You don’t have to be a writer to keep a diary, but there is no doubt that most writers kept extensive diaries during their life times. Diary-keeping serves a number of functions, often unique to the individual. It is a way to record down the happenings of daily life, to express private feelings, to make a record of life as it unfolds.  It is clear that writing a diary can has huge benefits - a way to de-stress, to process big emotions, to bring meaning and understanding to the complexity of life. It can also be a great way to store away memories. Opening up and reading an old diary can be transportive - taking you back years or even...

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Ernest Hemingway - A Moveable Feast   Oysters and white wine "As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans." A Moveable Feast Quote Print If you’re not a fan of shellfish, this passage in Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast might just change your mind. Even if you’re not convinced, you will come away from this paragraph feeling like you were with...

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When it comes to children’s literature, you can’t beat the classics. Each generation gets a chance to explore the world of Narnia or experience seeing the world through Matilda or Jo March’s eyes. Even if you’re an adult reader, don’t discount the delight of returning to your old favourites - they are classics for a reason!   Read on for our top 5 classic children’s books….     The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett The Secret Garden’s young protagonist is sent away to live with her frosty uncle after the death of her family. Alone in a crumbling mansion in Yorkshire, she is told by a chambermaid of a secret garden, untouched since the death of her uncle’s wife....

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