Today is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the achievements of women. What better time to highlight our favourite female authors?

1. J.K. Rowling

On this day how can we not celebrate the woman who gave us Hermione Granger and Minerva McGonagall? Rowling’s books feature female characters who are brave, resourceful, intelligent, witty, and everything in between, and Rowling herself is an inspiration to women everywhere.

Recommended book: Harry Potter

2. V.E. Schwab

Victoria Schwab is a force of nature; a bestselling fantasy author with a huge fanbase, her best-known work is the Shades of Magic trilogy. Her writing is fierce and spiky, her characters witty and brave, and she writes some of the best descriptions of magic I’ve ever read.

Recommended book: A Darker Shade of Magic

3. Philippa Gregory

The queen of historical fiction, Gregory’s speciality is the Tudors but she has also written about other historical periods, including the Plantagenets and post-World War I. Her female characters are often ruthless and flawed but likeable all the same.

Recommended book: Wideacre

4. Malorie Blackman

Blackman is most well known for her Noughts and Crosses series, a Romeo and Juliet-inspired story set in a dystopian future in which dark-skinned Crosses rule over white-skinned noughts with an iron fist. Her work covers pertinent issues such as racism, terrorism and justice.

Recommended book: Noughts and Crosses

5. Gillian Flynn

If there’s one thing Flynn excels at, it’s writing flawed female characters who inspire both empathy and disgust. Her most well-known character has to be Amy Dunne from Gone Girl, an intelligent woman with a merciless cruel streak.

Recommended book: Sharp Objects

6. Donna Tartt

Two of my favourite books ever written are by Donna Tartt. In 2014 she won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction with the fantastic (and somewhat divisive) The Goldfinch. Though she often focuses on male protagonists, her stories are peopled with lots of different types of characters and often focuses on morality and identity.

Recommended book: The Secret History

7. Tabitha Suzuma

Suzuma typically writes YA novels but her beautiful and insightful writing will definitely appeal to adult readers. Her books often centre on themes of family and mental illness.

Recommended book: A Note of Madness

8. Karen Maitland

Maitland is a brilliant writer who has carved out a niche of herself, writing dark historical fiction with elements of the supernatural. Her stories are set in medieval times and she manages to bring the filth and superstition of this era to life on the page.

Recommended book: Company of Liars

9. Robin Hobb

Hobb is another fantasy author with a huge following, having written 20 books during her illustrious career. Her female characters are strong and brave without becoming clichés; some are assassins, some are mothers, all are inspiring.

Recommended book: Assassin’s Apprentice

10. Sarah Waters

Sarah Waters is an award-winning author of six books and is known for writing historical novels featuring lesbian protagonists. Her characters are often selfish and a little bit lost, inspiring both disdain and sympathy.

Recommended book: Tipping the Velvet