Writers' Letters - Jane Austen To Chinua Achebe by Michael and Orlando Bird - Bok Recommendation

Writers' Letters is a collection of personal letters from writers to friends, lovers, family, and foes. From Samuel Johnson's letter to his adopted ex-slave Jamaican heir and Mart Twain's adorable letter to Walt Whitman, this is a collection for lovers of all things literature. Writers' Letters is a book exposing the struggles, foibles, and inner lives of writers when they are not professionally crafting a narrative for the public.

WHAT STANDS OUT
The diversity of writers here is a good thing. From differences in ethnicity to genres, you are likely to find one or two of your favourite writers here.

I love the background provided for each letter. This gives each correspondence some context, enabling the reader to understand why it was written, to whom, and under which historical circumstances.

It was nice seeing prints of the original documents in the book. It gives this collection an authentic flavour.

DISLIKES
None.

Many thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion for providing a review copy.

School Of Love by BeKa & Maya: Book Recommendation

I believe the best of stories are the ones that give you an insight into other minds, presenting a glimpse of what reality is like in the eyes of others. School of Love: Secret of the Heart  is such a story.

School of Love is a fiction that explores what love and relationships look like to middle school students and how they navigate its murky waters. Through the eyes of two friends (Linon and Garance) and their fellow students, we see how love can hurt, or mislead, or heal.

WHAT I LIKE IN SCHOOL OF LOVE
There would be lots of praise for the quality of the artwork on display here and rightfully so. I'll give the crown to the colour scheme in particular. The illustrator managed to find colour blends that look bright yet not bright enough to distract us from the essence of each panel composition. The whole project looks wonderful and any art lover could spend time admiring the artwork without even bothering with the story.

Outside of the artwork, what elevates School of Love is the dialogue between the two protagonists - Linon and Garance. It is like eavesdropping on two real-life characters. The camaraderie between the two leaps off the page and makes the story believable.

DISLIKES
Call me old-fashioned, but I am not particularly sure about 11-year-olds kissing in public or wherever. As much as I understand the kinds of questions kids of that age might have when it comes to relationships, I am not sure some of the affectionate display between Linon and her crush is something to encourage. Other characters engaging in the same act seem a little older, which is okay.

WHO IS IT FOR?
This is for teenagers of all ages as well as adults who love to read good middle school fiction (regardless of whether they have kids of that age or not).

Many thanks to Europe Comics for providing a review copy.