I’m Cat, founder of Good Book Club. As a lifelong reader, I noticed that I was often picking up the same sorts of stories. Whether I borrowed from the library or browsed indie bookshops, I always fell into the same patterns, seeking out the latest Murikami novel, or exploring the back catalogues of Norah Ephron. On one weekend book browsing trip I picked up a copy of Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri. I noticed the stylised cover was similar to others on the shelf, and, my interest piqued, I discovered Tilted Axis Press. This was the start of my journey into independent publishers, which opened up a whole new world of reading. With Good Book Club, I wanted to bring my discoveries to more readers.

I’m Tim, co-owner of Good Book Club. Not so long ago, I read exclusively non-fiction. For me, reading was something that was enjoyable, but served a concrete purpose: gathering information. That was until I read Mary Ann Sieghart’s The Authority Gap. I learned that only a small proportion of men read women authors – and even then, they always read the same male-approved writers, and can be reluctant to rate them highly or recommend them. It got me thinking – why don’t I read fiction, by women? And decided to fix it. I’ve been on a mission to turn my reading around ever since, and have been reading almost exclusively fiction by female authors of all backgrounds. With Good Book Club, I hope we can introduce more men to the amazing variety of women writers out there. After all, we’re all in the fight to dismantle the patriarchy together.

I’ve always been a reader. Ever since I was a child reading has been a passion, but it wasn’t until 2019 when a colleague put Circe by Madeleine Miller in my hands that things changed dramatically. At first I read the book out of a sense of duty. But then I found myself desperate to read more about Greek mythology and feminism and queer lives and African literature and translated literature, and before I knew it I was finishing books within a day or two. My interests have developed over the last five years and now I love nothing more than to read women in translation by indie publishers and nonfiction books about intersectional feminism.