If you were lucky enough to snap up one of our Season of the Witch boxes, you may have spotted a page in the magazine dedicated to feminist Halloween reads to dip into throughout October. If the gorgeous book covers weren’t enough to draw you in, here is a bit more information about each of […]

Books That Matter is all about introducing you to stories and characters that will empower and inspire you. These are some of our absolute favourite Strong Female Leads! Literature has provided us with a wealth of kickass female protagonists whose wit, intelligence and resilience have inspired readers for years, decades and even centuries. Highlighting all […]

We love Elif Shafak, if that wasn’t entirely clear… This month, in partnership with Penguin, we are celebrating all things Elif Shafak. If you’re searching for a truly inspirational woman, look no further. Here are 5 reasons you should get to know her, if you don’t already. She’s an International Feminist Icon Elif is an […]

The second in our series, in this blog we spotlight Audre Lorde, the American writer, feminist, and civil rights activist. Self-described as “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet”, Lorde’s work continues to inspire us as she combatted racism, sexism and homophobia through her writing. Audre Lorde was a 20th century American writer and poet, born in […]

Translation Partnerships in Focus: Han Kang/Deborah Smith & Elena Ferrante/Ann Goldstein I imagine the process of assigning a translator to a book must be a bit like matchmaking. Rather than deciding if two people might have a romantic connection, a publisher must ask themselves whether the translator will connect with the text. Will they be […]

It’s scary to think that lockdown has made that magical feeling of turning a corner and spotting a bookish treasure trove a thing of the past. Wandering through the rows and rows of those undiscovered stories calling your name seems like a dream away. What’s even scarier is the fact that this feeling may never […]

Despite the upending of pretty much every part of our lives, COVID-19 has not taken away our love of books. Wonderful bookworms everywhere have been sharing their favourite reads, new releases and read-alongs with people all over the world. As August is Women in Translation month we thought we’d share some uplifting stories of how […]

There is a proverb that says, “if you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go together”. I’ve found this to be true and it’s what, for me, makes the sisterhood aspect of this month’s Liberté, Egalité, Sororité theme so important. For liberty and equality to mean something it […]

Here at Books That Matter we wanted to recommend some must-read LGBTQ+ literature to celebrate Pride Month. Of course, we encourage you to engage with these incredible authors throughout the year. However, it is especially important as we protest for and remember the oppression of LGBTQ+ communities both historically and today. We’ve included some fiction, […]

When the 1991 shortlist for the Booker Prize was announced, none of the authors were women despite 60% of books published that year being written by women. When the press brought this glaring omission to everyone’s attention, a group of industry professionals met to discuss how they could change things. The Women’s Prize Committee was […]