27th November 2020
Ha Neul Lee explores whether reading is still relevant in the age of the internet. In an era where knowledge is just a Google search away, remembering information is getting less and less important. There is, apparently, just no incentive to read. People can watch film or TV adaptations of fictional novels. Information from non-fiction ...
26th November 2020
Criado Perez makes a point about feminism, but dialogue can be the key to change. Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez is a book that changed my life, but not because it was so captivating that I couldn’t put it down. It’s a non-fiction book outlining how the world is built by and for men, ...
24th November 2020
Don’t know your Hamlet from your Horatio? Ruth Johns-Bishop lists her top tips to enjoy Shakespeare as a complete beginner. For many of us, Shakespeare conjures up dull memories of school literature lessons. Spending hours a week wading through an old copy of Macbeth or writing an essay on Act I, Scene II of Romeo ...
16th November 2020
The importance of literary affordability v supporting your favourite authors. Emily Menger-Davies: Charity shops aren’t killing the publishing industry themselves… but they aren’t helping With Waterstones and Oxfam Books sitting opposite each other on Byres Road, it can be interesting to wonder whether their relationship is one of sibling-like affection or friendly rivalry. Is the ...
14th November 2020
The breakthrough lockdown novel in which we are all protagonists. Since the beginning of March, advice that actually helps us navigate this changed normality has been a rarity. Clarity has become a unicorn concept seen once in a blue moon. As a second lockdown looms over Glasgow, my recommendation is to dash to Waterstones and ...
12th November 2020
Lena relates Maria Machado’s short stories to her own experience growing female in modern society. Her Body and Other Parties came to me in quite an unexpected way. But after all, there’s a reason why they say the best things happen when you least expect them. To be honest, at first, I didn’t even think ...
7th November 2020
A student-friendly guide to book-buying that won’t bankrupt you – morally or financially. The start of the academic year has been a bewildering time for many on campus. The ongoing pandemic has dramatically altered the way in which we conduct our studies, and confusion is widespread across the university. In these unpredictable times, however, every ...
29th October 2020
Rebecca and Hailie jointly review the YA best seller, exploring how literature has the power to make one feel seen, even in the darkest of times. Hailie Pentleton My copy of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower rests on the top shelf of my bookcase. It’s never there long enough to gather dust, ...
29th October 2020
Emily explores the wacky world of human experiences through comic writing as lockdown escapism. Little Weirds by actress and stand-up comedian Jenny Slate is, technically speaking, a collection of comic essays. However, I feel that it could be categorised in any number of ways. It is whimsically abstract, a stream of consciousness, a piece of ...
20th October 2020
The first in our newest series exploring up and coming literary talent. The protagonist of Sayaka Murata’s debut novel, Convenience Store Woman, lives an objectively mundane life. Having worked at the local 24-hour store for over a decade, 36-year-old Keiko Furukura has never had a relationship, or even another boss, and lives in a tiny ...
