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Books

“If Beale Street Could Talk” by James Baldwin: Mini-Review

The hype of African-American author James Baldwin has been rejuvenated in recent years, particularly as his 1974 novel If Beale Street Could Talk was adapted into a movie of the same name in 2019. Dealing with the young love between Tish and Fonny that must learn to survive in spite of the racist politics that keeps them apart, the novel feels very relevant to the current Black Lives Matter politics in the United States. Set in Harlem, NY in the early 1970s, Tish and Fonny have grown up together and have developed an intimate relationship between them. However, before they…

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Books

How to Pick a Book in a Bookstore

5 Tips to help you to avoid overspending on books All book-lovers know the feeling of intense panic that comes over them in the middle of a bookshop. You’re overwhelmed by all the choices and would much rather buy everything in the entire store than make a decision. I can definitely relate. In fact, at the time of writing this post, I am hiding out from my responsibilities in a cafe inside a bookstore. And while here, I was confronted with the typical desire to buy every book I see. For book lovers, it’s so easy to come up with…

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Reviews

The New Age of Superheroes

The Umbrella Academy TV Review Many of you have probably watched, or are planning to watch, the new addition to Netflix: The Umbrella Academy. The sci-fi superhero show is based on a graphic novel created by Gerard Way, who is best known as the former front man of My Chemical Romance, and artist Gabriel Bá. Right off the bat, I could tell that this show was quirky, goth-y, and slightly surrealist, which aptly fits with the Gerard Way circa MCR brand. The Umbrella Academy revolves around a group of children who were all born on the same day to women…

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Books

‘After The Green Withered’ by Kristin Ward

The Importance of EcoLiterature Today’s post is an incredibly exciting one as I am reviewing a book part of a massive book tour organised by Twitter’sThe_WriteReads, a forum where book bloggers can support other bloggers through retweeting and commenting. Not only is this a great way to increase one’s exposure in the blogging world, TheWriteReads has created a community in which bloggers can exchange opinions and ideas freely and get recognition for the hard work they put in. And now, they can even take part in this #UltimateBlogTour and get to experience reading some amazing books they perhaps would not…

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Books

‘Sadie’ Audiobook Review

Finding an audiobook that I want to listen to is always a tricky business. Just like how I can be picky about the books I want to read, I have certain preferences when it comes to audiobooks. From the narrator to the genre there is a lot I consider before choosing an audiobook. Personally, I tend to find crime and detective stories to be the most engaging in audiobook form. I have talked about my love for the audiobooks of Joy Ellis’ “DI Jackman and DS Evans series” before. However, when it came to Courtney Summer’s Sadie it was not…

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Books

Reading When Feeling Low

How to read when you don’t feel like it For many, reading is one of those activities that acts as an escape from the stress and difficulties of their lives, giving them the ability to fall into a world far from their own and their own problems. It can be a wonderful tool in promoting self-thought, but also a most efficient distraction from the never-ending stream of consciousness we all experience. But undoubtedly, there are those days (or in my case, weeks) when you struggle to find the joy in reading. Maybe because you are too busy, occupied with a…

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