Let’s talk about my favourite read of November ‘Infernal Fall’ by Bryan Timothy Mitchell a great reimagining of Dante’s inferno.
This book is incredibly written and I felt immersed into the world he created which was a dark imagining of hell and found myself connecting with the main character Daniel almost instantly. I couldn’t put it down wanting to see where Daniel’s journey took him next.
Synopsis:
Daniel Strong is a troubled young man with only one bright spot in his life—his girlfriend, Kristine. He hopes to propose to her on a hike in the mountains, but a mysterious artifact in a dark cavern ruins his plan. Things quickly go downhill—literally—as handling the ‘keystone’ causes Daniel to fall straight into Hell, leaving Kristine behind.
A soul-harvesting demon tells him the only way out is through, that he must go to Satan and bargain for his freedom. But the shadow-man responsible for leaving the keystone behind tries to show him there’s another way out. Against his better judgment, Daniel finds himself listening to the demon’s claims that appealing to the Master of the Underworld himself is his only choice.
As the unlikely group traverses the many levels of Hell, hurt, anger, and fear hound Daniel, reminding him how hopeless his efforts truly are. All Daniel can do is push forward in hopes of making it back to Kristine. Will Daniel heed Kristine’s words to choose life? Or will he succumb to the lies pulling him down with every step?
I can’t recommend this book enough to those who love classic and ancient literature and are looking for their next modernised version.
I am often asked over on my Instagram and TikTok about studying Ancient Greek and Roman mythology, literature and history so I have compiled a master list of all of my favourite FREE resources. This list will include my favourite short courses, podcasts and free translations to help inspire your learning.
edx: Offers free courses via the auditing track or you can choose to pay for the verified track where you receive a certificate at the end. These courses last for a few months and go more in-depth with the material compared to the Open Learn ones.
Audiobooks: I like to listen to the audiobooks of a lot of ancient texts, especially for learning the correct pronunciation of names. I use Loyalbooks.com who offer a massive range of free downloadable audiobooks.
Honourable Mention: I didn’t know where to categorize my favourite Youtube channel which has videos on how to learn Ancient Greek as well as text readings and interviews.
The holiday season is the perfect time to indulge the bookworms in your life with thoughtful gifts that fuel their love for reading. Whether they’re fans of thrilling mysteries, epic fantasy, insightful memoirs, or the latest bestsellers, there’s a perfect gift for every type of reader. Books, accessories, and unique literary-themed items can transport them into new worlds and make their reading experience even more special.
In this gift guide, I have curated a variety of bookish treasures to delight every kind of reader on your list (including me), so you can give the gift of a story this Christmas.
A Gift that Keeps on Giving
For the bookworms who like a surprise, a one-off or subscription book box will be appreciated. You can find ones that can suit any reader from your romantics to your crime thriller obsessives.
Wordy & Wild offer subscription boxes as well as one of book boxes to suit most types of readers. Perfect for those interested in romance, thrillers or fantasy. I bought a one of romance book box a few months ago and was impressed with the choice and loved the book themed items included.
A beautifully presented seasonal book box which features a handmade candle, paperback, snack and treat. I love the idea of receiving a box every season and I promise you the candles smell amazing.
I love vintage books and have never received a bad choice from Prudence and the Crow whose offering features a vintage paperback, handmade book bag, library card and other surprises.
My favourite bags are from Well Read Co and I also have two coin purses, a purse and a pouch from there. The quality is amazing and I have had so many compliments over the last few years when using them.
Make sure that you check out second-hand retailers such as World of Books for the more pricey options as you can frequently find the leatherbound editions for £10 in near pristine condition.
Want to find out what editions are on my wishlist visit here
Experiences
For the last few years I have been asking for tickets and experiences as gifts and it’s something I try do for my friends especially for things that they want to go to but can’t justify the cost.
The Royal Shakespeare Company offer tickets for £10 for those under the age of 25 which is how I have managed to see so many great shows over the last two years. However, even without this discount you can find well-priced tickets and spend the day wandering around Shakespeare’s birthplace I can’t think of a better gift.
Located in North Wales Gladstone’s library has been on my bucket list for a while and it’s not too far from where I currently live. They offer readers passes for free which gives you access to the beautiful reading rooms however they do ask for a £10 donation which I think is more than fair to keep such a lovely place running. They also offer stays from £120 for a single room. Who doesn’t want to say they have stayed in a library.
This year, give a gift that celebrates their love of stories, and you’ll be sure to make their Christmas one to remember. Happy gifting, and may your book-loving friends and family find joy in every page they turn!
So as Autumn is now upon us so is Dark Academia season, with many looking for spine chilling reads that match the crisp and chilly weather. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife by Ashley Winstead last month and, I have to say I really enjoyed it.
The Synopsis:
Six friends.
One college reunion.
One unsolved murder.
A college reunion turns dark and deadly in this chilling and propulsive suspense novel about six friends, one unsolved murder, and the dark secrets they have been hiding from each other—and themselves—for a decade.
Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has planned her triumphant return to southern, elite Duquette University, down to the envious whispers that are sure to follow in her wake. Everyone is going to see the girl she wants them to see—confident, beautiful, indifferent—not the girl she was when she left campus, back when Heather’s murder fractured everything, including the tight bond linking the six friends she’d been closest to since freshman year. Ten years ago, everything fell apart, including the dreams she worked for her whole life—and her relationship with the one person she wasn’t supposed to love.
But not everyone is ready to move on. Not everyone left Duquette ten years ago, and not everyone can let Heather’s murder go unsolved. Someone is determined to trap the real killer, to make the guilty pay. When the six friends are reunited, they will be forced to confront what happened that night—and the years’ worth of secrets each of them would do anything to keep hidden.
My Thoughts:
I found this to be an outstanding debut novel from Winstead especially as it contained my favourite mix of unlikable characters and murder. I found myself connecting with Jessica’s need to succeed and wanting to return to school victorious and be the envy of everyone instead of my friends for a change. I felt that all of the characters were well written and enjoyed getting the chance to see inside their minds with the clever switches between the past and present as well as a change in POV towards the end chapters.
“I wanted them to see perfection. I ached for it in the deep, dark core of me: to be so good I left other people in the dust.”
I stayed up on a work night to finish the novel as I needed to see what happened at the end and if all of the secrets had been revealed. I think the nostalgia of the good old college days vs the cracked reality of jealousy and anger that can simmer even the best of friendships.
If you like your dark academia vibes, your unlikable cast of characters and twisty murders where everyone has a motive then this should be next on your TBR list.
The Push by Ashley Audrain tells the story of motherhood spanning three generations of women. Blythe who is the main subject of the book was abandoned by her mother Cecilia, who herself was the daughter of the twisted Etta.
The story begins with Blythe estranged from her daughter Violet’s life.She has been replaced as ‘mother’ by her ex-husband’s new wife and she has to accept that her family is happier without her.
Due to Blythe’s traumatic childhood she is left with a lot of anxieties and fears about her ability to be a good mother. Her fears come to a head when she fails to connect to Violet, is constantly exhausted and life is not going to plan. Violet is a difficult child who is manipulative, never smiles and is overall frightening. Her husband Fox ignores these issues as Violet is a daddy’s girl but her feelings towards her mother are a lot colder. However, when Blythe gets pregnant for a second time those fears about her daughter turn to terror.
Audrain creates a gripping and tense narrative that exploits the anxieties of motherhood. It showcases how a baby can either strengthen or break down adult relationships as well as how our childhoods shape our adult fears.
The Push expertly walks the fine line of a family cursed to repeat the same mistakes or of a mother paranoia twisting her daughter. It feels like The Push is a description of nature vs nurture for the women in Blythe’s family.
This is another difficult book to read and will not suit everyone’s tastes with its examination of difficult characters and their relations to motherhood.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell tells the story of Vanessa Wye as both an adult and a 15-year-old schoolgirl. Jacob Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by one of his former students, and a journalist contacts Vanessa to contribute to allegations. However, Vanessa does not see her time with Strane as abuse but as a loving relationship.
My Dark Vanessa is a tough and unsettling read from the very beginning. “When Strane and I met, I was fifteen and he was forty-two, a near perfect thirty years between us.” During my first attempt to start the novel I got to this paragraph on page 5 and had to put the book down because it made me feel sick to my stomach.
Russell is never shy at revealing the details of his repulsive sexual abuse where he claims that Vanessa is in charge of what is happening while requesting that she call him ‘Daddy’. It is hard to read the repeated rape of a 15-year-old girl and even as an adult where she wants him to stop but doesn’t have the power to tell him no. For many, there may be a feeling that there are too many rape scenes or too many details but I think that it’s important to remember the brutality of what is happening to her. While I believe that My Dark Vanessa is a brave exploration of the #metoo movement it is not a book for everyone and I found it to be a slow read as much as I wanted to find out what happened the uneasy feeling would cause me to stop.
“I just really need it to be a love story. You know? I really, really need it to be that.” – Vanessa Wye. Russell does an amazing job in transporting us into the mind of a teenage girl who wants to be special and loved, who is intelligent but vulnerable. As well as being able to showcase the harm that this ‘love’ has done to Vanessa as an adult who can’t accept that he exploited her vulnerability and that he does deserve to be punished for what he did. I think it’s important for those who pick up this book to remember nuances in that while it could be read as romantic from her retelling and how she is the one he chose to love it is a tale of abuse.
I think this is an important and difficult read on how abusers manipulate their victims into believing it’s love and the importance of holding the abusers and institutions that hide and shield them to account.
I can’t believe it’s December already! I’m a little behind on my Christmas shopping this year, especially for those hard to buy people in my life.
These are the gifts that are on my Wishlist this Christmas:
1) Special edition books
My favourite edition of The Iliad & The Odyssey
Whenever I share a picture featuring one of my Barnes and Noble Leatherbound classical editions people go mad for them. So why not gift one of these pretty classics this year.
A signed edition from your friends’ favourite author can make an extra special gift this Christmas. I bought myself an early Christmas present of a signed copy of Neil Gaiman’s ’The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ you can find the latest signed copies from most bookstores but my two favourites are:
I’m obsessed with Orbiting Pluto’s candles which feature books, films and characters! I currently own The Secret History and Persephone, which both smell beautiful. You can also request a custom candle to make an even more special gift.
The Literary Emporium is filled with lovely gifts but their gift box is perfect for any classic literature nerd! There are plenty of books that you can choose from including: Virginia Woolf, Macbeth and Sappho It comes with a copy of the book, t-shirt and pin badge and comes pre-wrapped marking it easy to send to a long-distance friend.
Azurina is another love of mine and they have a range of gifts perfect for all budgets. From monogrammed notebooks to help you jot down your inner ramblings. To personalised bags and pouches.
I was gifted a watch from Holzken, and I’m just so in love with it! A good watch is a timeless classic, and this one allows you to take a little piece of nature with you wherever you go.
The Calina: £249 (Use code alibooks to get 13% off until the 21st December)
8) Jewellery
I’m never seen without this necklace1
For those who love A Dead Poets Society and the Dark Academia aesthetic, the Carpe Diem necklace and signet ring from Bohomoon is the perfect gift. Made from stainless steel both pieces promise to stay tarnish-free (I’ve been wearing mine since June and it still looks perfect).
Give them a gift every month with a book subscription box. There are lots on the market from YA, Thriller, to Female Empowerment there is something for every type of reader. Here are two of my favourites:
Reposed is the perfect box for those looking for a range of fiction and non-fiction books delivered to their door every month. Also included in the box is a hot beverage, snack and other treats such as skin products, flower seeds and notebooks.
Prudence and The Crow gives you a vintage paperback every month along with a book sleeve, library card and other treats every month. You can pick your genre or keep it a surprise.
Omg, I’m obsessed with Theo and Lucie’s story it was so cute that I stayed up all night reading it!
This is the second book in the Love for Days series and for those that have already read Man Crush Monday you will be familiar with Theo and will be pleased to see he is the star of this book. Omg is Theo hot and nerdy my type to a tee so I was instantly in love with him. Lucie was perfect for him and I so want her to be my best friend!
Check out the blurb below for a small taste of what’s in store!
Blurb:
Two broken hearts. One fake dating agreement. What could go wrong?
Lucie thought she had it all—a loving fiancé, a nice apartment, and a job she was great at. But that all changed the day she walked in on her perfect fiancé screwing his personal trainer on her newly purchased dream sofa. Three months later, she’s bunking with her best friend and scrambling to make sense of her life sans cheating ex.
Theo is about to jet off for a long weekend in picturesque Scotland to be the best man at his brother’s wedding. With stunning views and nothing but free food and drinking ahead, he should be more excited than he is. If only he didn’t have feelings for the damn bride.
When fate throws Lucie and Theo together under unlikely circumstances, they bond over doughnuts and their mutually disastrous love lives … and it seems like they might be able to help each other out. As long as they both stick to the rules, there’s nothing that can go wrong.
Contract in place? Check.
Hot, fake dates? Check.
Sexual chemistry steamy enough to scorch sheets? Double che—
Wait, what?
That wasn’t in the agreement …
What I thought:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Theo and Lucie’s chemistry is great throughout the book and their banter made me laugh out loud during places. I enjoyed the interactions with Jared and Amy and loved reading about their wedding alongside Theo and Lucie’s hilarity and drunkenness.
One of my favourite Ron-Coms of the year! I’m already excited for book 3 💕
With fall around the corner, I’ve been pulling out my winter wardrobe, which just screams dark academia vibes.
I’m obsessed with the aesthetic and hope to give you some inspo with these 5 outfits perfect for class, work or running around museums.
Cardigan: Boohoo £12
1) The 90’s Throwback
The perfect WFH staple is the cardigan worn as a shirt! This dogtooth short-sleeved one gives me geek chic vibes and can be worn with skinny jeans, layered necklaces, and a statement belt.
Shirt: Nasty Gal £12 Cardigan: Monki £35
2) Chunky Knits and White Shirts
The weather is definitely fickle at the moment so I’m still wearing my little white shirts from summer but instead of shorts, I’m now pairing them with skinny jeans and a chunky autumnal coloured knit. This outfit makes me want to take long walks through freshly fallen leaves while drinking a pumpkin spiced latte.
Trousers: Next £32
3) Prince of Wales Checked Trousers
A timeless outfit perfect for classes, the office, or for browsing galleries and museums. Checked trousers can be worn with a plain turtleneck for a casual look or with a crisp white shirt for a smarter feel. Pair with heels or a chunky pair of kickers and a satchel to maximise the dark academia potential.
Blazer: Primark £25 Trousers: £15
4) To Suit or Not To Suit?
I bought a suit ready for interviews and professional events but it’s not often I wear both pieces together. I love this brown-toned one I wear the blazer over dresses and with jeans to smarten up an outfit instantly. I frequently wear the suit trousers with a black turtleneck and trainers to relax my look.
Jumper: Gap £35 Trousers: Uniqlo £24.90
5) Toned Neutrals
A caramel turtleneck is the perfect piece to carry you through autumn into winter. Wear it with checked trousers for an office chic look or, with blue jeans and a blazer for a more casual look
The Blurb: ‘Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last – inexorably – into evil.‘
“Does such a thing as ‘the fatal flaw,’ that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn’t. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.”
Donna Tartt, The Secret History
Word of warning this book is not for you if you need to a. Relate to the characters and b. If you don’t like arsehole main characters. Despite all that I do have a fondness for most of the characters.
We find out in the prologue that Richard and four members of the group murder one of their fellow students to who they are close too which creates tension while reading the book as you know where its inevitable conclusion lies. The story is told in two parts, the first describes the events leading up to the death and, the second describes the aftermath. This creates a slow build towards the murder and then picks up pace once the deed has been committed.
Donna Tartt’s ability to write characters who are deeply unlikeable in a way that makes you care and sympathise with them is a true talent. I don’t think I have ever read a book that has stuck with mean even after three or four reads before and, I don’t think I will again. There is just something so hypnotic about The Secret History that draws you in and won’t let go.
I think the reason why The Secret History has been a favourite for many since its release is due to its ability to connect to our human insecurities when talking about friendships. Richard has a yearning to be accepted into a group of peers that he admires and, once he is in with the group, he is willing to sacrifice everything to stay there. It also touches on what it feels like to lose a great friendship and how loneliness and disconnect can have you longing for the most toxic people.
The book plays out like a Greek tragedy with the groups horrifying crime and their downward spiral in the aftermath which, forever changes them. This is not the story for the faint of heart with mentions of murder, incest, substance abuse and lots of twenty years olds angst.
Ali’s Book Corner 