• Books Best Book Series: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J R R Tolkien
    Written largely during the Second World War, The Lord of the Rings is, as a trilogy, one of the best-selling books of all time. Originally written as a follow-up to Tolkien’s children’s novel, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings tells the tale of Frodo Baggins and his companions as they seek to destroy a magic […]
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  • News Awaiting exam results: How to enjoy the summer
    The long, hot summer that awaits you after finishing your exams will forever be tainted by the dreaded results day. Here are five top tips for staying calm and relaxing without the worry about what that heavy brown envelope holds.  Tip 1 – Social interaction Although it may seem like lying in bed all day […]
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  • Books Book Review: A Monster Calls
    A Monster Calls is one of the most renowned books of the 21st century. Patrick Ness, its author and flame-carrier, is just as renowned. There is a reason for that. A Monster Calls is one of the most moving, brilliantly executed, and informative novels I’ve read in a while. I’m possibly too old to be considered the target […]
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  • Books Book Review: Beautiful World, Where Are You
    Sally Rooney has had a stratospheric rise to fame and success after the publication of her first two novels, Conversations with Friends and (of course) Normal People. Both novels have received widespread critical acclaim, with the latter cementing Rooney as perhaps the frontrunner of millennial literature. Beautiful World, Where Are You only serves to compound this reputation. This novel, […]
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  • Editorials Reading won’t stop right-wing terrorism
    Usually, when terrorists are caught, they are sentenced to long periods in prison with the aim of punishing them for their crimes. A judge, however, decided on a different sentence for a particular terrorist. A neo-Nazi, Ben John, former Leicester De Monfort student, was found guilty of possessing information likely to be useful for preparing […]
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  • Books Book Review: Ace of Spades
     Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. This book was an unexpected buy, but the premise of the book had me hooked. A Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars-type thriller but with two black leads who are LGBTQ? Sign me up! In fact, the plot is so much more than I could’ve hoped for. I can see […]
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  • Books Book Review: Bridgerton: The Duke & I
    The Bridgerton hype is going nowhere fast. That is almost one hundred percent guaranteed – and the books are no different. After living above a rock, I have obviously seen Netflix’s adaptation of Bridgerton more times than I care to recall. However, as we all know, I am an avid reader and so, naturally, have […]
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  • Editorials Mental health without exercise
    A day never goes by without us hearing, watching or seeing someone on the news, in The Guardian or on Instagram preaching about how running, yoga and swimming helps their mental health. It’s great that exercise helps people (obviously) keep on top of their mental wellbeing, but what about if you have a disability, or […]
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  • Books Book Review: Normal People
    5/5 If you’ve ever read a book review by yours truly before, you’ll know it’s rare I award five stars. They are reserved for special works of art – and Sally Rooney’s Normal People is exactly that. In fact, Normal People is a masterpiece. I first heard of the book when it was broadcast as […]
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  • Editorials What to Do in Lockdown… Again
    With the news today that the North East is going to be put in lockdown again, we’ve come up with a little list of things to do to keep you occupied. While a lot of folks are still working throughout this bout of tighter COVID-19 restrictions, there’s a lot of elderly and young people who’ll […]
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  • Reviews Manga done right
    For non-fans, it may be surprising to learn that Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is the third best selling comic of all time, and the best selling manga – but it’s likely that you’ve heard or seen its impact in one of its 934 chapters, 831 episodes (of the anime) or 51 video games since its […]
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  • News Book Review: Paula Rawsthorne’s Shell
    What if you thought you had died, only to wake up to find that your brain and eyes had been transplanted into someone else’s body? When Lucy, a teen diagnosed with terminal cancer wakes up cancer-free, it should be a dream come true. But faced with a life she didn’t choose and trapped in a […]
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