B3THANY READS

Have you ever started a book, got a few chapters in, and then decided to put it down? There are many, many reasons for doing this. Maybe you're too busy with work, maybe you're not in the mood for ______ right now, or maybe you simply don't like it. But have you ever put down a book because it's affecting your mental health? I recently had to stop reading The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe for this exact reason. The Librarian of Auschwitz has been on my TBR for quite some time, and lock down seemed to be the perfect time to get some reading done - it's one of those books I've been meaning to read but never got round to it. Back in 2018 I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris and found it heartbreaking, don't get me wrong, but also enjoyed learning more about that period in history. So, when I got Iturbe's book from my bookshelf last week, I thought I was ready to read it. Turns out, I was wrong. Lock down is not a ...

Recently, Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller , said: what we see in the charts now is a glimpse into a world without bookshops. This got me thinking. What impact will COVID19 have on the publishing industry long term? Shopping culture At the moment, gone are the days you could make a day of strolling around your favourite bookshop, carefully choosing what to buy. This is what I have been missing most recently, just being able to go into town and mill about for a while. Instead, Amazon's sales have increased by a staggering 27% in the first quarter of 2020 alone. It's not like Amazon wasn't a retail giant before corona, but Jeff Bezos has certainly asserted his dominance now. Everyone has been forced to temporarily change their shopping habits, but this raises the question of will shopping culture ever return to what it once was? Will people choose convenience over experience more than they already do? Bestsellers Especially for the first few weeks of lock down...

You know that feeling when you start a new book that's 600+ pages long, part of a trilogy and you fall in love with it from the first chapter? That was The Name of the Wind for me. Even though it took me nearly four months (!!!) to read it, it definitely consumed my life for the past few weeks. Let's just say it was the perfect lock down companion. First off, the medieval vibe was incredibly refreshing. (I say medieval even though Rothfuss has never confirmed this but it's what feels right to me.) The medieval trope can sometimes be overdone and repetitive, especially in fantasy for adults, but not this one. It was medieval enough for my brain to place it in time and space pretty easily, but Rothfuss has put his own interesting twist on details such as money, clothing style, languages etc. It could literally be anywhere in the world at any point in time. Title: The Name of the Wind Author: Patrick Rothfuss Rating: 5/5 You can buy it here Kvothe may just be one...

Lock down is in full swing and like many, I'm going to read everything I've been meaning to read for the past few months. I'm coming to the end of my studies at university, so this is the perfect time to catch up on my reading! Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Horror First off, I have Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Horror. I picked this up at my university bookshop as I had a gift card and wanted to make the most of it before I graduated. I had briefly studied Poe in my first year back in 2016 and really enjoyed it, so I thought I would delve a bit deeper and read some more! The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss Last week I finished the first book in this series, The Name of the Wind, and REALLY enjoyed it (read my review here ). It's quite a chunky one with almost 1000 pages, so this will probably be a whole summer read in itself... I should probably stop the TBR here, but I'm an optimistic person. ...

Hi, my name's Beth and I miss reading for fun. Almost four years ago I made the decision to study Comparative Literature and French at degree level, and I have loved it every step of the way. I got to study  Heidi , Catcher in the Rye , The Iliad, Dracula ... to name a few. I felt truly academically challenged and pushed myself to achieve my absolute best work. Without a doubt, my course is my favourite part of being at university. But I really, REALLY miss reading for fun. What's that you say? Why not read for fun in your spare time?  I wish I could. By the time I get home from a full day's work in the library, it feels like my eyes will fall out of my head if I have to read any more. I would much rather watch something mind-numbing on Netflix just to give my brain a little bit of a break before doing it all over again the next day. (I just finished season 4 of Jane the Virgin and ... oh my god, that show is so! good! ). That's not to say that I ...

I have been reading for as long as I can remember. It almost feels as if I was never actually taught how to read, I was just born knowing how and haven't put a book down since. But now, as the grand old age of 21 draws nearer, I realised I have never read the same book twice. Sure, there's the exception of compulsory reading for school (I'm pretty sure I've read Jane Eyre at least 4 times by now) but that's it. So why don't I like re-reading books? Where's the suspense? Whenever I consider re-reading a book, I quickly dismiss the idea because of the obvious ... I already know what's going to happen. Wouldn't that be boring? I don't think I would enjoy it as much the second time round if I knew what the big plot twist is going to be. It's not like I will be on the edge of my seat, hanging on to every last word. This is especially true with plot-driven stories that have a lack of world building and character development (like We Were L...

Title: The Book of M Author: Peng Shepherd Rating: 3/5 I finished 'The Book of M' about a week ago now and have had enough time to fully form all my mixed feelings about it, so here's my (spoiler-y) review! I fell in love with the book as soon as I started reading it, but it got progressively harder to enjoy the more I stuck with it. And here's why. There wasn't nearly enough world building. I would have actually preferred 'The Book of M' to be split into two books if it meant we would get more world building in the first. There just wasn't enough explaining - the whole way through I felt like there were gaps in my knowledge about the world when characters would mention something I was expected to have figured out on my own. It was kinda confusing. I know it's not good to spell everything out but at least give us a chance maybe ??? For example, I never understood how Ursula managed to get them out of the cage and into this new and i...