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12 Books to Read If You Loved the Backrooms
You know the feeling. Endless fluorescent-lit corridors. Carpet that smells faintly of damp. A room that should have an exit but somehow doesn’t.

Kayla Greer
Jul 174 min read


The Odyssey for Dummies: Everything That Actually Happens, Before You See the Film
Christopher Nolan’s three-hour, IMAX-only, star-stuffed adaptation is finally in cinemas, and there’s a good chance you’re going in having last thought about Homer during a English lesson you mostly slept through. Good news: the actual plot of The Odyssey is somehow both messier and more entertaining than anything a school syllabus let on. Here’s what happens, minus the ancient Greek and minus three years of your life reading it properly (I did so I’m here to explain it to yo

Kayla Greer
Jul 156 min read


book review: we love you, bunny by mona awad
hey, bunny! let’s sulk in sad girl MFA vibes for a bit together. i promise i won’t waste
your time. you wanna know what i think? one of the most challenging aspects of writing to achieve as a fiction author is the ability to immerse readers in your novel’s world. but mona awad has proven time and time again that she excels at this. she did it with bunny, and she did it again with we love you, bunny: a prequel‑sequel hybrid that’s equal parts eerie and magnetic.

Reux Z. Qualm
Jul 112 min read


Loved Obsession? Here Are The Books to Read Next
If you left the cinema feeling equal parts thrilled and unsettled, you’re not alone. Curry Barker’s horror-romance became one of the breakout hits of the year, and it’s easy to see why. A hopeless romantic breaks a mysterious trinket called the One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, only to discover that getting exactly what you wished for can be its own kind of nightmare. What starts as a sweet, slightly awkward love story tips, scene by scene, into something much darker:

Kayla Greer
Jul 104 min read


What Philosophy Gives You That Self-Help Can't
After doomscrolling for hours and finally jolting awake in the middle of the night, I get this sudden urge to scrap my entire identity and become a new flower. A better me. Someone who's heaps more disciplined than the lazy, procrastinating, mildly gluttonous person currently lying in bed at 2 a.m. scrolling TikTok.

Joyce Kristine Culong
Jul 58 min read


Which of these Romantic poets is the most punk rock?
The link between Romanticism and Punk Rock, while initially appearing non-existent, reveals itself when considering the fact that both movements have at their core a rejection of the status quo. Romanticism directly goes against Enlightenment and the idea of prioritising reason and science. instead, it places emphasis on human emotion and feelings , even if they cannot be explained. The punk movement of the 70s was also a form of rebellion - in particular against the social
elaslater
Jul 26, 20244 min read


Dark Academia: Babel and The Secret History
This blog contains spoilers for both The Secret History and Babel. What is Dark Academia? Dark academia is an internet aesthetic and sub-culture. Think; tweed jackets, black coffee, candlesticks, fancy old books, quoting long dead philosophers on a daily basis and so on. The colour palette consists of browns, blacks and dark reds. To quote some examples of what is highly regarded in the community we can find classic literature like ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde

Olivia Hales
May 18, 20244 min read


William Shakespeare, beauty (and the fear of aging?)
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is now commonly regarded as the greatest dramatist of all time. Within his plays and poems he observed and described various themes, but today I want to take a look at his views and relationship with beauty by analysing his various sonnets. Sonnet 1 This is the first sonnet, setting the tone for the entire collection. In the first four lines Shakespeare describes the central idea and places beauty

Olivia Hales
Jan 24, 20243 min read


A book gift guide
In light of the holiday season, here below I have curated a list of books that would be perfect gifts for the person described. I personally love gifting books so I hope this list can aid you in your search for a book for your loved one. A book for the poet/poetry lover (that isn't a poetry collection) For this category of person I would recommend "The book of tea" by Kazuko Okakura. Written in 1906, it is an exploration of the Japanese tea ceremony and the art of simplicity

Olivia Hales
Dec 10, 20233 min read
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