“Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me.” – Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston was a writer that had long fascinated the Books That Matter team. We were endlessly curious about her story, […]

It was just an off-hand conversation that sparked the idea for the ‘Forgotten Women’ box. “When did you first realise that most of what you read and learned about was by white men?” For me, it was studying English Literature at university. Before then, I hadn’t really given a second thought to who was writing […]

This week, we celebrated International Women’s Day, an awareness day recognised annually on March 8th. It is a day to celebrate the achievements, contributions and acceleration of women across social, cultural, economical and political fields. But it wasn’t always hashtags, special offers, and selfies. Whilst the recognised celebration is a beautiful one, International Women’s Day […]

Brexit is a term that most of us in the UK hear, on estimation, at least once a day. Whether it’s on the radio, on the TV, or in conversation, Brexit is everywhere. The bombardment of information is overwhelming, and the slaloming actions of parliament are becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with. In this […]

Time and Repetition in Jean Rhys’ Good Morning, Midnight By Joanne Norris At the time that Jean Rhys was writing Good Morning, Midnight, expressing the complexities and sadness of the female experience was an uncommon subject. When the novel came out in 1939, it was deemed too depressing. Even as a modern reader, it feels […]

“Focus on your truth, focus on your message, focus on you.” (Eggurue, ‘What A Time To Be Alone’) By Erin Stott Flowering from feminist roots and unapologetic black pride, The Slumflower’s manifesto for self love guides us: on how to take charge of our lives and relationships; how to stay true to ourselves; and how […]

There’s not a lot of literature about inclusive Christmas marketing, and upon a deep-dive Google search, I found there was more to be said against inclusive “holiday” period festivities than for them. Broadly speaking, December is a time of excitement and generosity, whether you celebrate Christmas religiously or not. For many, it is a time […]

When you think of the words ‘self help book,’ what image does that conjure up? For me, it was always something verging on embarrassment. Used for comedic effect (think Bridget Jones and her shelf of books for the unlucky in love), or else simply not spoken about, the self help book holds a strange place […]