By Mia Coley Colleen Hoover. If you are on TikTok or have any interest in books you will have heard her name. She is a number one New York Times bestselling author of seventeen novels and novellas (as of Jan 2023) and has sold millions of copies globally. Her books tend to fall under the romance genre, filled with steamy sex scenes complete with intimate … Continue reading Colleen Hoover – Worth the Hype?
By Lucia Cubb ÔÇÿThe pen between my fingers is sensuous, alive almost, I can feel its power, the power of the words it contains.ÔÇÖ (Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale) For years, the world of writing and literature was dominated by the male hand: to write was considered an inappropriate and unsuitable activity for women, leaving females forced to publish anonymously or behind the pen name … Continue reading Pen is Envy? I DonÔÇÖt Think So.
By Ellie-Anne Davies The picture of a lush green landscape, blue skies and a while stallion mounted by a glimmering suit of armour is not an unfamiliar concept to us today. The knight is often branded as the hero, a protagonist and the pinnacle of masculinity in many a tale, but now we see the character in conflict with so many social changes and ideas … Continue reading Chivalry Is Not Dead: The Image of the Knight
By Jasmine Jones The anticipated new memoir from Prince Harry, is a complicated and explosive book. It paints a sad and unbelievably raw account of the experience of growing up inside one of the most famous families, and has broken all records upon release becoming the UKÔÇÖs best-selling memoir ever in just the first week of sales. From the impact of his motherÔÇÖs death, to … Continue reading Momentous or Mockery? Spare – Review
Far from being just a day to celebrate St Valentine, the 14th of February is also Library LoversÔÇÖ Day – the perfect time to reflect on books about love! Our contributors have discussed their favourite books about love and romance, and why they hold a special place in their hearts. Milk Fed- Melissa Broder by Laura Mae Possible trigger warning: Disordered eating. One of my … Continue reading Library Lovers’ Day
By Anushka Kar Romance as a genre provides many individuals ÔÇô the majority of them being women ÔÇô as some sort of fantasy standard of their ideal partner, because, well, reality doesnÔÇÖt always provide this. Within romance comes many different tropes between two lovers, and the one I want to delve into for the sake of February and its all-encompassing ValentineÔÇÖs sentiment, is the friends … Continue reading The Friends to Lovers Trope
By Haris Hussnain The primaeval age saw the rise and fall of the dragon empire. Scarlet dragons stood for justice and leadership. They sought to unite the other fighting mortals of the primaeval era with their pacifistic beliefs, peace, and harmony. Other creatures marvelled at the sight of their scarlet scales and the sound of the melodic language they spoke. Dragons lived in a golden … Continue reading Dragonism
Reading is the ultimate form of escapism – whether it’s fantasy, historical, or travel fiction, we all have places in novels that we like to escape to and would love to visit IRL. Ranging from Hogwarts to 221B Baker Street, our contributors give us their views on the places they’d most like to visit. Ella Collis The magical and mysterious world of Narnia is one … Continue reading ÔÇÿImagine Living ThereÔÇÖ – Imaginary Places in Literature that We Love
By Jasmine Dodd Who was Raymond Briggs? Inspired by his death at 88 years old in August this year, there has been a wave of melancholy when looking at Raymond Briggs’ iconic writings and illustrations. Celebrated for creating the classic, The Snowman (1978), Raymond Briggs was nationally cherished for his classic stories and illustrations which include: The Snowman (1978), When the Wind Blows (1982), Father … Continue reading Remembering Raymond Briggs
‘Tis the season! As the autumn term draws to a close and everyone heads home for the holidays, there’s no better way to unwind and get into the festive spirit than with a seasonal read – preferably in front of an open fire and with a hot chocolate in hand! Here are some our contributors’ favourite reads at this time of year, to give you … Continue reading Christmas Classics: What Our Contributors Are Reading This Season
By Lucy Matthews If putting cucumber on my eyes Is meant to block out bad vibes And rising at 5AM Sets me apart from them Why am I still not enough? Practicing self love is proving to be tough┬á Yoga doesnÔÇÖt dry my tears And no amount of journaling Cancels out the self loathing I have gathered over the years Loving yourself is a scam … Continue reading Self-Helpless
Written by Rubie Barker ÔÇ£The UKÔÇÖs most prestigious annual book award celebrating & honouring fiction written by womenÔÇØ – thatÔÇÖs how the Women’s Prize for Fiction describes itself on its website. For 27 years, the award has been a respected and prestigious award in the world of fiction and publishing, with anticipation surrounding the longlist, shortlist and winner each year. Yet in recent years there … Continue reading The Women’s Prize For Fiction – Why We Still Need It
The Little Mermaid A lot of the classic Disney stories that we grew to love as children originate from much darker folk tales. RapunzelÔÇÖs prince was thrown into thorns and blinded, CinderellaÔÇÖs stepsisters cut off their toes and heels to fit into the glass slipperÔǪthe list goes on. Hans Christian AndersonÔÇÖs original stories were more frightening tales with warnings, rather than happy ever afters. But … Continue reading How Was This For Kids?
By Ashleigh Adams The character of the witch has been a mainstay in literature for centuries, with depictions ranging from menacing to aspirational. In modern media there is a wide variety of witchy stories; traditional portrayals present a sort of transgressive femininity, showcasing women who are old, vain, and power-hungry. Spectators have long enjoyed the witch as the ultimate horror, the abject woman. Old, ugly … Continue reading Toil and Trouble: The Character of the Witch in Literature
With many stories being adopted by the film industry and transformed into movies or TV shows, we can find excitement in discovering that our favourite book will soon be on screen. However, the disappointment can be all too real when we realise the producers failed to bring the novel any justice. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ÔÇô J.R.R Tolkien J.R.R. … Continue reading Novels that Truly Outweigh their Film Adaptations
My Favorite Childhood Reads By Ashleigh Adams Since the age of 10, I’ve been a devoted book lover, which I owe to the many stories I read when growing up – whenever I think back to my favourite childhood stories, I always remember how excited and warm they made me feel. One of the first books I adored was my childhood best friendÔÇÖs beautiful edition … Continue reading Remembering our Childhood
By Jamil Akram Receipts I kept your receipts folded, battered, but still yours. When you were down, I showed you it, and when I was down, I read it. I wonder if you still buy those flowers, or use the vase. Maybe I need to throw you out. Continue reading Poem – Receipts
With university finished for the summer, this is the perfect time to relax with a good book. My first recommendation is Richard OsmanÔÇÖs The Thursday Murder Club series. Both books follow a group of pensioners living in a retirement village, who work to solve murders together. Osman delivers light-hearted, easy reads with lovable characters, witty dialogue, heart-warming moments, and many twists which keep you hooked! … Continue reading School’s Out – Our Top Pick For What To Read When You Don’t Have To!
To continue a trend that last year’s editors started, this year’s Literature Editors, Catarina Vicente and Shivika Singh, wanted to write a final article on our recommendations. Catarina Vicente on The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett Three years of university, three years of books. I always find endings sad, and finishing uni is no different, but I can confidently say that my time at Quench … Continue reading Our Goodbyes: the Final Recommendation List from the 2021/2022 Literature Editors
by Catarina Vicente In online book communities, it is usual for creators, in their quest to reach wider audiences and become more popular, to replicate certain ideas or trends that more famous creators have done previously. This is fine and well ÔÇô unless itÔÇÖs done on a major scale. Suddenly, the community is consumed by the same few creators, who promote the same few books, … Continue reading Is the Book Community an Echo Chamber?
