Reading Advice
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2024 Christmas Book-shopping Guide: Helpful Gift Ideas for the Bookworms in Your Life
Still stuck on exactly what to get for your family and friends this Christmas? Books are always the perfect gift! Here are a few ideas to get you started on Christmas shopping for the bookworms in your life, organised into specific categories of reader to help you find exactly what you need. For the Animal Lover My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell: A hilarious account of the Durrell family as they migrate to Corfu, remembered through the eyes of Gerald as he connects with the island’s natural inhabitants. Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty: A moving record of a year from the perspective of a young…
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Which Classics Editions are the Best?
When it comes to classics editions these days, we really are spoiled for choice. This can be both a blessing and a curse; I can’t count the number of times I’ve been wavering between at least three or four editions of a book, questioning and second guessing myself each time I think I’ve made the decision of which one I want (it doesn’t help that I am a chronically indecisive person by nature). The result is that my classics shelves are a highly varied collection full of different editions, with a few of my favourite books having the distinction of several copies in different styles, because they were all too…
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How to Care for Your Books the Way they Deserve
Our books give us many things: adventures, life lessons, entertainment — even friendship. But when was the last time you thought about how to show your books some love in return? Our volumes can go through a lot over the course of their lives: getting shoved in bags or packed in boxes, having their spines bent or covers torn, even occasionally getting dropped in the bathtub or having coffee spilled over them (yep, guilty). So how can we better care for our books, and keep them in good reading condition for years to come? I’ve done some digging on all the ways our books like to be treated, and compiled…
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Is it Really Worth it to Read the Classics?
Let’s be honest: there’s not much about reading the classics that seems immediately appealing. Most of these books are old and out of touch, filled with archaic language and references you can’t really make sense of. Plus, frankly, who wants to put that much effort into what’s supposed to be a leisure experience? There are literally billions of books out there that have been published recently which are not only much easier to read, but at first glance are also much more entertaining and relevant. So, is there any compelling evidence for us to pick up a classic, or should they all remain a thing of the past? The definition…
