We’re big fans of Netflix’s new TV show, GLOW, which draws its inspiration from Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling – a real syndicated women’s professional wrestling circuit of the 80s. If you also loved this show and are already anticipating its return, you might be tempted by these literary suggestions.

• The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker – Like GLOW, this brilliant novel explores female friendship and creativity with equal parts humour and heartbreak. Sharon and Mel share a firm but fraught friendship that is underpinned by their intense working relationship – one that has brought them much success. But when tragedy unexpectedly strikes, long-buried resentments rise to the surface and force a reckoning.
  
  
• My Way by Moana Hope – If you’re keen to read more stories of what it’s like for women in the sporting world – then Moana Hope’s autobiography is a great place to start. One of the star players for the inaugural AFL Women’s competition in 2017, hers is a fascinating and inspiring story about doing what you love, despite the challenges along the way.
  
  
• No Way! Okay, Fine. by Brodie Lancaster – We love this essay collection from Melbourne writer Brodie Lancaster that explores the trials and tribulations of growing up through the lens of pop culture. Her fun, snappy offerings will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the ensemble cast and the glitzy, tongue-in-cheek drama of the wrestling scenes in GLOW.
  
  
• Sisterhood Of The Squared Circle by Dan Murphy and Pat Laprade – You might be keen to learn more about women’s wrestling, its history and cultural impact. Dan Murphy and Pat Laprade present an in-depth history of the sport – from the carnival circuit of the late 1800s to today’s hugely popular matches. This book also includes rare photographs from the earlier years.
  
  
• Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong – If you love an interesting and thoughtfully-crafted female character to get stuck into, then Ruth of Goodbye, Vitamin might just hit the spot. Heck, she even has the same name as Alison Brie’s character in GLOW… Our reviewer describes this novel as ‘a joy to read’.
  
  
• The Power by Naomi Alderman – This year’s winner of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, is a work of starling, breathless feminist sci-fi. Set in a future where women develop the ability to kill men with a touch, it might prove an antidote to seeing how the women of GLOW were being compromised within a patriarchal society.
  
  
• Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny – In her second work of fiction, Katherine Heiny has crafted a rueful and frank portrayal of a messy marriage that might just make you laugh out loud. (Our reviewer did!) This novel movingly examines at the way intimate relationships both test and sustain us.
  
  
• Neon Pilgrim by Lisa Dempster – At 28, Lisa Dempster is severely depressed, socially withdrawn and on the dole, and so she decides to embark on a 1200km walking trek around the island of Shikoku, Japan, as a way to reinvigorate her life. This is a personal and humorous read about not having to live by other people’s expectations.
  
  
• The Eighties by Frank Bongiorno – GLOW brilliantly captures the atmosphere of the 80s – the music, the hair, the politics. In this book, Frank Bongiorno looks back at this definitive era as ‘the decade that transformed Australia’.
  
  
• Living the Dream by Lauren Berry – If you’re really in the mood for something else that’s funny and smart, with sly commentary on sexism in the workplace, then try this novel. This is a sharp satire of modern British life that follows two women as they attempt to reconcile their lives with their dreams.