This Thursday saw International Women’s Day, and today in the UK we celebrate Mother’s Day. I decided to combine these two wonderful days for celebrating the women in our lives and give some more book recommendations!

Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

Anyone who has seen the BBC drama series based on this book will know that the show (and the books it’s based on) is a celebration of women and mothers from all walks of life. The memoirs of a midwife working in some of the poorest parts of London in the 1950s, Call the Midwife celebrates the role that women and mothers play in both our individual lives and our society.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Set in Amsterdam in the 17th Century, The Miniaturist tells the story of Nella Oortman, an 18-year-old girl who is been sent to marry a merchant. As she uncovers the secrets of him, his house, and his family, we get to see how the prejudices and injustices of the time force their narrative.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Okay, so it’s no secret that I love Pride and Prejudice. (Cue shameless plug for The Story of Lizzy and Darcy). The fierce Lizzy Bennet, one of the best-loved literary heroines of all time, remains one of my favourite book characters, and her well-meaning if overbearing mother is one of the best-known mothers in literature. It truly is a timeless classic, and (like most classics written by women) never asks our heroines to compromise on their personality, their opinions, or their morals. Instead, we have a wonderful love story between two flawed people who, after a terrible first impression (and not much improvement on the second, or third, or fourth…) fall in love. Damn, it’s a good book.

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

I’m a huge Pratchett fan (Pratchetteer?) and this is one of my favourites of his. The book works on the principle that, if we hear all these stories about women dressing up as men to go to war, surely by this point all of the army are in fact men dressed up as women? Monstrous Regiment explores ideas of gender, expectations, family, love, identity, all wrapped up in a fantasy adventure as a group of women end a war. 

Room by Emma Donoghue

Told through the eyes of a five-year-old boy, Room tells the story of a captive mother, kept locked up in the garden shed of her abuser, raising her young son. The film is also fantastic, and I would highly recommend both. It’s a story of abuse, recovery, family, and resilience.

These are just some of my favourites, and I would love to read more books about fantastic women! Let me know which books you would recommend :)

Happy reading!

Grace xx