Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Translated Japanese literature has recently become a lot more popular in the UK book world. Where before, Japanese books about cats either being a metaphor for death or some other difficult life lesson were a rarity, now they come in their masses (and I’m not complaining, it turns out this is exactly my type in

Jolene

By now, it’s highly likely you’re aware of Beyonce’s latest country album – Cowboy Carter. The incredible pop and R&B artist has come to dominate another genre of music, rewriting the handbook on what country is and who it’s for. Interestingly, although probably not surprisingly, it seems that the Dolly Parton hit ‘Jolene’ must have

Why the world needs philosophers (and people interested in any subject really)

I’m not entirely sure why, but in one of my friendship groups, we’ve really adopted the phrase “women in STEM” as a response to anything that women do. This is met with nods of the head, and an echoing “women in STEM” in return. Regardless of how good or bad the action is, or how

(wo)men

Some may say that reading two heavily factual accounts of the gender gap in various areas of life in a short space of time might not be good for you. Others may say that the books you read in between those two probably shouldn’t be a collection based on feminism. Unfortunately, none of those people

Cathedrals

As a historically Christian country, England is scattered with cathedrals of all shapes and sizes. This year in particular, I’ve found myself in some of the cities that house these massive constructions and made a point of going to visit them, if only to sit outside for a while and take in their enormity and

Gelato snobbery

Continuing the collection of posts based on my time living in Italy last summer, we move onto arguably the most important aspect of Italian culture and cuisine – gelato. One of the benefits of living so close to so much good food is that you have the chance to start understanding what makes it so

Accessibility and Art

Art has a reputation for red wine, boujee gallery openings, and incomprehensible pieces. Yet also, within that scale, are the pieces of art that the general public look at and thinks “I could’ve done that”. Often this is seen as a derogatory statement to make – the artist shouldn’t really be celebrated to the extent

I love Chick Flicks

You know the film. The poster’s colour scheme largely revolves around shades of barbie pink, the main (fem) character made up to the nines, possibly draped over some hunk of a man, otherwise backed up by some equally glamorous girls. Bonus points for exaggerated posing. The sort of film that instantly gets ruled out when

There’s too much

I’ve not even started writing and already I get the feeling that this may come across as slightly hypocritical. However, I will set off on my argument with wild abandon for rules. From my humble perspective, there seem to be a lot more films nowadays. Also a lot more TV series. And music too, now

Timidness

Over the summer, I took a leap and went to work for a family in Italy. I didn’t know them beforehand; although I knew I was staying with them I wasn’t entirely sure where that was. I hadn’t been told a lot about what I’d be doing, but had been given the umbrella term of