The month of February isn't just about Super Bowl halftime performances [1], baby Kardashians (and Jenners) [2], and chocolate spread so rich, you'll need a lie-down [3]. It has also served us a platter of feminist literature so juicy, it will shape the rest of your 2018.
If you have a penchant for nonfiction and are keen to add a few more female role models to your collection, let us suggest four to start you off. All published in February, these honest accounts tackle health, happiness, diet, love, and feminism. They are candid, raw, and refreshing and will add a punch of girl power to your bookshelf.
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
In an Instagram post on the publish date, Dolly Alderton admitted she never knows how to describe her book as if it were an elevator pitch and instead clued the reader in on what they could expect from the journalist's first book. "It's about not being able to face the reality of life and, instead, escaping into fantasy. . . It's about needless drama and bad decisions; people-pleasing and validation-seeking. . . It's about the last decade of my life. It's a love story."
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton [4] (£13)
Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith returns with a book of essays tackling both the fringe and the mainstream. From pop culture to politics, Feel Free blends Smith's humanity, compassion, and intellect to construct commentary on the modern world.
Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith [5] (£20)
Eat Up: Food, Appetite and Eating What You Want by Ruby Tandoh
Ruby Tandoh's approach to eating eradicates the notion of fad diets, clean eating, and "super" foods. Eat Up celebrates food in all its pleasurable glory. Tandoh offers straight-talking advice on the relationship between mental health and appetite, enticing the reader to fall back in love with food.
Eat Up: Food, Appetite and Eating What You Want by Ruby Tandoh [6] (£13)
Misfit by Charli Howard
Charli Howard is about to make you embrace your inner misfit. The model, who has battled anorexia, bulimia, and anxiety, openly pens her journey from underweight to healthy, happy, and comfortable in her own skin, now as a curve model living in New York.
Misfit by Charli Howard [7] (£13)