green has written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. Although the challenges are different four hundred years later, the playing field is still not level for women in theatre. Is Melina—like Emilia—willing to forfeit her credit as author, to see her work performed?

Buy a copy of By Any Other Name here.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Your ability to change everything – including yourself – starts here Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, she would be the first to point out that there is no such thing. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very unscientific view of equality. Forced to leave her job at the institute, she soon finds herself the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show, Supper at Six. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo. One molecule at a time.