The 10th AWID International Forum on Women's Rights and Development was dramatic in its use of all forms of media to express the theme of ‘How Does Change Happen’. The plenaries and sessions featured documentaries, film, cyber dialogues, music, cabaret, power-point overheads and flipcharts to engage the participants. However, old-fashioned books were also a part of the mix with all their complexities, richness and textures. From queues around the booths it is clear that books remain important resources, and by the end of the Forum many publishers were out of stock. In this edition of Book Shelf we provide a brief selection of some of the latest books by feminist writers. Development (2006) 49, 142–145. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100238