Ten of the best books by female authors
I have chosen these books because I feel they encompass what it means to be a woman: the beauty and hardships, the strong female bonds and, above all, courage. The…
We Turn to Literature in Tough Times
Tragedy is everywhere. It is the grief of losing a family member or of losing a significant friendship. It is monetary hardship and a combative home life. It can quite…
Can books really help us psychologically? The numerous mental health benefits of reading
When asked the question “can books help us psychologically?” most people would likely agree wholeheartedly. There’s a consensus in the belief that reading makes you “smarter” in the sense that…
EIBF 2022: Abdulrazak Gurnah, ‘Migration, The Story of Our Times’
Though initially intrigued but nonetheless unfamiliar with Abdulrazak Gurnah and his work, I sat mesmerised by the Nobel Prize winner for the hour he had been allotted at the Edinburgh…
EIBF 2022: Nadifa Mohamed, For Whom is Justice Served?
For whom was justice served on the 3rd of September, 1952? Not for a soul, Nadifa Mohamed declares in her novel The Fortune Men. Released in 2021, the book focuses…
Iran’s Book Market Crisis
The Iranian book market is perishing as US sanctions hit home. Tehran’s nuclear programme has long been contested, and in 2022 the book-lovers of Iran are suffering the cultural consequences…
Review: Norwegian Wood
Reading Haruki Murakami for the first time, I was surprised by the transparency of his writing. With my ungrounded foundation of beliefs surrounding Japanese literary culture, I had imagined the…
Book vs Film: Misery
The tale of Paul Sheldon crashing his ‘66 Ford Mustang in the mountains of Colorado and getting abducted by an abusive ex-nurse was originally told by Stephen King in 1987’s…