It has now been more than six years since the last instalment in the Harry Potter series was released. Six years since we have faced midnight queues and spent many diligent hours knitting our Gryffindor scarves (or is that just me?). Six years and I am still plagued by an intense feeling of despair whenever … Continue reading Your Guide To Overcoming Post-Harry Potter Grief
Tomorrow marks the birthday of sorceress of storytelling, JK Rowling. As a member of the lucky Harry Potter generation, Jo's books have been a big part of my life since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone first graced the UK's bookshelves. As my family will attest, my obsession with the world of Harry Potter remains a dominant … Continue reading Happy (early) Birthday JK Rowling!
Poetry and I are not the best of friends. I have tried to break down the strange mental barrier that seems to separate me from true appreciation of the art, but to no avail. I think it likely that I will never be the kind of person to wistfully leaf through poetry anthologies for leisure, … Continue reading Celebrating A Legacy: Pablo Neruda
Bonjour mes copains! This past Saturday marked the birthday of legendary French writer, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. For those of you who, like me, spent a good deal of your childhood in French classes, you are undoubtedly familiar with Saint-Exupéry's seminal work Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince). Existing today as the most translated book in … Continue reading Celebrating The Little Prince
Today is the birthday of one of my heroes - the fantastic George Orwell. Steering clear of too much gushing (with difficulty), I am here today to pay homage to this literary giant. A man of formidable talents, Orwell is remarkable for his appreciation of human nature and understanding of its expression within social structures. … Continue reading Happy Birthday George Orwell!
In last week's edition of The Weekly Reader, I mentioned an interesting article about demands from Britain's independent bookstores for government assistance in combating Amazon's market dominance. I also declared my intention to forgo Amazon book purchases in favour of supporting the nation's bookstores (one week later and I am still going strong). I was … Continue reading A Book Buyer’s Guide To Bookshops
I am taking a break from the usual Sunday review and instead celebrating the birthday of the fantastic Thomas Hardy. Mostly this choice is due to my intense love for Hardy's works, but is also a consequence of the belief that a review of my current read - Robert Cryer's 'International Criminal Law and Procedure' … Continue reading Happy Birthday Mr. Hardy!
Hi pals! Over the past couple of weeks, I have received a number of emails asking for summer reading recommendations. Optimistic for those of us in the UK perhaps (and particularly inappropriate given that it has rained all day), but these emails did get me thinking. As you may have noticed from my reviews, I … Continue reading My Summer Reading Recommendations: Challenge Accepted
For those of you who are frequenters of The Book Habit, my odd references to a life outside of literature may come as something of a surprise. Reading is, amazingly, only a part-time gig for me. Most of my week is in fact spent finishing up an MSc Human Rights at the LSE and getting … Continue reading The Right to Write: Censorship and Literature
Sitting down to write a rough schedule for upcoming reviews and attempting to ensure some variety between new-to-me reads and old favourites, there was one book that I struggled to decide whether to add. Coming top in my estimation of the classics, Jane Eyre is a book that has been my constant companion since I first … Continue reading The Ultimate Literary Heroine: Jane Eyre
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