Spring 2015

The BookishStudent

INSIDE...

A literary festival special

PLUS

The Ship by Antonia Honeywell REVIEWED!

Our top Spring tbr listA festival special

This is a fictional magazine written and designed for the writing in the media module at the university of kent. i do not own any of the images.

In this issueWelcome to the Bookish Student....

A note from the editor...Welcome to all of our Bookish student readers!

Spring is back and so are we, and this time we’re here with a bunch of your tweets from the winter book club, our top spring tbr list, AND an amazing literary festival special that will prepare you for the season ahead.

Spring is a bitter-sweet season for students. While Nature is out in full bloom and the weather (might be) getting sunnier, we’re also starting to near the end of the academic year. And that means deadlines. And exams. Keep going, readers, and remember, keep calm and read a book!

So please, head outside with your favourite novel (and this magazine!), and have a study break in the spring sunshine on us.

Julia MitchellEditor

To-be-read list: pages 3-4

Festival special

8 reasons why all book lovers need to visit a literary festival in 2015: page 6

An interview with wise words festival: pages 7-8

an interview with the whitlit festival: pages 9-10

Book club

Your tweets: page 11

The ship review: page 12

“Spring is back and so are we...”

All I Know Now by Carrie Hope FletcherRelease date: 23rd April 2015“We all know that growing up is

hard to do, and sometimes the only thing that makes it better are the reassuring words of someone who has walked that bumpy road just a few steps ahead of you and somehow ended up as a fully-functioning adult. Carrie Hope Fletcher is that person.Carrie has created a safe

and positive space for young people to connect and share their hopes and concerns online, and now she will share her most personal thoughts and experiences in her first

book, ALL I KNOW NOW. Part memoir, part advice guide, it will include Carrie’s thoughts on some of the topics she’s asked about most regularly: bullying, body image, relationships and more.”Our thoughts Anyone that has watched

Carrie on her YouTube channel, ItsWayPastMyBedTime, will be well on-board the hype train that is her first book come teenage life manual. And although us at The Bookish Student may not be teens any longer, we’re looking forward to reading about Carrie’s personal experiences of teenage-hood, and the wisdom she has to share.

To-Be-Read listSpring 2015

The

There are so many amazing books that we want to read

this spring that we just can’t keep up (but really, who can keep up with their TBR list!?!) Somehow we managed to whittle the selection down to our 5 top favourites, to the

books that you REALLY have to check out this season. Use them to procrastinate from silly things that don’t matter like exams and deadlines and stuff. But first, here’s a special mention

to the books that didn’t quite make

the list: Hold Me Closer by David Leviathan, The Dead Lands by Benjamin Percy, and Very Good Lives by JK Rowling- you were close, you really were.So without further ado, here is

our Spring 2015 TBR List. Enjoy!

3

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina GeorgeRelease date: 23rd April“On a beautifully restored

barge on the Seine, Jean Perdu runs a bookshop; or rather a ‘literary apothecary’, for this bookseller possesses a rare gift for sensing which books will soothe the troubled souls of his customers.The only person he is unable

to cure, it seems, is himself. He has nursed a broken heart ever since the night, twenty-one years ago, when the love of his life fled Paris, leaving behind a handwritten letter that he has never dared read. His

memories and his love have been gathering dust - until now. The arrival of an enigmatic new neighbour in his eccentric apartment building on Rue Montagnard inspires Jean to unlock his heart, unmoor the floating bookshop and set off for Provence, in search of the past and his beloved.”Our thoughtsWhat could be more enticing

than a book about bookshops, laced with mystery and a hint of romance, all based in one of the most romantic cities in the world? We’re so glad that this book has finally made an English translation!

4

A God in Ruins by Kate AtkinsonRelease date: 7 May 2015“Kate Atkinson’s dazzling

Life After Life, one of the top selling adult books of 2014, explored the possibility of infinite chances, as Ursula Todd lived through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. In A God in Ruins, Atkinson turns her focus on Ursula’s beloved younger brother Teddy – would-be poet, RAF bomber pilot, husband and father – as he navigates the perils and progress of the 20th century. For all Teddy endures in battle, his greatest

challenge will be to face living in a future he never expected to have.”Our thoughtsIf you’re worried about not

having read Life After Life, never fear, reviews have reported you will still enjoy this book. Phew. (Although we bet that after this novel you’ll be hooked!) This is the perfect read

for fans of historical fiction, particularly those who enjoy tales set in World War Two (and we love them).Make sure you get down

to a bookshop on the 7th of May, to bag yourself a copy before everyone else does!

Disclaimer by Renee KnightRelease date: 9th April 2015“Finding a mysterious novel

at her bedside plunges documentary filmmaker Catherine Ravenscroft into a living nightmare. Though ostensibly fiction, The Perfect Stranger recreates in vivid, unmistakable detail the terrible day Catherine became hostage to a dark secret, a secret that only one other person knew--and that person is dead.Now that the past is catching

up with her, Catherine’s world is falling apart. Her only hope

is to confront what really happened on that awful day even if the shocking truth might destroy her.”Our thoughts This title’s synopsis doesn’t

seem to give much away – but that’s probably what makes it so intriguing. We all love a good secret, but keeping one this well is just plain cruel. Us at The Bookish Student simply need to find out what chilling truth Catherine is keeping from the world. And the only way to find out is to read it (yes, Google is cheating!).

The Buried Giant by Kazuo IshiguroRelease date: 3rd March 2015“The Romans have long

since departed, and Britain is steadily declining into ruin. But at least the wars that once ravaged the country have ceased. The Buried Giant begins as a couple, Axl and Beatrice, set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen for years. They expect to face many hazards - some strange and other-worldly - but they cannot yet foresee how their journey

will reveal to them dark and forgotten corners of their love for one another.Sometimes savage, often

intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel in a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge and war.”Our thoughts: It may have been ten years in

the making, but Kazuo Ishiguro is back. We’re looking forward to

seeing this critically acclaimed author transition into the fantasy genre, by setting off on a journey with his characters Axl and Beatrice, and finding out what is in store for them.

Festival season

2015

Scan here to view our exclusive literary festival calendar for the 2015 season!

5.

8 Reasons why all book lovers NEED to visit a

literary festival in 2015Springtime is here; the sun has

broken through the dark clouds of winter, and summer bliss is sitting tantalisingly on the horizon. With England’s brief sunny season on its way, what better time is there to laze about in the emerging sunshine, and devour our TBR lists?

Although fitting in a great deal of quality reading time is essential for all, there’s actually a lot more to get up to than you might think. Spring and summer are the seasons of literary extravaganza: from the crazy-famous-big-name-festivals to the smaller, newer, more niche events.

Full of books, authors, and lots and lots of readers, festivals give us the chance to engage with literature in a different and exciting way. Here are our top 8 reasons why

you should do something different and head up to a literary festival while the sun’s out.

1.A major draw for any book-

festival-go-er, this is your chance to bring a big stack of books and get them all signed in one place. Who knows, maybe you’ll even be able to meet your favourite author!?

The book signings 2.

That fantastic talk you went to about a book you’ve never read? Buy it! You don’t need a better excuse to stock up on more reading material and expand your bookshelves into unseen horizons.

The bookshops 3.

Geek out about stories in a bookish setting, and make new book-loving friends while you’re at it. Apparently, 29 couples have got married since meeting at the Hay Festival, so you might even meet a special someone while you’re at it.

You can make friends

4.At a lot of literature festivals

some of the events will be FREE, and many of them won’t be very expensive. The Edinburgh Book Festival have free entry to their beautiful gardens every year.

It probably won’t break the bank 5.

It’s not just about the signings and the big names. Go to a talk, speak up at a debate, and tap your foot along to some music. Every festival is different, and it’s hard to feel bored with so much variety on offer.

There are talks and performances to attend

6.If it’s not in your hometown,

this is the perfect opportunity to explore a new corner of the earth. And if you really want to get into the festival spirit, it’s usually not too hard to find a campsite nearby.

You can make it a holiday 7.

Ever seen performance poetry? The Wise Words festival in Canterbury is full of spectacular spoken word performances. Among other things, they often have workshops where you can go along and try it yourself.

It’s the place to try something new 8.

Surrounded by readers, writers and a mountain of books, this is the perfect place for writers to get inspired and even attend a writing workshop or two. The Whitstable Literary Festival even has a dedicated a dedicated writer’s day.

Plus They’re a haven for writers too

6.

Hi Beth, thanks for talking to us! First off, can you tell us what the Wise Words Festival is all about?The Wise Words Festival started

as a result of my sister, my mother, her partner and I walking down through Canterbury. We suddenly thought that when there’s a festival happening in Canterbury, it should feel like there’s a buzz in the town. There should be a buzz in the

cafes, there should be a buzz in the restaurants, and there should be a buzz on the streets. But actually, when you’re walking down the high street while the Canterbury Festival is on, the only real visible sign of it is the big red banner across the high street.

We started to wonder if you could deliver a festival that has that sort of buzz and how you might do it. And that’s how it all began... So how many years have you been going for now?This is the fourth year. We

started off as one festival that was three days in September, and a couple of years ago we started a second festival which happened in spring. That’s called A Few Wise Words, which is three days long, and our main festival is now ten days long. The purpose of A Few Wise

Words was that we realised our September festival happened while the universities were on holiday, and it felt a real shame not to be engaging with students on all levels. We wanted students to help us produce the event, performing arts students to perform in the event, and we wanted all of the students and lecturers to be able to come and attend as audience. So we also have A Few Wise Words, which offers that. Is there anything in your year-long programme that will particularly interest students?I think the thing that will most

interest students, well hopefully quite a lot of it will because we’re focusing a lot on that age group, will be the Gulbenkian Slam. Certainly as an audience member, and also if we have any budding poets that want to come and take part in the workshop beforehand.

It’s a very open and supportive environment; you can be either a complete newbie or someone who has more experience, and come along to take part and enjoy them. There will also be a lot of writing

workshops for people who perhaps don’t want to perform poetry, and lots of opportunities to just see other poets perform. So there should be quite a lot going on across the year that will interest students, as well as people of all different ages.We know that you have an exciting collaboration coming up with the City Sound Project on the 2nd and 3rd of May. How did this come about?That started because the City

Sound Project saw some photos of last year’s Wise Words festival, and they work with Raphael, who we also work with. They rang him up and said “What’s that space in

Hearing about the exciting events that the Wise Words Festival has coming our way, we caught up Festival Director Beth Cuenco, who chatted to us about how it all began and what we have to look forward to.

An interview with...

Wise Words Festival

7.

Canterbury? We want to hold an event there”. He told them to talk to us about potentially working together, because the space [Franciscan Gardens] belongs to the monks, and it’s taken us quite a long time to build up trust with them, in order to be able to use that space. For us, it was an opportunity

to show their audience poetry and to just raise awareness of what performance poetry is. So the idea is that we both use the space, and that there’s a stage that has both music and poetry intertwined. Which performances are you most looking forward to over the weekend?Personally I’m most looking

forward to seeing our Word Out poets perform. We did a huge project last year that was about taking spoken word out to young people across Kent and Medway. We realised from the project that

we needed a group of young ambassadors who are a similar age to those that we want to engage, so they can go out and demonstrate what performance poetry is. We brought together this group

called Word Out, who are a group of 14 to 25 year olds who meet regularly and take part in workshop. They’re also going to be working on taking poetry out across the county so that more people know what spoken word is. The City Sound Project will be their first big opportunity to showcase their talents. I’m really looking forward to seeing their performance.Yeah, that sounds like it’s going to be really good.Yeah I think so. And of course

we have Disraeli who’s absolutely epic, he’s amazing, one of my favourite poets. He’ll be an incredible headliner, and interesting because he bridges

that gap between poetry and music, because he’s a poet and a musician. He’s the perfect headliner for this event.Although it’s a while off yet, do you have anything exciting that you can reveal for the main Wise Words festival in September? We do! We haven’t announced

this yet at all but we have Simon Armitage as our headliner for this year. So the festival will take place on the 4th, 5th and 6th of September and Simon Armitage will be coming on the first day. He’s probably one of the biggest names that we’ve attracted so far, and it will be absolutely incredible.To finish off, how would you sum up Wise Words in just three words?Three words, gosh. I can do

four! Awakening wonder and encouraging curiosity, that’s what it’s about. So I suppose it’s about wonder and curiosity.

Like their facebook page: Wise Words Festival

Follow them on twitter @wisewordsfest

Follow them on Instagram @Wisewordsfestival

8.

Let’s start off with something fun. What was your earliest literary memory?It was probably my mum reading

me The Faraway Tree when I was four or five. It’s something that I loved and stays in my mind quite vividly.

Can you tell us a little bit about the Whistable Literary festival? How is it different from other festivals?I think it’s different in the sense

that if you look at a lot of other literary festivals, and this isn’t necessarily a criticism about them, but they tend to have very big names, and whoever’s got their latest book out. They’re great and you can see some amazing pop name authors at them, but Whitstable has a lot of published, well known and less well know authors and journalists in its own right. We wanted to

create a festival that is for local people, and features local people and local writers. Obviously, big names draw a crowd and it’s brilliant to have them, but I think where Whitstable differs is that we showcase a lot of really great local writers. We also try and promote the

idea of celebrating independent spirit. Whitstable is a very interesting and unusual town; it’s got a rich history and lots of interesting characters. And this concept of independent and different ways of thinking is reflected in the programme and the events that we put on. So the seaside plus that kind of slightly rebellious independent idea of thought, I think, is what separates us from a lot of other places.So is the festival mainly aimed at local people?Primarily yes, but obviously as

the festival grows, we do want to attract more people who are interested in coming out this way. I think it’s important if you’re creating a festival to do it for the local people, because unless you’ve got the local support behind you, it’s not really going to go anywhere. By local I mean Whitstable, the surrounding towns, and East Kent in general. What was your main inspiration behind organising the festival?In terms of how it started, it was

a random conversation about Somerset Maugham, who grew

up in Whitstable. He’s kind of this forgotten author in a way and the original idea was to do a festival about him, but thinking about it, it seemed that it could be quite niche. So then the idea was to do a literary festival, and not just confine ourselves to doing stuff about Maugham. That was the starting point. In terms of why I decided I would

do it, it was just the time in my life that I was able to. My background is in events and marketing, and it just seemed to appeal to me and what I like doing. And then it took off so I thought, perhaps I should just keep on doing this. It was never my new business venture, and I think that’s probably a good thing. It starts with doing something you love and that you think is good, and hopefully it will develop from there.I understand that the festival is going into its second year, how was WhitLit received last year?It was brilliant, you just don’t

know what to expect when you’re doing something for the first time. It’s quite terrifying, and it seemed like a good idea, but then you’ve just got to do it. We had a big, big audience, and a lot of sell out events. Every event was well attended, even if they were more niche events. The audience was really interesting because they just seemed very into it. Everyone put their hands up for questions, and it was a really

Ahead of the Whitstable Literary festival in May, we spoke to Festival Director Victoria Falkoner about her plans, and the process involved in organising the event.

An interview with...

The WhitLit Festival

9.

good atmosphere. It made it all worthwhile, all those sleepless nights and hard work. It was far better than I thought it was going to be for a first year. It was real encouragement to continue doing it.

How is the festival going to be different from last year? How will you develop on its success?Well it’s bigger for one thing.

That’s not to say that bigger is better, but we’ve got some more well known names, and that’s great. I think it’s to do with developing this idea of interesting events and not just promotional events, so you can go along and listen to a topic that is interesting to you. There are going to be some

events that are about a new book, but there are other events that aren’t. We’re bringing some poetry into it this year. We’re bringing a bit of art into it. We’re doing an event in partnership with Whistable Biennale. We’ve got lectures, like how to be creative. The big thing really is our writer’s day. We had some workshops last year but now we’re actually doing a full day, almost like one of those writer’s festivals. It’ll be a day of discussions and workshops, with publishers, editors and authors,

so that’s really exciting for local people who want to write. Visitors can go along and meet some big names in the industry, which can help them along their journey of writing.What are your personal highlights from this year’s line-up?There’s a play that’s we’re

doing, a rehearsed reading, on the Friday evening. Last year we brought this one man production, Mr Maugham at Home, to the local theatre and it sold out. It was this amazing performer who played Maugham and was on stage for two and a half hours. Everyone loved it, and for me, it started the festival off on the Thursday. I was talking to the actor that played Maugham afterwards, and he told me that there’s a play the same author’s written that’s never been published. And I just thought, yeah, let’s try and do this.

“I feel really passionate about it”So we’re doing this rehearsed

reading, we’ve got some professional actors and playwrights coming, and we’ve actually got the Maugham family coming in again. I’m really excited about it because it’s another first really, it’s never been done before. I feel really passionate about it, and it continues the relationship between the actor and the production. I hope that we can actually help get it out there. The idea is that it might actually be produced and staged professionally in the future, so I think when you’re involved in a really creative part of the festival like that where you’re bringing new work to the fore, it’s really exciting. Another highlight is the feminism

discussion. I’ve always wanted to do a discussion about feminism and getting Lynne Segal to come down is brilliant because she was such an icon in feminism during the 70s, and is a really interesting figure. So again, that’s not a traditional literary festival event, it’s a discussion, and it’s something that I feel quite strongly about and wanted to do. It’s those kinds of events that I feel personally connected to, not just the big names. That being said I’m really looking forward to David Nicholls as well, because he’s brilliant and it’s amazing that we’ve got him. So those three probably, but I don’t want to dismiss the other events.Where are the events going to be held?Primarily at the Horsebridge

Centre and Whistable Library, but we’re doing other one off venues as well. There’s the Whistable Community College hosting David Nicholls, and we’ve got the Duke of Cumberland hosting our launch evening with the artist Graham Clarke. We’ve also got poems by the sea at the Neptune pub, which is on the beach. Is the festival inclusive to all ages?We’ve got a big family

programme, and most of the family events are free. There’s something for preschoolers to teens and young adults, and then any age and interest beyond that in adult reading. From crime to memoir and history, there’s probably something to interest most people.Most importantly, how can people get tickets?The Horsebridge centre is our

box office, you can call them on: 01227 281174. They’ve got a website as well where you can buy tickets, and our programme information is on Whitlit.co.uk.

Like their Facebook Page: WhitLit

Follow them on twitter @whitstablelit

Visit their website at:www.whitlit.co.uk

10.

Book ClubAnother issue, another meeting

with your favourite book club. This season we’ve chosen Antonia Honeywell’s exciting new dystopian novel, The Ship, for you to get your teeth into. You can find out what we thought about it over on the right (spoiler, we loved it).

Want to take part in the discussion? Give the book a read and send us your tweets once you’ve finished- we always love to hear what you think! Specific tweeting information can be found at the bottom of the next page. Make sure you follow it correctly,

or we won’t be able to find your tweets! As always, we’ll choose some of our favourites to feature in the next issue. Take a peek below to see some

of your tweets about last issue’s book: The Strange Library by Haruki Murukami. Happy reading!

Last issue we read:

The strange library by Haruki MurukamiThis is what you thought...

11.

Living in the midst of a crumbling civilisation, 16 year old

Lallage Paul was lucky to grow up sheltered by her parents from the greatest horrors of her world. Gripped by poverty and ravaged by violence, the British Museum now provides shelter to hundreds of illegal refugees, and citizens require identity cards to access the remains of London’s dwindling resources. Without one of these cards, death is inevitable. In their increasingly dangerous world and with nowhere else to run, Lalla’s father, Michael Paul, paves an escape for his family with a ship big enough to whisk them, and 500 worthy passengers, away to a new life at sea. But for Lalla, living in the safety of her father’s ship isn’t quite the salvation it seems.In her striking debut novel,

Antonia Honeywell provides a frightening glimpse into a struggling London of the future, one that is not so far removed from our own, and faces ruin as a consequence of the human race and its destructive actions. Lalla’s reality is startling -she’s never even seen an apple, and eggs no longer exist in shells, as we would obviously expect to find them today. Their world has lost so much of what we have right now, and the book relays a serious warning about what could be to come if our society doesn’t change

its ways.The plot itself mainly focuses on

life on board the ship, following Lalla’s difficulty with settling into their artificial society, and causing her to question what it really means to be alive, in a place where nothing new will ever be created. It begs the question: if simply surviving isn’t enough for Lalla, will her father’s vessel even offer her a future worth living? While Lalla may not have

enjoyed her time on the ship, I found it fun to read about this little bubble that Honeywell has created, exploring the corridors, and delving deep into its endless storerooms. As I read, not only did we discover the ship’s secrets, but Lalla also uncovered the stories of its many inhabitants, each with their own unique tale to tell. I mean, they had to, if they were to be found worthy by Michael Paul: a character that I found particularly intriguing. It’s clear from the beginning that Michael thrives on receiving praise and affection from others. He wants to be needed and, although it’s claimed repeatedly, I don’t believe for a second that the ship was created simply to provide for his only daughter. Lalla, while being equally as

interesting to read, was of an entirely different character to her father. An imprint of her mother

who was lost shortly before boarding the ship, Lalla cared deeply for those that they left behind in London, and longed to make a difference in their lives. The book follows Lalla’s journey

through, not only coming to terms with her mother’s death, but also her transformation from a girl into a woman who is strong enough to make her own choices, and carve out a future of her own.

“The ship is a story about hope”The plot is gripping, and the

characters are interesting, but what I enjoyed most of all is that The Ship is a story about hope. It’s about never running away, and following the path that we most truly believe in- not the one that is desired by others. It’s clear that Lalla never belonged on the ship and, as the story developed, it became easier for me to understand how the vessel’s other inhabitants could bear to leave the rest of world behind. No, the ship would not save humankind, but that was never the point. For me, this book is a reminder

to keep fighting, for the less fortunate, for ourselves, and for the entire human race. The future is precious, and The Ship proves to be a direct reminder that the fight to keep it alive is all ours.

The Ship by Antonia Honeywell

This issue we read:

Publisher: Weidenfeld and NicolsonRelease date: 19th February 2015Format: HardbackPrice: 12.99Star rating: 5/5

12.will you agree with our review? Read the book and tweet us @TheBookishstudent, followed by your opinion and #TheShip!

The BookishStudent

Our summer issue will be on sale from the 1st of june.In the meantime, make sure you visit our website for all of your bookish needs: www.thebookishstudent.co.uk

Goodbye from us!