Bibliotherapy

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My name is Laura and I am a book addict. The Book Habit is a chronicle of my literary adventures, indulging my decades-long love affair with the written word. Here I post reviews, as well as anything else related to the literary lifestyle.

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“And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure . . . And your friends will be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky!” - Antoine de Saint-Exupery, ‘The Little Prince’ . . . Of all the challenges we face, grief is perhaps the most universal. We’ve all known loss of some kind - whether through the death of a loved one, a move away from friends and family, or even a redundancy. Grieving is an important part of the human experience, moving us toward a point where we can trade sadness for a gratitude toward the time spent. Despite its importance, grief can still be isolating and overwhelming. It is here that bibliotherapy has something to offer. Given the universality of grief, it is no surprise that fiction deals at length with loss and its consequences. In today’s installment of my series on bibliotherapy, I’m looking at the relationship between fiction and grief and making some recommendations for books to help you cope with loss. Click the link in my bio to have a read. And let me know which books have helped you through periods of grief. 💖 . . . #bibliotherapy #bookstagram #bookworm #booklover #booknerd #bookish #igreads #bookaddict #reading #bookphotography #books #instabook #booknerdigans #book #bookblog #bookblogger #harrypotter #booksandtea #cozy

It’s no secret that I love a good adaptation. I spent much of my teenage years on the verge of an incredibly unhealthy obsession with Colin Firth’s portrayal of Mr. Darcy (who am I kidding? It was sufficiently extreme that I performed a pilgrimage to the lake from his infamous diving scene). While I’ve yet to honestly encounter an adaptation so expertly rendered as to make reading the novel redundant, there are some truly wonderful efforts to visualise classic fiction via the big screen. Drawing on my experience as an avid student of the adaptation, I’ve put together a list of the best TV and film versions of classic novels. Click the link in my bio to have a read! And let me know if you have your own favourite adaptations (because I’m always looking for new recommendations)! 📚 . . . #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #booklover #booknerd #bookish #igreads #bookphotography #bookaholic #booknerdigans #reading #bbc #books #bookaddict #cozy #janeeyre #booksandtea #filmadaptation

“I didn’t know whose milkman he was. He wasn’t our milkman. I don’t think he was anybody’s. He didn’t take milk orders. There was no milk about him. Also, he didn’t drive a milk lorry. Instead he drove cars, different cars, often flash cars, though he himself was not flashy. For all this though, I only noticed him and his cars when he started putting himself in them in front of me.” . . . Anna Burns’ Man Booker winning novel ‘Milkman’ is a compellingly insightful and unexpectedly relatable account of life during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Told from the perspective of middle sister - an 18 year old lover of pre-19th century literature and reading while walking - ‘Milkman’ is an incisive portrayal of the subtle and symbolic violence that serves as a central feature of communal existence in civil conflict. Middle sister finds herself pursued by the Milkman, a mysterious paramilitary figure who inserts himself into middle sister’s life through a cocktail of subtle threats and explicit violence. As middle sister finds herself increasingly overwhelmed by paranoia and fear, she is simultaneously isolated by a community that condemns as “beyond the pale.” ‘Milkman’ is a truly incredible novel. Its abstraction of identifying details (the fact, for example, that no characters are named) is central to the book’s efficacy as one of the most important and volatile coming-of-age stories to emerge out of recent years. Click the link in my bio to read a full review. . . . #bookstagram #booksandtea #bookreview #bookrecommendation #booknerd #bookish #bookworm #booklover #igreads #bookaddict #booknerdigans #bookaholic #instabook #reading #instabooks #books #book #bibliophile #booklove #annaburns

April has been an excellent reading month! Although I covered a little less ground, I managed to discover some truly powerful novels. I found one my favourite 2019 releases - ‘The Parisian’ by Isabella Hammad. I added a new novel to my list of favourites - ‘Milkman’ by Anna Burns. And I added further proof to my estimation of Colson Whitehead as one of the most important literary voices of the 21st century. In addition to my own reads, it has also been a month full of great literary articles and interviews. Click the link in my bio for a review of April’s bookish news, releases, and general happenings! And let me know what you’ve been loving this month! 🌻 . . . . . #booksandtea #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #booklover #booknerd #bookish #igreads #bookphotography #bookaddict #booknerdigans #instabook #reading #booklove #books #bookaholic #springreading #spring

“To be a Parisian in Nablus was to be out of step with the times, locked in an old colonial formula where subjects imitated masters as if in the seams of their old garments they hoped to find some dust of power left trapped.” . . . Isabella Hammad’s debut novel ‘The Parisian’ (pub. @groveatlantic) is an expansive examination of identity and otherness. It follows Midhat Kamal, a young native of the ancient Palestinian town Nablus. When Midhat’s father sends him to France in an effort to help Midhat escape World War I and its impact on the Ottoman Empire, Midhat finds himself exposed to the ruptures in his own cultural identity. Returning to Palestine at a time when national self-determination is in conflict with British rule, Midhat must wrestle with his role as ‘the Parisian’ - an eternal outsider, increasingly condemned by his conflicting allegiances. For the debut work of an author in her mid-20s, ‘The Parisian’ is a stunning achievement. Balancing the passionate zeal of a young writer with the worldliness of an author well versed in the thematic and stylistic turns of effective literary fiction, ‘The Parisian’ centres Isabella Hammad as a voice of significant literary and humanistic value. Click the link in my bio to read a full review! . . . #bookreview #bookstagram #bibliophile #booknerd #bookish #bookworm #bookphotography #igreads #bookaddict #bookblogger #bookaholic #instabook #reading #books #book #booklove #booksandtea #theparisian #isabellahammad

"Why do people have to be this lonely? What's the point of it all? Millions of people in this world, all of them yearning, looking to others to satisfy them, yet isolating themselves. Why? Was the earth put here just to nourish human loneliness?" - Haruki Murakami . . . I am no stranger to loneliness. A history of mental illness, combined with having spent no more than 2 years in one place since I was 16, has leant me toward some bouts of intense isolation. In truth, loneliness is one of the most common states of psychological discomfort and an epidemic continually on the increase. It's no surprise, therefore, that fiction deals plentifully with the experience of loneliness. For the second post in my series on bibliotherapy, I'm looking at the relationship between loneliness and fiction. Using the different components of bibliotherapy (identification, catharsis, and insight), I also have some handy recommendations for books that can help you to work your way through those difficult periods of painful isolation. Click the link in my bio to have a read and let me know if you have any recommendations of your own. 💖 . . . . . #bibliotherapy #bibliophile #bookworm #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookish #igreads #bookphotography #reading #spring #blossom #bookaddict #booklove #instabooks #booknerdigans #books #springreading

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