Tag: books

Large black shelves filled with books
Literature

The Value of the Book itself: How Second Hand Books Bring People Together.

Words by Josef Swindell In the process of reading or purchasing a second hand book you will make a connection with another human. Second hand books are valuable due to this as you gain an association with a book that could have easily been neglected or thrown away. You could even learn the thoughts of previous owners due to a books annotations. These are only … Continue reading The Value of the Book itself: How Second Hand Books Bring People Together.

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Literature

Working Towards A Better Future: Union in Literature

Words By Molly Chambers A novel I find particularly interesting and hooking in the way that it explores unions and political pressures is Animal Farm by George Orwell. The intriguing nature of the novel stems from the setting of a farm and a collection of animals to communicate a story structured around changing levels of dictatorship and democracy, in hopes of a better environment for … Continue reading Working Towards A Better Future: Union in Literature

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Literature

Colleen Hoover – Worth the Hype?

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?

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Literature

The Friends to Lovers Trope

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

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Literature

Christmas Classics: What Our Contributors Are Reading This Season

‘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

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Literature

Novels that Truly Outweigh their Film Adaptations

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

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Literature

School’s Out – Our Top Pick For What To Read When You Don’t Have To!

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!

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Literature

Is the Book Community an Echo Chamber?

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?

Catarina Vicente
A picture of a painting from the Regency era.
Literature

How Well Do We Represent Historical Periods in Literature?

by Katherine Waldock Last month, BridgertonÔÇÖs Netflix adaptation surpassed the record for the most watched TV show season in a week. Among the throngs of excited viewers were a stand out few, who admonished the series for its lack of historical accuracy ÔÇô that admonishment being thinly veiled racism. That reaction irritated me to see, especially given the fact that the same audience is perfectly … Continue reading How Well Do We Represent Historical Periods in Literature?

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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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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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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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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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