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Patrick Rothfuss

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The Name of the Wind is an epic fantasy, which has you hooked from start to finish. We hear of the protagonist, Kvothe’s, many legendary titles and deeds, only to learn that in reality most of these deeds were accidental, yet they make him into more of a hero. His sharp wit and intellect has you amazed from the beginning, with such determination that he is set apart from the usual heroes who just ‘magically slay the dragon’ as we see the harsh truths of how he achieves these deeds. As with any hero, he has a fatal flaw; his…

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On The Road by Jack Kerouac

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On The Road is an important book for a number of reasons. It is credited with beginning, or at least catalysing, the American road-story genre. Much like other books of the same movement, On The Road is important because it was so shocking and graphic for its time. Kerouac spoke explicitly about drugs, sex and “bum” life. These are all themes that were central to the “Beat” movement that the book belongs to. The story is reality thinly veiled with pseudonyms. Sal Paradise (Kerouac) and Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassidy) spend their days chasing women, drinking excessively and hitching rides across…

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‘The Gift’ for Christmas

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If you’re looking for something great to read this Christmas or just a good stocking filler, Cecilia Ahern’s seasonal novel; The Gift is one to look out for. The story is set in the run up to Christmas and follows three main characters, Lou Suffern, a high-flying businessman who ignores his wife and two young children opting instead for a bigger office and an affair with his secretary. Gabe, the guardian angel; an ominous homeless man who is definitely not everything he seems to be, and an exasperated policeman dealing with a young boy on Christmas Eve who has stolen his mother’s…

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Man Booker Prize Winner 2012

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The winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2012 has been announced, and Hilary Mantel has done it again. Awarded the prize for her novel Wolf Hall in 2009, Mantel has now achieved the top spot for her novel Bring Up the Bodies. The book is a sequel to the previous Man Booker Prize winning novel, and follows the life and times of Thomas Cromwell, living in the court of Henry VIII. It is a thrilling Historical novel that follows relationships within the Monarchy, adding a fictional flourish to events of the past. Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies…

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

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To me there are three types of readers. There’s the book lovers who will read every book ever because reading is everything. Then there’s the forced to read readers who have to read things for classes. And then there’s me; I’ll only read something if I have a prior vested interest in the book or topic of the book. The only things I’ve read in the last few years have been novelisations of video games. So when I heard that Perks was being made into a movie starring both Logan Lerman and Emma Watson I thought I’d give it a…

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Halloween Book Recommendations

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Scare Yourself: Read a Book This Halloween! Fancy being anti-social, staying in and avoiding the nightlife this Halloween, but still want to get involved with the spirit (no pun intended) of things? Well here’s a little bit of advice for you – what better way to scare yourself this than with a good, old fashioned and grisly horror book?  Yes, the age-old watching-a-scary-film-until-you-shriek-yourself-silly idea is all well and good, but it does all the work for you. Reading a horror story allows you, as the reader, to scare yourself as much as you want, or as little as you want.…

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Book on a Budget

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I am well aware that, as a university student, finances are tough. With many popular books costing anywhere from £8 to £15, it is unrealistic to fund a consistent supply of literature. In fact, it is difficult at times to fund the purchase of literature for your respected studies, let alone for leisure. Therefore, I decided that a good idea to promote reading would be to champion great literature which can also be purchased cheaply. The book I shall be promoting is The Liar by Stephen Fry. As a well known public figure, comedic actor and presenter, his role as…

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All Hallow’s Read

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All Hallow’s Read is a recent Halloween tradition invented by best-selling author Neil Gaiman in 2010. The premise is simple: give someone a scary book for Halloween. It’s a great way to get people reading and to share your favourite horror stories (or give away that book that gave you nightmares). It’s also a brilliant way to celebrate Halloween. Now this could just be me and my excessive horror film collection, but show me a scary film and you will not get much of a reaction out of me, other than an appreciation of gore. Give me a scary book…

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Halloween Reads: Celebrate Gothic Fiction

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As a literary genre, Gothic fiction is often classified as combining elements of horror and romance, as well as other features including melodrama and parody. Popular in the late 18th-early 19th century, many critics agree that it originated with the release of Horace Walpole’s 1764 novel “The Castle of Otranto”. Featuring the character Manfred, a lord of a castle, and the inexplicable death of his son Conrad before his wedding, it inspired Clara Reeve’s “The Old English Baron”, and set the tone for many canonised works that followed it. Anne Radcliffe is often credited with developing the “explained supernatural” element…

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Book on a Budget

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By on Books

I am well aware that, as a university student, finances are tough. With many popular books costing anywhere from £8 to £15, it is unrealistic to fund a consistent supply of literature. In fact, it is difficult at times to fund the purchase of literature for your respected studies, let alone for leisure. Therefore, I decided that a good idea would be to promote reading would be to champion great literature which can also be purchased cheaply. The book I shall be promoting is The Liar by Stephen Fry. As a well known public figure, comedic actor and presenter, his…

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Super Awesome Book Giveaway!

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By on Books, Competitions

We at Seren have been saving some summer treats for you, dear readers. We have a ridiculously easy competition to give away the following books: 1. Environmentalism begins at home! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: An easy household guide 2. For those of you who have come to the end of your loans: How To Save The Planet On A Student Budget 3. For the seasonal chef! The Good Table: Adventures in and around my kitchen 4. For the environmental philosopher. On Extinction: How We Came Became Estranged from Nature So the question is: Seren is printed on 100% recycled paper, true…

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The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

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By on Books, Entertainment

Anthony Horowitz in ‘The House of Silk’ gives us a brand new Sherlock Holmes adventure that attempts to be true to the Conan Doyle originals. We return once more to Victorian London, following Holmes and Watson as they investigate theft, murder and the mysterious House of Silk. Along the way we meet many familiar characters such as Inspector Lestrade and Mycroft Holmes. Somehow I’ve managed to get this far in life without ever actually reading a Sherlock Holmes story. Despite this I feel very familiar with the characters from being a big fan of the TV series ‘Sherlock’, BBC’s retake…

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Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

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By on Books, Entertainment

Dead Reckoning is Charlaine Harris’ 11th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series; the series which lends itself to the basis of the American TV show, True Blood. Although linked by character’s names, the TV show and book series have very little in common; if you didn’t like the TV show, but still want to add a bit of supernatural fantasy to your life, this is a really good series to peruse. Previous reviews have not been favourable to Dead Reckoning; the plot is slower and calmer than we’ve been used to in the last five or so books, and this…

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Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore

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By on Books, Entertainment

If you head over to the travel section you’ll find an article on my recent trip to Palestine. In the week I spent there, I was also reading a book by Simon Sebag Montefiore called Jerusalem: A Biography. This particularly weighty tome coloured all of my experiences during my time there and has changed my entire outlook on the situation. The book explores the full seven thousand years of history of the city and each chapter looks at the particular dynasty or regime that controlled the area at different times. This way of telling the story of Jerusalem allows Montefiore…

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Goosebumps by R.L. Stine

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Why do children love horror so much? We shouldn’t really be surprised that they do though; think about the fairy tales they are brought up on. Dark tales of death and destruction all spun in a way that makes them seem palatable for young ears but actually aren’t, yet they love them. Maybe this is why Goosebumps, by the American author R.L. Stine, has already started to become exceedingly popular. The first two books to be released in the series have gone down a storm with young readers everywhere, and the next book is being eagerly awaited. Stine’s style for…

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Classic of the Month: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

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We can’t really talk about the 90’s without mentioning the classic book from the decade: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone;  the one that started it all, way back in 1997. I remember being read this by my Year 4 teacher; near the end of every day she would sit us all down and read us a bit from this wonderful book she’d bought. We were all enthralled or, at least, I was. When we got to the end of term she hadn’t finished reading it to us and, with the long summer holiday stretching before me, I HAD to…

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