The EFWiL Shelf Indulgence Book Club 26/27

The EFWiL Shelf Indulgence Book Club brings together legal professionals with current Edinburgh Law School staff and students to read four books together over the academic year.

After exploring female friendship last year, the Book Club is turning its attention to the world of work. Through fiction and non-fiction, we’ll explore women’s experiences of work, ambition, identity and the social and economic systems that shape our working lives – from the frustrations of the contemporary office to women’s labour and economic independence in very different historical settings.

The four books selected for 2026/27 are:

• Discontent by Beatriz Serrano – a darkly funny and sharply observed novel about office life, alienation and the sometimes uneasy relationship between work and identity. 
• The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See – historical fiction following the lives and work of the haenyeo, the remarkable female diving communities of Korea’s Jeju Island, exploring women’s labour, economic independence, friendship and resilience across decades of social and political change. 
• Work Won’t Love You Back by Sarah Jaffe – a thought-provoking challenge to the idea that we should love our jobs, examining how ideals of passion and vocation can obscure overwork, insecurity and the undervaluing of labour. 
• Workhorse by Caroline Palmer – a novel about ambition, productivity and the pressures of professional life, asking what happens when success at work becomes inseparable from our sense of who we are. 

Together, the books approach women and work from very different perspectives, cultures and periods. We’ll be asking questions about ambition and fulfilment, meaningful and invisible labour, economic independence, workplace culture, burnout, professional identity, and who gets to define what a successful working life looks like.

The books are funded by the Edinburgh Foundation for Women in Law (EFWiL), and members will receive a free paperback copy of each book we read. Discussions will take place in person and online, with joining information shared closer to each meeting.

Please note: You must sign up using your university or organisation email address. Places in the club are limited to 20 and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Places will be communicated once registration closes on 23 September 2026.

If the Book Club is oversubscribed, we will prioritise those who consider themselves to be widening participation students. We define this fairly broadly, so if you are unsure whether you fall within the University’s widening participation criteria, please get in touch and we can advise.

Event Link

Register via Eventbrite