Category: Literature

Literature

From Books to Netflix: How did Bridgerton become the most revolutionary period drama

By Soyal Khedkar Upon its release in 2020, Bridgerton became Netflix’s most-watched series and garnered a stunning 82 million views for its first season. After the much-anticipated season two was released in March 2022, the series garnered 2.5 billion views and is still among the Top 10 on Netflix a month after its release. So, it leaves us wondering how Bridgerton became the most revolutionary … Continue reading From Books to Netflix: How did Bridgerton become the most revolutionary period drama

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Literature

Do social issues belong in the books we read?

By Amy Leadbitter Throughout history, novels have been used to inform, educate and expand the horizons of its reader to a variety of social issues. Every genre, from YA, to crime, to romance, has often promoted or explored different social issues of our current world, and for good reason.  The argument that these real-life issues need to stay out of our escapist novel-reading time is … Continue reading Do social issues belong in the books we read?

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Literature

Best writing advice I ever got

By Alanya Smith Do you remember having to find mandatory work experience in senior school? Begrudgingly looking for any opportunity available, typically finding yourself emailing your primary school for a placement even though you never even wanted to go into teaching. I found myself working at my local newspaper for five days in the hope of ÔÇ£breakingÔÇØ into the journalism industry, a fact I was … Continue reading Best writing advice I ever got

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Literature

Is shipping ruining the way we read?

By Aruni Deraniyagala I was around 11 and well into my Harry Potter phase when I discovered shipping and fanfiction. There was even a time when I dabbled in attempts to write  fanfiction myself, but I just didnÔÇÖt have the patience to finish anything I started. I pretty much devoured stories shipping Draco and Hermione, Draco and Harry, and Ginny and Pansy. So looking back … Continue reading Is shipping ruining the way we read?

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Literature

Why are so many authors having their comebacks?

Susanna Clarke with Piranesi Literary comebacks have hit the news in recent years, but why are so many older authors choosing now to publish their sequels, prequels and everything in between? Only time will tell the success of a novel, but for many authors this equates to years gone by before even the mere thought of their next publication.  17 years ago, British author Susanna … Continue reading Why are so many authors having their comebacks?

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Picture of piles of books.
Literature

Are Physical Books Making a Comeback?

By Ruth Hoey When the first lockdown in the UK was introduced in 2020, it brought with it a renewed spark of interest in physical books. While we remained confined to our homes  and barred from bookshops, book sales continued to climb. According to The Guardian, ÔÇ£more than 200m print books were sold in the UKÔÇØ in the year of 2020 when the pandemic first … Continue reading Are Physical Books Making a Comeback?

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Picture showing 3 typical books of the chick-lit genre.
Literature

The Death of Chick-Lit Literature

by Leah Hocking The term ÔÇÿchick-litÔÇÖ usually evokes images of Bridget Jones or the pastel-coloured array of Sophie Kinsella books. Similarly to ÔÇÿchick-flickÔÇÖ films, ÔÇÿchick-litÔÇÖ is a term which was first popularised in the 1990s to describe popular fiction which is targeted at a female audience. The protagonists of chick-lit are predominantly heterosexual women, often in their twenties or thirties, who are dealing with the … Continue reading The Death of Chick-Lit Literature

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Literature

The rise of apocalyptic novels

By Lucia Cubb Zombies, monsters and unavoidable disasters: weÔÇÖve all imagined what it would be like to live in a world that was ending. With the help of apocalyptic novels, visions of world-ending catastrophes written have spurred the imaginative minds of many, and the genre has created a huge market for itself. Dating back to as early as 200 BCE, apocalyptic literature has been around … Continue reading The rise of apocalyptic novels

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Literature

The ‘Gold Digger’ in film and literature

By Hannah Anstee The word ÔÇÿgold diggerÔÇÖ has been around since the 19th century, and while it initially meant anyone that was obsessed with gaining money, by the early 20th century it was being used as an insult specifically aimed at women. Gold diggers are typically portrayed as young, beautiful, self-obsessed women with almost no interests outside of fashion and living a life of luxury. … Continue reading The ‘Gold Digger’ in film and literature

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New year, new TBR.
Literature

New Year, New TBR (list)

One of my many New YearÔÇÖs resolutions for 2022 is to read more and try to branch out of my literary fiction bubble.  When reading I like to stick with what I know, which tends to be fiction,but this year IÔÇÖd like to try more non-fiction books, in particular autobiographies by influential women in politics. Top of my list is ÔÇÿBecoming Michelle Obama,ÔÇÖ and ÔÇÿThe … Continue reading New Year, New TBR (list)

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Collage of the covers of The Wolf's Den and Rule of Wolves.
Literature

Looking back at the best 2021 releases

The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper The Wolf Den was Elodie HarperÔÇÖs debut novel, released in May 2021 ÔÇô and oh my,  what a debut. Set in Roman Pompeii, the story follows Amara navigating her new life as a brothel prostitute ÔÇô having been sold when her respectable Greek family ran out of money. The story is vivid and moving; it amplifies the lost voices … Continue reading Looking back at the best 2021 releases

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Literature

Movies That Were Better than the Books

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Based on the 2012 best-selling thriller by Gillian Flynn, the film Gone Girl has arguably become a cult classic. The story follows Nick Dunne, a small-town bar owner who becomes a suspect in the disappearance of his picture-perfect wife, Amy. Aside from the perfect casting (what else better encapsulates Nick DunneÔÇÖs energy than Ben AffleckÔÇÖs awkward side smirk?), David FincherÔÇÖs … Continue reading Movies That Were Better than the Books

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Collage of Sally Rooney next to the books she's written.
Literature

Sally Rooney Boycotts Israeli Publisher in Solidarity with Palestinian Rights Group

by George Gourlay Renowned Irish author Sally Rooney has just released her highly anticipated third novel, entitled Beautiful World Where Are You, to much acclaim. It climbed to number one on the Sunday Times Bestsellers upon release, and a review by Brandon Taylor for The New York Times described it as RooneyÔÇÖs ÔÇ£best novel yetÔÇØ. Waterstones has said that the novel was their biggest hardback … Continue reading Sally Rooney Boycotts Israeli Publisher in Solidarity with Palestinian Rights Group

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Drawing of a girl by @artsyfifi
Creative Writing, Literature

body and soul; the art of acceptance.

written by Iqmal Handan / art by @artsyfifi it was the morning of a rainy day that made me take off every cloth covering my skin, i stripped myself nude, gently disconnecting the fabric touching my delicate complexion,unveiling the very scars and uneven skin tone that i have always been insecure of since i was alittle kid. i allowed these pair of eyes to look … Continue reading body and soul; the art of acceptance.

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Picture of people reading at the beach.
Literature

Books That Feel Like Summer

by Leah Hocking ‘The Girls’ by Emma Cline Based on the infamous Manson family cult and murders, this book tells the story of Californian teenager Evie Boyd in the summer of 1969.  Estranged from her divorced parents, lonely, bored, and desperate for female companionship, Evie becomes caught up in a cult based at a nearby ranch, complete with callous, charismatic leader stand-in Russell, his adoring … Continue reading Books That Feel Like Summer

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Collage of books The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.
Literature

Books To Buy Your Loved Ones

The Midnight Library by Eve Davies An epitome of the proverb ÔÇÿthe grass isnÔÇÖt always greenerÔÇÖ, The Midnight Library is the thought-provoking story of Nora Seed who, fed up with feeling like a failure, decides to take her own life. Instead of death, Nora finds herself in limbo, in a library where each volume represents a version of her life that could have been. She … Continue reading Books To Buy Your Loved Ones

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Collage of a skyline with the '1984' eye in the background.
Literature

What If: A Closer Look at Dystopian Speculative Fiction

By Bryony Wright Dystopian fiction is becoming more and more relevant. WeÔÇÖre living in an age of ÔÇÿdoom and gloomÔÇÖ: turn on the TV, and youÔÇÖll see apocalyptic scenes caused by global warming. Walk down the street, and Orwellian public surveillance systems watch your every move. ItÔÇÖs no wonder, then, that writers increasingly choose to take to dystopian fiction to voice their concerns about the … Continue reading What If: A Closer Look at Dystopian Speculative Fiction

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