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!
"I conjure the boy I knew. Achilles, grinning as the figs blur in his hands. His green eyes laughing into mine. Catch, he says. Achilles, outlined against the sky, hanging from a branch over the river. The thick warmth of his sleepy breath against my ear. If I have to go, I will go with … Continue reading Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
"In front of me, there's the old TW. Beyond it, a scratchy wooden tableland. There are mismatched salt and pepper shakers, and a company of stubborn toast crumbs. The light from the hall is yellow, the light in here is white. I sit and think and hit here. I punch and punch away. Writing is … Continue reading Review: Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
"What I mean to say is, we had been considerable. Had been loved. Not lonely, not lost, not freakish, but wise, each in his or her own way. Our departures caused pain. Those who had loved us sat upon their beds, heads in hand; lowered their faces to tabletops, making animal noises. We had been … Continue reading Review: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
"...sometimes in life we can't grasp the boundary between reality and unreality. That boundary always seems to be shifting. As if the border between countries shifts from one day to the next depending on their mood. We need to pay close attention to that movement, otherwise we won't know which side we're on." You would … Continue reading Review: ‘Killing Commendatore’ by Haruki Murakami
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)
"The place I like best in this world is the kitchen. No matter where it is, no matter what kind, if it's a kitchen, if it's a place where they make food, it's fine with me. Ideally it should be well broken in. Lots of tea towels, dry and immaculate. White tile catching the light … Continue reading Review: Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
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
"We are the memories we don't remember, which live in us, which we feel, which make us sing and dance and pray the way we do, feelings from memories that flare and bloom unexpectedly in our lives like blood through a blanket from a wound made by a bullet fired by a man shooting us … Continue reading Review: ‘There There’ by Tommy Orange
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
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