A few weeks ago, I received a message asking for travel book recommendations. Hardly surprising given that summer is undoubtedly the season for spur of the moment backpacking trips. I empathise completely with the itchy feet syndrome - a depleting bank account is all that prevents me from taking myself off to some unknown location. … Continue reading Review: Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
For those of you following The Book Habit on Facebook, you may recall that a couple of weeks ago I put out a call for Cormac McCarthy recommendations. His is a name that I have come across consistently for a number of years now, leaving me with a mental note-to-self that this was an author for … Continue reading Review: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
It is extremely rare for me to actively avoid a certain novel on the basis of difficulty. I enjoy a challenge and believe, for the most part, that reading should require us to push certain boundaries. In my view, those books that we steer away from because of personal prejudices or concerns are those we … Continue reading Review: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Forgive me if this review is a little hard to follow. I am just wrapping up my first exploration of the mind of Haruki Murakami. And for those of you familiar with his work, you are hopefully equipped to confirm that his books exercise a strange domination over everything. So attempting to recall the details … Continue reading Review: Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
This review begins with a confession. After committing to working my way through my most recent book acquisitions before making further purchases, I caved. One bookshop trip later, a number of ongoing reads have been cast aside, usurped by new books of demanding presence. This is, I think, both the peril and pleasure of the … Continue reading Review: A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé
About A Boy is a book that I have had on my radar for some time. Yet, in a strange reversal of my typical process, I have been pretty content to restrict my familiarity with the story to what is depicted in the film adaptation. I am fully aware that, in saying this, I am … Continue reading Review: About A Boy by Nick Hornby
One of the greatest benefits of working at Knebworth House is the sheer variety of people, tasks, and events I am exposed to over the course of the Season. No two days are the same and every summer brings something entirely different. I have watched David Suchet strut his stuff as Poirot and get to … Continue reading Review: Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome
As mentioned in my most recent What I'm Reading Wednesday post, my decision to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower was something of a break from tradition. Having failed to spend the requisite few months on my To Read list, Perks was also described to me as a 'coming of age' story - something of … Continue reading Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
This review has been a while in the making. When details regarding Dan Brown's newest book Inferno began to leak out a few months ago, I found myself growing increasingly excited at the prospect of returning to Robert Langdon's world of symbology. Having anxiously awaited its release on 14 May, my main concern was the … Continue reading Review: Inferno by Dan Brown
Charles Dickens and I have only become recently acquainted. Having avoided him like the plague for a number of years, I finally gave in two summers ago - largely the result of his connections with Knebworth House and my inability to talk with any kind of authority about his life and work. A close friend … Continue reading Review: Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
The Book Habit 