Bibliotherapy For Loneliness: Fiction Recommendations For Tough Times

April 12, 2019 ~ The Book Habit ~ 4 Comments

One of the most prevalent challenges facing society today is undoubtedly loneliness. The news abounds with headlines showing that loneliness among almost all generations is on the increase. Although counterintuitive at first sight - we might expect that both the internet at large and social media in particular offer us plentiful opportunities for connection - … Continue reading Bibliotherapy For Loneliness: Fiction Recommendations For Tough Times

Review: A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin

April 10, 2019May 2, 2019 ~ The Book Habit ~ 1 Comment

"Angel's Laundromat is in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fourth Street. Shabby shops and junkyards, secondhand stores with army cots, boxes of one-socks, 1940 edition of Good Hygiene. Grain stores and motels for lovers and old women with hennaed hair who do their laundry at Angel's. Teenage Chicana brides go to Angel's. Towels, pink shortie nighties, bikini underpants … Continue reading Review: A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin

Monday Musing: Nature And Literature Are Perfect Partners

April 8, 2019 ~ The Book Habit ~ 1 Comment

Now that spring has finally arrived in the US Midwest, I'm spending a good amount of time outside - allergies be damned. It's an incredible time of year. Unlike the autumn, spring is a transitional season replete with possibilities, beginnings, and a sort of contented restlessness that I've grown to love. "Nostalgia in reverse, the … Continue reading Monday Musing: Nature And Literature Are Perfect Partners

The 5 Best TED Talks About Books and Reading

April 3, 2019June 2, 2019 ~ The Book Habit ~ 4 Comments

When I'm not reading or writing about reading, I'm usually to be found scouring the internet for free resources so that I can learn more about reading. Breezing past the fact that I somehow still got a person to marry me, I refuse to accept that this isn't exactly how it was intended that I … Continue reading The 5 Best TED Talks About Books and Reading

Monday Musing: Demanding Diversity in Literature

April 1, 2019April 1, 2019 ~ The Book Habit ~ 2 Comments

At the start of the year, I wrote about the different ways to formulate 'better' reading goals, with particular attention to your own needs and wants. So much of how we read is reflective of whatever we're experiencing in life. I know that over the course of my 30 years on this planet, both the types … Continue reading Monday Musing: Demanding Diversity in Literature

The Monthly Reader: March 2019

March 28, 2019April 25, 2019 ~ The Book Habit ~ Leave a comment

Stepping into spring with all things literary and a roundup of the bookish happenings from March! It's been an eventful month and there are plenty of articles, interviews, and releases to discuss - so grab some tea and biscuits, and let's get stuck right in. Articles ''One Hundred Years Of Solitude' Is Coming To Netflix' … Continue reading The Monthly Reader: March 2019

Monday Musing: Reading Through Radio

March 25, 2019 ~ The Book Habit ~ 1 Comment

I make no secret of how much I depend on radio. Since moving to the US, in particular, my favourite BBC radio programmes are on regular rotation as I try to stay as connected as possible to my home. While many of them are on my schedule for nostalgia's sake, I'm also continually impressed by … Continue reading Monday Musing: Reading Through Radio

Review: A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

March 23, 2019 ~ The Book Habit ~ 2 Comments

"Eh, what do you really think you know about the Central Peace Council? I bet you didn't know that it was a joke. Peace. Only one kind of peace can ever come down the ghetto. It's really simple, so simple even a retarded man can catch the drift. Even a white man. The second you … Continue reading Review: A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

When Books Burn: Libraries, Looting, And The Destruction Of Culture In Conflict

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 ~ The Book Habit ~ Leave a comment

"Throughout Bosnia, libraries, archives, museums and cultural institutions have been targeted for destruction, in an attempt to eliminate the material evidence - books, documents and works of art - that could remind future generations that people of different ethnic and religious traditions once shared a common heritage in Bosnia." (Andras Riedlmayer) In 1992, Bosnia's National … Continue reading When Books Burn: Libraries, Looting, And The Destruction Of Culture In Conflict

Monday Musing: Does Social Media Change The Way That You Read?

March 11, 2019March 12, 2019 ~ The Book Habit ~ 2 Comments

One of the perils of writing about books online is the inevitable pull (and general expectation) toward some degree of social media engagement. I've been writing on The Book Habit on-and-off since 2013 and have found that, over time, I've become more active in various parts of the book-loving community. Being able to communicate with other bibliophiles … Continue reading Monday Musing: Does Social Media Change The Way That You Read?