For years now, I have had a loose new year’s resolution to get better at reading diversely. Back in 2012, I read an article by a woman who had read a book from every country in the world (193 according to the United Nations, plus two sovereign states). At the time, I counted that I […]Read More
Millions of us have embraced reading as a way to cope in These Unprecedented Times. But with reading piles acquiring social media clout (all the books I read this year!), for some (writers and journalists in particular), reading has become an act of performance, an endless routine in ‘brand maintenance.’ We’ve been instilled with the […]Read More
The start of a new year can mean many different things, with some people viewing it as a chance for a new start. Personally I love the start of a new year because it brings with it a year of new books to get excited for. With so many books coming out this year, from […]Read More
At sixteen, I was often late for class. Weighed down by a satchel, heavy with tomes from fantasy writer George R.R. Martin, I lumbered up each step. I brought two along just in case I read the first gargantuan book in a day. Then, I wasn’t just a reader: I was the Reader. I was […]Read More
If there’s one positive to come out of a global pandemic (and admittedly, there are few), it’s that – like many across the nation – I’ve had plenty of spare time to rediscover my love of reading, and catch up on some of the books I’ve been meaning to read for years. 2020 was also […]Read More
Retired Lothian and Borders Deputy Police Chief Constable and crime writer assembles missing pieces of the Ruxton Case on its 85th anniversary with previously unseen documents. Dr Buck Ruxton and the Murders that Revolutionised Forensic Investigation September 1935 saw “the absolute height of Agatha Christie’s fame and the golden age of crime fiction and crime writers” […]Read More
I started working in an independent bookshop the day after the second national lockdown was lifted. The White House Bookshop is in Burnham Market, on the north Norfolk coast. It sits halfway around a large green, looking over to a coffee shop, the fishmonger, and an independent deli. It’s about as idyllic as you could […]Read More
Getting lost in stories, learning about new topics or people and discovering new perspectives are some of my favourite past-times. And what better way to do that than reading new books? Unsurprisingly, there are quite a lot of books on my Christmas wish list this year. Some of them are there to challenge me, some […]Read More
Back when lockdown 2.0 was merely an idea, I visited Unfinished Business: The Fight For Women’s Rights at The British Library. There, in the ‘Body’ section, was a first edition of Orlando by Virginia Woolf. Below, it asked whether Orlando was the first English-language trans novel, and suddenly I found myself in Hatchards on the […]Read More
Why have myths and a fascination for mythology stood the test of time? Perhaps because they speak to us on two levels; the spiritual and the psychological. Whilst showing us the ethereal beauty of Gods and mythical creatures alike, myths seek to emphasise the sheer resilience of humanity. The hero succeeding against all odds, the […]Read More
I picked up Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron as a holiday read. I grew up obsessing over Disney and Cinderella was one of the first films I watched. So a book which retold that story drew me in instantly. I ended up reading it in a day, I simply couldn’t (and didn’t want to) put it down! I’ll never look at classic Cinderella in the same way again. Read More
Just a few months ago, Black Lives Matter content was everywhere. Educational materials, book recommendations, donations, media attention, commitments to anti-racism. That energy sadly seems to have dissipated, even though systemic racism is still very much prevalent in our society. To commemorate Black History Month, to draw attention to it and make sure I keep […]Read More
Like most people I’ve bought a lot of new books in recent months. However, instead of reading any of my new purchases I have taken a trip down book memory lane. I spent a week revisiting one of my favourite series The Declaration trilogy by Gemma Malley. Reading it got me thinking about the young adult Dystopian era (I’m classing it from about 2009-2014). There are four months between the publication of The Declaration and the publication of The Hunger Games. One of these trilogies was significantly more successful than the other. I am obviously talking about The Read More
Chuck Klosterman once said, “Art and love are the same things: it’s the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you.” Perhaps that is sufficient to describe what we feel when we look at a magnificent painting, read heart-warming poetry, or listen to music that moves us; we feel as though we are […]Read More
Passion for the Arts is a feeling many have, especially at the moment, when the Arts can feel so distant. Thus, I recently revisited one of my favourite literary characters, and most willing of souls: Jo March. The ambitious and passionate girl who was never ashamed into admitting she was different, but also how she […]Read More
