I’ve been gathering books on my shelf like shells. Like oddly shaped stones against tarmac and shards of glass that glitter in street lights at night, when I’m tipsy on wine and pretty girls, and the yellow glow makes them look like fairy dust, treasure that I scatter around my room like wishes. I’ve been…
Books, Venue
Reading in Times of Covid-19
There’s a common sentiment amongst many bookworms that they miss that childhood feeling of reading book after book, undistracted, watching the pile of completed reads growing beside them. With adult life, this pastime often gets side-lined by our busy schedules and, irritatingly, by the consistent urge to check Instagram every few seconds. Yet the pandemic…
Books, Venue
The Bookish Community: My Crutch During Covid-19
There is an unexpected and overlooked connection created by people when they bond over books. It’s time to bring that to light. I fall into the stereotype of a literature student – someone whose entire world revolves around reading. I find comfort in books, and so do many of my course mates. But, down to…
Books
Do we like romantic subplots in books?
I don’t think authors should incorporate romantic subplots into books which are non-romantic. It drags the reader away from the main plot and may leave them confused if they begin to read about a character’s love life in a thriller or a horror novel. Readers like to be able to follow a story and not…
Books
How much does the author matter?
(Content Warning: mentions of transphobia, anti-Semitism, and racism) Unless you have somehow managed to stay offline for the past three years, you have probably heard at least some of the controversy surrounding Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. Since first being accused of transphobia in 2018 for liking a tweet that described trans women as “men…
Books
How 2020 affected my reading habits
Back in January, in an attempt to read more, I set myself the challenge of reading 30 books in one calendar year. This works out as roughly 1 book every 12 days. I am happy to say (thanks largely to two national lockdowns) at the time of writing I am on book 27 of my…
Books
“Knowledge is the gift that will keep on giving”: why books make good gifts
Receiving a book for Christmas verges on one of two paths: euphoria or dread. In our digitised world, one might say books have become redundant as gifts. In the rise of streaming service entertainment, unwinding in the evening has largely become a case of scrolling through social media. ‘But I don’t like reading!’ I hear…
Books
Most important read of the year: Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given
Unless you have been living under a rock this year, (which, with the way 2020 has gone, I really wouldn’t blame you for) you might have seen the book Women Don’t Owe You Pretty floating around the internet, hailed as the ‘bible’ for modern feminism. Feminism is never an easy topic. It’s always met with…
Books
Most important read of the year: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
(Content Warning: discussion of depression and suicide) The most important book I’ve read this year was The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The story follows 35-year-old Nora, who makes the decision to take her own life. At the stroke of midnight, however, she finds herself in a place called The Midnight Library, stuck between life…
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