Whether or not you're a fan of the New Year's resolution, it's inevitable that the start of each year ushers in a desire to do more and better. The idea of a fresh start can be incredibly appealing, as can the hope of improving on your previous year's achievements. Focusing on your reading habits - whether with a … Continue reading How To Read Successfully In 2019
2018 was a year of relative calm, following the tumult of 2017. It was my first full year in the US and a year in which (following my decision to abandon academia) I made a whole lot of decisions regarding my future. The calm certainly served my reading habits and 2018 ended up being one … Continue reading The Best Books Of 2018
Happy 2019, my friends! A new year and a fresh start for The Book Habit. I took a couple of weeks off from creating content whilst getting myself organised and putting into place a long overdue site redesign. For those of you who have been visiting The Book Habit for a while, I hope that you enjoy the … Continue reading Welcome Back To The Book Habit!
Answering the question 'What makes a novel a classic?' is a challenging task. What exactly is the common thread that brings a diversity of titles, from various genres and centuries, under this illustrious label? Although I'm sure that there are plenty of opinions on the subject, for me it's something about the universality of a … Continue reading 10 Classic Novels Everyone Should Read In Their Twenties (Part Two)
As most regular readers of The Book Habit already know, I'm someone who needs to be constantly learning. I have always thrived as a student, whether in an official capacity or through picking up knowledge in my spare time. It's probably why I ended up following my academic career to its natural peak as a PhD … Continue reading The 5 Best Places To Learn About Literature Online (For Free!)
Is it possible to really love a book without wanting to know something about the person that produced it? For me, the two are heavily intertwined. I have a fascination with authors and the background, skills, and habits that have allowed them to make such incredible art. Whether there are patterns in the way that … Continue reading Literary Lifestyles: The Writing Habits of Charles Dickens
As I mentioned in my previous post, I've recently found myself preoccupied with the idea of endings. There have been a lot of them over the past two years - I left my PhD programme, I left my country. It's required acceptance of the fact that goodbyes and new beginnings often go hand-in-hand. These reflections … Continue reading The Best Endings In Literature: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
For years now, I've been absolutely fascinated with the concept of bibliotherapy. I discovered it almost by accident when I came across the book The Novel Cure: An A-Z of Literary Remedies by Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin. The book delineates various ailments and the works of fiction that may serve as a cure, or a … Continue reading 10 Classic Novels Everyone Should Read In Their Twenties (Part One)
Is anyone else unreasonably excited by the fact that autumn is now officially here? I've spent the whole of summer ready for this seasonal change, not least because the autumnal equinox coincides with my birthday (so double the reason to celebrate)! As I mentioned in one of my most recent posts (8 Books to Conjure … Continue reading A ‘Beginning of Fall’ Book Haul
I couldn't be more excited for the autumn. It has always been my favourite season and no less so now that I live in the US. If anything, enduring five months of 40C weather has made me even more enamoured with the prospect of turning leaves, wooly scarves, and steaming bowls of soups. To me, … Continue reading 8 Books To Conjure That Cosy Autumn Feeling
