Some say that spooky season starts on July 23rd — the 100-day mark to Halloween. Others say that that date is criminally early to start thinking about banshees, goblins and ghosts (and drinking a flagon of pumpkin spice latte).
But, whatever your stance, we can all agree that the spooky season is the perfect time of year to sink your teeth into a thrilling read.
Continue reading “Curating a collection of books for the spooky season”
In 2022, the number of worldwide international tourist arrivals reached approximately 917 million. While there are many advantages to tourism (including employment opportunities, social benefits, and stimulation of economic growth), an increase in international travel has also seen a rise in carbon emissions, destruction of natural habitats, and exploitation of natural resources.
Thankfully, reducing these impacts does not mean you have to close the door on international travel altogether. There are a number of ways you can continue to explore the four corners of the world through sustainable travel.
Continue reading “Sustainable Travel Tips: Seeing The World Without Destroying it”
Breaking into the field of SEO can seem daunting. The jargon alone can be a huge source of intimidation, never mind going toe-to-toe with Google to get your website ranking.
That’s why we’ve created a guide for SEO terms. Not only have we made a glossary of what they all mean but a map of how they relate to each other. There are many aspects of SEO—from your own website’s backend to the search engine’s processes—which means it can be easier to grasp these terms if you know what they relate to.
Photo credit: Asatur Yesayants/Shutterstock
For a long time, football fans had indifferent feelings towards Gianni Infantino. His main redeeming quality being that he wasn’t Sepp Blatter, the FIFA President who had presided over institutional corruption for the best part of two decades.
However, that has all changed. After a month of tone-deaf speeches, and hare-brained scheming — Infantino is now as popular with football fans as an undercooked half-time pie. With Infantino in the spotlight we wanted to take a look at the leadership errors he has made, and how and why you should look to avoid them.
Continue reading “What to Learn from the Leadership Mistakes of Gianni Infantino”
Humans are like clocks: we follow a rhythm. Often we sleep, eat and work at the same time of day; the same goes for healthy habits.
Think of habits as deliberately setting yourself on autopilot: deliberately setting cues to you can carry out activities–like household chores, exercise, healthy eating, and work–with relative ease.
Although it might seem difficult at first, establishing a healthy habit routine is simple with a small amount of initial discipline. If you follow these tips, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your best self.
(Feature image credit: A_B_C/Shutterstock)
American author David J Schwartz once said, “do what you fear and fear disappears”. There’s no shortage of quotes about facing your fears. They’re usually quite clichéd, but we shouldn’t overlook the truth behind the cliché.
Everyone feels fear. From an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense. Obviously getting chased by a pack of wolves is going to be scary. In that respect, fear has its place. But when it comes to our modern everyday fears, is there really anything to worry about?
Most people have an extensive list of fears, from snakes and spiders to important client meetings and solo travel. But imagine how much easier life would be without those fears. Here’s how and why you should face your fears.
We all know that building; there’s at least one in every town. Perhaps it’s the crumbling old mansion on a hilltop that’s said to hold antique treasures or the once well-loved but now decaying Grade II listed pub that’s not had a landlord in years. Or maybe it’s the creepy house that was abandoned years ago under strange circumstances, from which people say they can hear whispering in the night.
Given the mystery and intrigue that often surround these sites and buildings, it’s not surprising that some people would be interested in visiting them. What is surprising, however, is how these places have now become a huge internet phenomenon known as ‘urbex.’
So, what exactly is urbex? And how did it become so popular online?
The literary world is filled with iconic characters adored the world over. Anyone who's read the Little Women series has a shared trauma from the death of beloved Beth, which famously left Joey Tribbiani from Friends utterly distraught for an entire episode.
Say a word against Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's right-hand hobbit and loyal friend from Lord of The Rings, and there will no doubt be endless LOTR fans willing to jump to his defence.
You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who would openly dare to dislike early feminist icons like Lizzie Bennett, described by Austen herself as “delightful a creature ever appeared in print.” Or those with near-superhuman abilities to overcome the most difficult of circumstances, such as Celie in The Colour Purple.
While characters such as these have cemented themselves as being amongst the most well-loved heroes of all time, there are some characters who, at best, are the literary equivalent of marmite.
Continue reading “Readers & Writers: Literature’s Most Controversial Characters”
For many people, music and literature sit at the opposite ends of the creative world. With one art form based around the creation of sound and the other often enjoyed in complete silence, it can be easy to think of music and literature as two creative processes completely unrelated to one another.
A closer inspection into both worlds, however, and you’ll quickly find that the two art forms are deeply intertwined. From the storytelling components of the greatest lyrics to the musical references that colour many of our favourite novels, there’s no doubt that music and literature have been natural bedfellows for generations.
There have been some instances in music where an artist has taken direct influence from a piece of literature in their lyrics. From quoting iconic authors like George Orwell and J.G. Ballard to basing entire songs around the narrative theme of a classic novel, there are some musicians who’ve taken pride in wearing their literary influences on their sleeves.
With this in mind, we’ve made a list of classic songs that were directly inspired by famous literary works.
Continue reading “Readers & Writers: Songs by Famous Artists That Were Inspired by Literature”
(IFeature image credit: GoodStudio/Shutterstock)
This piece is part of our Readers and Writers series, where each of our content writers chooses an aspect of the written word that excites them.
The older I get, the harder it becomes to vividly remember my childhood. But one thing that does stand out are the books that I used to read as a child.
One of my earliest childhood memories with books would be the annual summer reading task run by the local library.
Nothing was more exhilarating than going to the library, choosing a book and taking it out, only to read it and return it a week later. By telling the librarian what the book was about, and why you enjoyed it, you then earnt a sticker. Do this another five times, and you could complete the summer reading challenge.
Who would have thought that such a simple reward policy could bring so much joy?!
And it was this that really cemented my love of reading growing up as a child. The library became a literary haven; a labyrinth of stories to enjoy, make-believe worlds to immerse yourself in and wonderful characters you aspired to be.
With this in mind, I have decided to take a trip down memory lane, and revisit the 10 most memorable books from my childhood that have helped shape the passion for reading I have today as an adult.
Continue reading “Readers & Writers: My Favourite Childhood Books”
