Today's post is a bit different from my normal content, but I had this idea last month and I had to do it. I am a huge fan of Sex Education on Netflix, specifically Maeve Wiley. She is a badass, a feminist and an icon. I love her character and part of that is her love for books, specifically feminist ones. So, in today's blog post I thought I would share with you some books that fans of Maeve Wiley will enjoy. If you haven't seen the show, don't worry! There are no spoilers in here for it.
 |
| Taken from Google Images |
Contemporary Books
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
Moxie is a YA Contemporary about a group of young women at high school starting a feminist revolution against the sexism they face every day. It's about to become a movie on Netflix, coming out on March 3rd. Maeve is a feminist through and through. I feel this is a book she'd enjoy as it's about taking down the patriarchy. If you are looking for something fun and feminist, then look no further than Moxie. I'd also recommend Jennifer's other book, The Truth About Alice, a slightly darker book, but one with a great female main character.
The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed
The Nowhere Girls is also a YA Contemporary, but it's much darker than Moxie. This is about three ordinary girls coming together "avenge the rape" of a fellow classmate. The three girls learn of what has happened to their classmate, who has had to flee as she is being victim shamed, and they form the Nowhere Girls to seek justice for her. I read it back in 2018 and I remember it being very moving, especially with the #MeToo movement happening at the time. Both of these books are about young women standing up and speaking out against the truly horrifying, everyday things that most women go through. It will make you want to get up and get involved. Like I said, this is a much darker book, and tackles some heavy issues (not that Moxie doesn't), so I'd be aware of that before going into it.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Hate U Give is my final YA Contemporary book on the list. This is a well beloved YA Contemporary about a young woman named Starr who witnesses the police murder her friend because they are two black teenagers in a car. It's since been turned into a very successful film adaptation. This book came out around the time the Black Lives Matter movement really got some momentum, especially in the UK. I had the pleasure of meeting Angie Thomas in April 2017. Similar to The Nowhere Girls, this does a brilliant job of highlighting the issue and educating. Angie's books are amazing, I've read two of them and loved them both. If you are interested in more political books from female authors of colour, then I'd recommend The Hate U Give.
Fantasy Books
Serpent&Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Branching out into fantasy, the first book on my list is Serpent&Dove. This is one of my favourite books from the past few years because of Lou. Lou is one of our protagonists. Set in a fictitious 16th century France, where witches are outlawed and there are witch hunters, it is about Lou (a witch) and Reid (a witch hunter) being forced to marry. Lou is a feminist icon and it will take a lot to change my mind. She doesn't take no from no one and doesn't let her gender hold her back in a very male dominant world. Lou is the reason I fell in love with this book. Shelby Mahurin, the author, is also a really fun writer to read from. These books are fun and fantastical, with fierce female characters. And yes, I wrote that sentence to see how many "f" words I could include.
The Poppy War by R.F Kuang
The Poppy War is a recent fantasy read. It is inspired by Chinese Imperial Wars, set in a world ravaged by war, orphan Rin manages to bag a place at the prestigious military academy and follows her journey from there. Rin is another amazing character. I feel her role is a very traditionally male one and it was refreshing to see it from a woman's perspective. Rin is a badass. She does some truly epic things in this book. I'm not sure I've ever read a fantasy book like this from a female writer before. I cannot wait to continue with the series. I will say that it does have some very brutal/gory moments, this is a book about war after all, so be aware of that going in.
Non-Fiction Books
Women&Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard
This is a book every feminist should read. Mary Beard is a well known academic in the UK, I've seen her on various TV shows, but this was the first time I had read from her. It's about looking at classic female characters, mostly from Greek and Roman mythology, and looking at them from a feminist perspective. It's about highlighting the everyday sexism that still occurs, while comparing it to these stories. This book will make you angry, because sadly I can guarantee at least one of these things has happened to you. It will make you think. If you are looking to get into more feminist non-fiction, this is easy to read and it's on the short side. I'd 100% recommend it. If this is the only book you read from this list, then I will have done what I set out to do.
How Should One Read A Book? by Virginia Woolf
I couldn't not talk about books for fans of Maeve Wiley and not put a Virginia Woolf book on here. Maeve loves Virginia Woolf. I had read Mrs Dalloway in college and I did not like it, but then I saw this book floating around bookstagram and I had some Christmas money, so I got it. As the title suggests this is a book about reading books. Mostly about how you should read what you enjoy and find fun. It is a sweet little book about books that any book lover would love.
Those are my book recommendations for fans of Maeve Wiley from Sex Education. Do you have any recommendations?
Carenza :) x
