29 books you should read for International Women's Day.

Each year on International Women's Day, I always get asked the exact same question, "But when is International Men's day?"

It's Thursday, November 19 2020.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

But, seriously.

There is a good chance that this week, you've already been invited to a tossed-together boardroom event, or a non-threatening guest lecture on about attracting female employees into your predominately male workplace. There's always the standard panel on how to support female leaders. But remember:

Women are already leaders; even when they're not holding 'leadership positions'. Ziauddin Yousafzai, when speaking of his daughter Malala, says she is strong because "I did not clip her wings." He knew that in his world, girls were less-valued than their male counterparts, and he fought against it. It's not difficult for women to thrive in a society that actively fights against biases and entrenched cultural norms. Yes, a black woman is a CFO. Yes, a transgender woman is a teacher. Yes, a woman in a wheelchair is a scientist. Yes, a two-spirit woman is a judge.

So, that brings us to now. What should you do today? Well, it's March 8. It's Sunday and libraries are open until 3 p.m. (or later if you're lucky). I highly recommend picking up book, pouring a nice cup of tea or coffee, and just enjoying yourself. You won't solve gender inequality, the pay gap, sexism, discrimination or misogyny today. But you can read the stories of women (past and present) who put their words to paper. I've put together a list of some of my favorite books and authors. Some of my choices are fiction, some are fact - some are old; some new. Writers like these women push us closer to a more fair and just world, so here is my International Women's Day Book List for 2020:

• Becoming by Michelle Obama (Non Fiction)
• Maid by Stephanie Land (Non Fiction)
• Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (Literary - Man Booker Winner)
• Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat (Cookbook)
• Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley (Sci-Fi)
• If We Were Villains by R.L. Rio (Mystery/Suspense)
• What You Pay For by Claire Askew (Crime/Mystery)
• Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch (Non Fiction)
• The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (Literary)
• I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai (Non Fiction)
• Jazz by Toni Morrison (Literary)
• No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference by Greta Thunberg (Non Fiction)
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Young Adult)
• Washington Black by Edi Edugyan (Man Booker Prize)
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Literary)
• The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (Contemporary)
• The Giver by Lois Lowry (Sci-Fi)
• Hunger, A Memoir of (my) Body by Roxane Gay (Non Fiction)
• The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (Young Adult)
• Internment by Samira Ahmed (Young Adult)
• Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (Young Adult)
• Milkman by Anna Burns (Literary - Man Booker 2018)
• Insidious Intent by Val McDermid (Crime/Mystery)
• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Thriller)
• Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli (Non Fiction)
• Vicious by Victoria Schwab (Young Adult)
• On the Come Up by Angie Thomas (Young Adult)
• Brave by Rose McGowan (Non Fiction)
• Riot Days, the human story of Pussy Riot by Maria Alyokhina (Non Fiction)