The story begins at Heathrow Airport. Lily arrives tearful and anxious, doing a bad job at putting on a brave face for the sake of her parents. Although overwhelmed and regretting the decisions she made that brought her here, she is determined to see her plans through and become the carefree and confident girl she wants to be. Lily is embarking on a backpacking trip … Continue reading Gringa Girl: Author Lauren Dittmer on Her Debut Novel
Hazel Ravu on Cookie When thinking about the long-term ramifications derived from overreading Jacqueline Wilson novels during my adolescence, I automatically think of Cookie as the book which left the most scars. Yes, the tale does encompass the seriousness of domestic abuse, with the main character and her mother as victims of their father and husbandÔÇÖs aggression. This perhaps can be agreed as a challenging … Continue reading The 5 Jacqueline Wilson Books that Scarred Us for Life
Maya Deane on Lord of the Flies To many students, GoldingÔÇÖs Lord of the Flies was one of those books that you were forced to study when you were around 15 years old. Whilst covering themes such as human nature, religion and social hierarchy, the book mostly serves as a fantastic introduction to how society fails to provide young men with skills such as empathy … Continue reading What’s the Big Deal? 5 Classic Novels that Deserve Their Hype
by Alex Daud Briggs. J.K. Rowling has had a few controversies over the years but the latest has plunged her into some deep water. Twitter has given everyone a voice and some of our favourite authors have not been saying nice things. Rowling has been found supporting a transphobic speaker and later posting what many saw as a hateful comment regarding trans rights, stating that … Continue reading Problematic Authors: Should We Separate the Writer from the Writing?
by Kate Waldock I am a Twilight fan. I mean like, next-level Twilight fan. I have all the books, I read the spin-offs and I had a huge Breaking Dawn poster that took up way too much space on my wall. At 12 years old, IÔÇÖd ask my mum to get me magazines if they had Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson strewn across the front pages. I bought the ten-year … Continue reading Review: Midnight Sun
Have you ever had that experience of finishing a deeply anticipated read – perhaps it was hyped up on social media or maybe it was considered as a classic, only to finish it thinkingÔǪthat was not good? Us too, and in this article our contributors are confessing the popular books that they believe just werenÔÇÖt all that. The Catcher in the Rye By Catarina Vicente … Continue reading Popular Books We Kinda Hate
By Sahina Sherchan. ÔÇ£Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.ÔÇØ This is not an easy read. Toni MorrisonÔÇÖs Beloved is about remembrance, a visit from the past disrupting the easy ignorance. We can no longer brush off conversations about slavery and the inequality that still persists in our society. This is a book in dedication to the ÔÇ£sixty million … Continue reading Review: Beloved by Toni Morrison
Words by Sofia Brizio Self-publishing is the publication of a book by its author without the involvement of a traditional, established publisher. It is a phenomenon that has become increasingly popular in recent years, but why is it so? Where does it come from? What makes self-publishing an often more viable option than traditional publishing and what does it mean for the future of traditional … Continue reading Self-Publishing 101: Why Is It So Popular and Is It Really a Bad Thing?
by Daniel Brown. When you hear the words ÔÇ£science fiction,ÔÇØ it is incredibly likely that you will end up thinking of something like Star Wars or, since this is a literary article, possibly a book by Asimov. Sci-Fi is commonly put into the same category as young adult and teen fiction, and Sci-Fi novels are very rarely put on the same level or considered comparable … Continue reading Science Fiction ÔÇô More to the Story than You Might Expect
by Katie Waits. Without a doubt, for many of us, literature has been an important part of our lives for the last few months. Whether youÔÇÖve sought out your favourite story for a sense of comfort, settled down with an interesting educational read, or started making your way through your ever-growing pile of unread books, lockdown has allowed some of us the time to embrace … Continue reading The Rise of the Audiobook
by Shaniece O’Keeffe. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood & The making of Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tours – London. If you havenÔÇÖt wanted to walk down Diagon Alley and pop into Weasley Wizard Wheezes to pick up that love potion for the guy youÔÇÖre crushing on, or simply walk around with a butterbeer in your hand taking … Continue reading Fictional Worlds That Exist in Real Life
by Nicole Rees-Williams. Dust off your mocking-jay pins and practise your whistling, because Suzanne Collins is back with a brand-new prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. If, like me, you were thrilled to learn of a new chapter in the Hunger Games story you probably had a few expectations about what this book was going to be. Will this … Continue reading Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Illustration by Jasmine Snow @jasminesnowartContributions by: Ella Clucas, Kate Waldock, Ellie Hutchins, Ella Lloyd, Annabelle Ingram and Rhian Lock (in order of appearance) Kindred (1979) by Octavia Butler If youÔÇÖre looking for a book that will enthral you in its narrative whilst at the same time educating you on the history of racial politics, Kindred is it. In this poignant science fiction novel Butler brings … Continue reading Books Written by BAME Authors
Introduction by Jasmine SnowContributions by Ona Ojo, Ella Saoirse Clucas, Manon Jones, Kate Waldock, Ella Rowe-Hall (in order of appearance)Illustration by Shafia Motaleb @artsyfifi It is understandable to feel sad, angry and perhaps even defeated by the news at the moment. However, alongside the numerous petitions to sign, organisations to donate to and protests to attend there is another invaluable way in which we can … Continue reading An Essential Black Lives Matter Reading List
By Sofia Brizio I remember the exact day I started reading Call Me By Your Name, the bestselling novel by Andr├® Aciman. 5th of February 2018. I had borrowed it from a friend after she had been constantly messaging me about how amazing the book was. That day we were having coffee in Cardiff city centre after an afternoon of lectures. We were both tired … Continue reading Did ‘Call Me by Your Name’ need a sequel?
ÔÇ£One of my rules was that I would not put any events into the book that had not already happened in what James Joyce called the ÔÇ£nightmareÔÇØ of history ÔǪ God is in the details, they say. So is the Devil.ÔÇØ Margaret Atwood. ┬á Since its publication in 1985 The HandmaidÔÇÖs Tale has been considered one of the most influential pieces of dystopian fiction and … Continue reading The Scary Reality of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Papillon (1969) Book Review When I first began reading Papillon, I found the memoirs of French Prisoner Henri Charri├¿re too fantastical to be believed. How could a mere man have possibly endured the living hell detailed within the pages of this novel, and still maintained a tremendous show of determination and courage? I decided that separating fact from fiction can often-times be an arduous and … Continue reading Review: Papillon
Alice (The Chronicles of Alice 1) by Christina Henry review Alice, the first in the Chronicles of Alice series by Christina Henry, is a new retelling of Lewis CarrollÔÇÖs classic, Alice in Wonderland, but with a horror twist. This novel is nothing like the original, instead it is appealingly dark and creepy where the main protagonist, our dear Alice, escapes from the asylum in which … Continue reading Book Review: Alice in Wonderland
Literature and art are often at the centre of revolution. They can spark change within a single person or within whole societies. Mads Banfield explains some of the most prevalent literary movements and asks whether innovation and revolution can take place now. Throughout the last centuries there have been a range of different literary movements, which have revolutionised how language is presented and engaged … Continue reading Literary Revolutions
Bridget Jones: diary-writer, mother, Twitter user… we love her just the way she is; a character who embodies the woman of our time, supposedly. Anne Porter explores what makes her, and many other notable female literary figures, such an exceptional personality Helen FieldingÔÇÖs character first emerged in a newspaper column in the 1990s, with the witty columnÔÇÖs popularity leading to the characterÔÇÖs life stories expanding … Continue reading Women of Fiction
