The Book Habit

A Chronicle of Literary Adventures

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Review: 'Toad' by Katherine Dunn

Review: ‘Toad’ by Katherine Dunn

Grimy fiction is having something of a popular renaissance. Novels saturated in those gross, utterly human details that we fully expect literary fiction to bypass as tonally inconsistent with ‘highbrow’ literature. Yet Ottessa Moshfegh’s place at the apex of everything downright dirty shows how trends have carried us back to a place where to revel in the scatological, Joycean aspects of existence…

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My Favourite Reads of 2020

My Favourite Reads of 2020

Do I need to intro this post with an exposition on just how strange this year has been? Although 2020 has brought an array of very personal challenges our way, 2020 has, for many of us, been the first time that we’ve experienced a truly global event. In that sense, it’s needless to put words to the difficulties of living during this pandemic beyond saying simply ‘as much as it’s possible for me…

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Monday Musing: Liberalism, Literature, And The Myth Of ‘Political Correctness Gone Mad’ For those currently tuned into the mayhem of British and American politics, the world appears to be existing on the brink of apocalyptic doom.

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Review: Inland by Téa Obreht

Review: Inland by Téa Obreht

“She learned letters and manners from the pale, dismayed wives of her father’s subordinates, who raised her to defend the hearth and revile a lie – nominally at least, for the older she grew the more she came to recognize falsehood as the preservative that allowed the world to maintain its shape. The lumbermen, for instance, talked of her father as a fearsome man: proud, immense, and daunting.…

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The Best Books By Immigrants (And For Immigrants)

The Best Books By Immigrants (And For Immigrants)

From the moment that we wake up to a sense of our own place in the world, we are forced to grapple with the question of belonging. Where our adolescent selves willingly turn our entire sense of identity over to the emotional landscape of our favoured groups – skaters and emos being the most popular factions of my teenage life – adulthood means accepting that our identities are far too complex and…

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Women have had a historically unique relationship with the supernatural. Hand-in-hand with the subjugation of a group is the need to explain and condemn any deviation from social norms. The childless woman, too friendly, too reclusive, too beautiful, not beautiful enough - all have been justified through the idea of female perversion through witchcraft, devilry, and demonic possession. It is no surprise then that women are the founders of gothic literature, in all of the genre’s profound, transportive glory. From Ann Radcliffe to Mary Shelley - as well as the more contemporary efforts of Angela Carter and Octavia Butler - gothic horror has been a way for women to reclaim their own sense of identity in a world determined to confine them. The original goths, female authors broke boundaries and stereotypes as they grappled with the rationally irrational to stretch society’s idea of the shadowy possibilities of unconventional heroines, predatory men, and gory lustfulness. Today on The Book Habit, I’m looking at the history of women as authors of the best gothic literature - asking what exactly lies at the heart of our unique ability to conjure the very best of gothicism’s imaginative potential. Click the link in my bio to have a read! . . . . #booksandtea #booknerd #bookish #bookworm #bookstagram #bookphotography #booklover #igreads #booknerdigans #bookblogger #booklove #bookstagramfeature #instabook #reading #bookstagrammer #instabooks #books #booksofinstagram #book #autumnreads #bookblog https://www.instagram.com/p/B4lO5x9AE-m/?igshid=pjzc8611ryus

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The Original Goths: Why Women Write Gothic Horror

The Original Goths: Why Women Write Gothic Horror

One of my first introductions to the history of women in the world was through the anti-suffrage propaganda poster ‘A Woman’s Mind Magnified’. A mind-bendingly offensive insight into the machinations of the political and social elite, this sort of propaganda has always accompanied efforts by marginalised groups to escape the confines into which their entire identity has been consigned. The idea…

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“The most racking pangs succeeded: a grinding in the bones, deadly nausea, and a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death. Then these agonies began swiftly to subside, and I came to myself as if out of a great sickness. There was something strange in my sensations, something indescribably sweet.” . . . Closing out my October reads with a return to Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic masterpiece, ‘Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. Following the lawyer, Mr. Utterson, as he attempts to unravel the complex connections between the kind, intelligent Henry Jekyll and the murderous Edward Hyde, Stevenson’s novella has been subsumed by popular notions of its themes. The monstrous transformations depicted in the many visual adaptations of the book - most notably, Frederic March’s ape-like representation of Mr Hyde - replace the subtlety of Stevenson’s exploration of good and evil with a kind of contrived creepiness. The novel excels in its position at the limits of human duality - as Hyde both represents and permits Jekyll’s ability to full expresses his socially-prohibited desires. The fact that ‘Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ remains one of our favourite gothic works is a testament to the continued relevance of its themes. Stevenson offers no comfortable excuses - Jekyll is neither possessed by the devil nor in the throes of influence from some supernatural power. He is fundamentally human, in both his good and evil. And that’s what makes Stevenson’s novella so profoundly terrifying. Click the link in my bio to have a read of the full review! 🎃 . . . And props to @coffeeandaclassic for the inspiration behind this post. All of the ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ bits and pieces pictured are from October’s subscription box! Not sponsored - I just really, really love these boxes! . . . . #bookreview #booksandtea #bookrecomendation #booknerd #bookish #bookworm #bookstagram #bookphotography #booklover #igreads #booknerdigans #bookblogger #booklove #bookstagramfeature #instabook #reading #bookstagrammer #instabooks #books #booksofinstagram #book #autumnreads #horrorstories #gothicliterature https://www.instagram.com/p/B4db23AARq4/?igshid=jl8mf1svv2l5

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Monday Musing: How Children’s Fiction Has Made Me A Better Reader (And Person) A few weeks back, I wrote what is essentially my love letter to all adults who indulge their desire for the fantastic with a willing dive into the world of children's fiction.

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Review: Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Review: Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

“The most racking pangs succeeded: a grinding in the bones, deadly nausea, and a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death. Then these agonies began swiftly to subside, and I came to myself as if out of a great sickness. There was something strange in my sensations, something indescribably sweet. I felt younger, lighter, happier in body; within I was conscious of…

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October has been a bumper month for books, both personally and across the literary world. We had a rule-breaking Booker Prize announcement that celebrated the power of female voices in fiction, some great new releases, and the publication of some of the deepest quantitative research to-date on literary censorship in US schools. In my corner of the world, books have played a massive role in my celebration of all things October. I’ve recognised the darkening days and dropping temperatures with a truly prolific month of reading. I passed the 52 book mark for 2019 and have closed out the month knee-deep in a return to my childhood love for Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. So grab a massive mug of tea, a couple (or more) of biscuits, and click the link in my bio to read about all of the most important literary happenings from October! And let me know what your favourite October read was, down in the comments! 🍂 . . . . . #autumnreads #autumnreading #bookreview #booksandtea #bookrecomendation #booknerd #bookish #bookworm #bookstagram #bookphotography #booklover #igreads #booknerdigans #bookblogger #booklove #bookstagramfeature #instabook #reading #bookstagrammer #instabooks #books #booksofinstagram #book https://www.instagram.com/p/B4VmlyvAEHn/?igshid=183kj7nxp919q

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The Monthly Reader: October 2019

The Monthly Reader: October 2019

The year’s spookiest month is upon us, with pumpkins and inconveniently adhesive cobwebs a-plenty. My love for October has grown exponentially since I moved to the US. Where my childhood memories of the month have little in the way of costumes and candy, my husband’s experience of pumpkin carving and the annual terrorising of neighbourhood introverts have gone a long way to increasing my own love…

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A few years ago, I was lucky enough to work on the film sets of both Poirot and Miss Marple. It was a fortunate consequence of my time spent as a tour guide and manager at Knebworth House, a favourite location for the fictional murders and bejeweled parties of countless period dramas. As a lover of Agatha Christie’s work, getting the chance to see some of the author’s most provocative narrative twists come to life was an incredible privilege. And it set me on a deep dive into Christie’s global fandom in an attempt to unravel exactly what it is about her novels that has established Agatha Christie as the queen of detective fiction. This month marks 99 years since the publication of Christie’s first foray into the mystery genre - The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published in the US in October 1919. It is a perfect opportunity to revisit Christie’s work and the incredible legacy that has earned her the status of both the most sold and most translated author in history. On The Book Habit today, I’m talking about my own relationship to Agatha Christie’s work and my thoughts on what it is that sets the author’s work apart. Click the link in my bio to have a read! . . . A shoutout to @itslauracrow for these tremendous Poirot-inspired pins (easily my favourite literary purchase of the year)! Check out her shop on Etsy! . . . . . #agathachristie #poirot #autumnreads #booknerd #bookish #bookworm #bookstagram #bookphotography #booklover #igreads #booknerdigans #bookblogger #booklove #bookstagramfeature #instabook #reading #bookstagrammer #instabooks #books #booksofinstagram #book https://www.instagram.com/p/B3-bmhmAjX6/?igshid=1viut2blnbxuf

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The Genius Of Agatha Christie: 99 Years On

The Genius Of Agatha Christie: 99 Years On

A few years ago, I had the unbelievable good fortune of working on the film sets of both Poirot and Miss Marple. I stumbled into this as an unexpected consequence of my time spent as a tour guide and House deputy at the triumphantly gothic Knebworth House. The building’s uniquely turreted, gargoyled exterior has secured its position as a favourite location of televised period dramas, having…

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The 10 Best Non-Horror Halloween Reads

The 10 Best Non-Horror Halloween Reads

October is a month that I have grown to love. One of the first foundation-rocking disagreements between me and my husband was his determined preference of Halloween over the, clearly superior, shenanigans of the Christmas period. It was a major trial for our ‘love across cultures’, where my lack of never having participated in any form of trick-or-treating (and general confusion as to why anyone…

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Review: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Review: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

“The story that follows is one I never intended to commit to paper. Recently, however, a shock of sorts has prompted me to look back over the most troubling episodes of my life and the lives of the several people I loved best. This is the story of how as a girl of sixteen I went in search of my father and his past, and of how he went in search of his beloved mentor and his mentor’s own history,…

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September has been quite the month. Aside from contending with a nose-dive in my mental health, I also turned 31. Now officially ‘in my 30s’, September has demanded some quiet contemplation as I look to the year ahead. I always enjoy the timing of my birthday. It comes just as autumn unfurls itself with the subtle grace of falling leaves and the misty augurings of dropping temperatures. More than the obvious calls to start afresh that come with the spring, I’ve always connected with autumn’s invitation to reappraise and embrace those small, yet significant, changes that the season brings. It feels appropriate that I get to welcome in a new year at the same time. In combination with the reassessments demanded by life with panic disorder, depression, and the many symptoms that come from these two conditions coexisting, it’s been a significant month. Not least because of the books that have helped me to carve a meandering path through the psychological wilderness that operates hand-in-hand with mental illness. I discovered Angela Carter at a time when I required the silent soothing that only luminously poetic prose can bring. And I was whisked away to a thrilling escape through the historical, Dracula-inspired mystery of Elizabeth Kostova’s ‘The Historian’. That fiction can provide us with a wordless sense of well-being and comfort in times of profound distress is something that I have experienced in my lifelong struggles with mental illness. September has been no exception. For more on my month in review - including my favourite articles, interviews, and new releases from the literary world - click the link in my bio! And, whatever September held in store for you, I hope that fiction has served your needs as well as it has mine. 🍂 . . . #selfcare #bibliotherapy #booksandtea #booknerd #bookish #bookworm #bookstagram #bookphotography #booklover #igreads #booknerdigans #bookblogger #booklove #bookstagramfeature #instabook #reading #bookstagrammer #instabooks #books #booksofinstagram #book https://www.instagram.com/p/B22Uk6-g3S4/?igshid=ouf5uu8gr2yd