Welcome to The Hearth. This space is dedicated to personal reflections and life outside of academic research. Browse the posts below for insights into my daily routines, navigating life as a neurodivergent PhD candidate, and finding balance beyond the university.
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Follow Me Back – Cloke
This book was thrust into my hands by one of my avid year 7 readers. She said I had to stop reading everything else and give this a go. Whilst it isn’t one of my favourite books of the year, I can see why it grabbed her attention. So, what makes Follow Me Back by Nicci…
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A new favourite author – Sarah J Maas
There are some authors that you just want to read everything they’ve ever written because you’ve fallen in love with their writing style, character development, and plot lines. I have not felt this way about an author since I was in year 6 and reading Tamora Pierce‘s series, such as Song of the Lioness, Daughter of…
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Twisted Fairy Tales – why we can’t let go.
I have recently read a take on the Beauty and the Beast story called “The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty’s Prince” and I have just started “A Whole New World: A Twisted Tale,” which is based on the story of Aladdin, and I began to wonder what drove me to revisit these timeless stories…
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Smile – Telegmeier
After needing to buy a second copy because our first was never on the shelf, I decided to give this a go and I was not disappointed. I can see why it’s so popular among our year 7s and really wish there had been something like this around when I was 12. Synopsis: “Smile” is…
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Illuminae – Kaufman and Kristoff
This was recommended to me by one of my colleagues and I haven’t been able to thank her enough. I was unsure how I would react to the unusual format in which this book is presented, however I found it one of the most enjoyable and gripping reads this year. This is a thrilling sci-fi…
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Holiday recommendations
As we come to the end of another busy term I am often asked by my students “what should I read over the holidays?” In answer to those questions, I thought I would write a quick post of my top 10 recommendations for holiday reading this year. 1. The Wishing Spell – The Land…
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Graphic Novels – My new love
I read my very first graphic novel in April this year. It was Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Jim Lee, and I absolutely loved it. It took me a while to understand the format of a graphic novel and for my brain to easily accept reading the images along with the font,…
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Maggot Moon – Gardner
Now this was an interesting read! This book was selected for the YA Book Club my school runs for its teachers. At first I was very put off by the title and the cover, but I soon came to absolutely love this book. Synopsis: Maggot Moon is based on a dystopian universe that mirrors the…
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Why I love YA
I hear a lot of my friends and colleagues often saying either one of two things: I cannot stand Young Adult, it is often poorly written and I just don’t get the point behind some of the stories. I absolutely love Young Adult, it is my guilty pleasure reading for when I want something easy.…