The Pen and Inkpot

"The Shadow of the Wind" is an extremely unique novel, set in the crumbling streets of Barcelona during the 1940s. It is written in the style of a classic novel even though it was published in the early 2000s and it is historical fiction mingled with mystery and horror. The story is so complex, my mind is boggled by the author's ability to create such a masterpiece. It has everything that I love in a novel: books, mystery, a beautiful setting and amusing characters. Daniel is only ten years old when his father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books where he is drawn to one particular novel, "The Shadow of the Wind" by Julian Carax. The beauty of the story captivates the young boy and ignites in him a burning curiosity to unravel the dark mystery surrounding the author's past. Little does he know that this will lead him into a dangerous side of Barcelona which he never knew existed. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel's capacity to ...

Readers like to play it safe. Once they find a few genres they like, they refuse to read anything of a different style. Romance, crime, sci-fi and young adult fiction seem to be what’s popular at the moment, but there are so many other genres and sub-genres to explore, many of which you may never have heard of before. Picaresque This genre, originating from Spain, refers specifically to stories told about the travels and adventures of a rough but appealing hero told in a series of humourous episodes. Usually focusing on the everyday lives of ordinary people, picaresque novels take a satirical approach to storytelling. Steam Punk A blend of science fiction and historical fiction but also found in the fantasy genre, steampunk novels are based on 19 th century steam power machinery and set in a particular time period. The steampunk movement was inspired by the unique fashions that came with the dawn of the use of cogs, engines and steam power which is reflected in the w...

Illuminae sucked me in through its unique story telling style which was quite unlike anything I have read before. The story of a girl ripped from her home on micro planet, "Kerenza" and thrust into a chase through outer space is told through a collection of interviews, reports, surveillance transcripts and text message conversations. I was at first skeptical about how well this would tell the story but it didn't end up disrupting the reading experience at all. Instead, it added interest and gave the reader insight into the characters in a different way. Illuminae is a sci-fi, dystopian romance featuring robots, zombies and space ships which is definitely not what I would usually read.  I would not pick Illuminae as the best bedtime read due to the large amount of death and tragedy experienced by the characters. I found myself quite connected to the main characters and this really made me feel for what they were going through. I was scared for them and grieved...

I have recently been on some bookshop crawls around the centre and East side of Melbourne and wish to share with you my discoveries. Beneath the hustle and bustle of Melbourne, you can find cosy rooms filled with every book you can imagine and amazing prices on great books if only you know where to look. If you live in or are visiting Melbourne, here are the bookshops with the best atmosphere and the best prices. Looking for cosy, bookish vibes? These ones are for you: City Basement Books - 342 Flinders St If you're not paying attention, you could easily miss the little doorway between the busy shops on Flinders Street but once you find it, it will lead you down a flight of stairs and into book heaven. Book shelves filled and piles on the ground stacked high with second hand books on any topic you can think of. Good prices and an awesome shop. Paperback Bookshop - 60 Bourke Street This is a tiny shop crammed with books in shelves going up to the cei...

The tales of Miss Peregrine and her peculiar children are my favourite novels out of all of the books I have read so far. It is a large claim, but it is true. Obviously, when I discovered that a new novel was to be added to the series, I was beyond excited and couldn’t wait to get stuck into it. I was skeptical though, since it seemed to be separate from the original trilogy and I didn’t want to be disappointed. There was no need for doubt since it ended up having the same adventure-based storyline and uniquely diverse set of characters with a whole new journey for them to embark on. After the first three novels, Jake and his peculiarly talented friends had ultimately saved the peculiar world in Europe and it seemed that all of the problems had been solved. Or so I thought. In “A Map of Days”, Jake has returned to his home in America where a whole new adventure awaits him. The victory achieved by the children gives them a sense of independence and a yearning for freedom. In t...

Have you ever read a novel that was so terrible that you thought, "I could write something better than that"? Have you ever had a genius idea for a story, but haven't had the motivation to type it up? Have you got notebooks filled with half written stories that you never got around to finishing? If you answered yes to all, some or none of those questions, then this is the post for you! Writing a short story or novelette is simpler than you think and in this post I will outline five easy steps to writing an awesome story. Step 1: Brainstorm Before you even start thinking about writing a story, you need to have an idea of what it will be about. Take an idea of a character, event or setting and let your imagination run wild to form the beginnings of a plot. Brainstorming can happen in your head, but it is more effective when done through dot points or a mind map on paper. In a brainstorm, you don't need to go into much detail, but simply jot ideas ...

The Chronicles of Narnia are a series of seven novels set in the magical land of Narnia. Each individual novel isn’t very long and it took me two months to read all seven. Despite how long it took, I didn’t get bored of them at all and found them interesting and entertaining. Written by C.S Lewis, they are aimed at children, and although this made the story shallow at times, I believe that all ages could get lost in them. I love how the characters and events link together from story to story, giving the reader a rich background knowledge and closeness to the world of Narnia as it grows and changes. For me, the Chronicles of Narnia had a deeper meaning than the fantasy story. The tales of Narnia are actually written to be like the story of the Bible and I found this eye opening to read. I could recognise the creation story, the crucifixion and the resurrection as it was played out metaphorically with different characters and in a way which broadened my understanding of the ...