Rachel Sherlock
A Modern and Mythic Storyteller: An Interview with Kevin Crossley-Holland
One of the best known names in the field of British and Norse myths, Kevin Crossley-Holland is himself something of a legend. An author,...
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Previously Published
These articles were written and published between 2016 and 2018 as part of my work with Bookwitty. They are no longer available elsewhere online and so have been republished here as a record.
Rachel Sherlock
Sep 27, 20183 min read
To the Waters and the Wild: 14 Quotes about the Beauty of Nature
As we move through spring and head towards summer, the world around us is waking up, sending forth a cacophony of colour. There are...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 27, 20188 min read
Changing the SySTEM: Illustrating the Lives of Women in Science
In recent years, an increasing number of women have been breaking into careers in fields that have previously been male dominated. This...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 27, 20189 min read
Papal Seal of Approval: 10 Books Recommended by Pope Francis
Pope Francis, as the leader of the Catholic Church, holds a position that throughout history has been both revered and contested....
4,871 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Sep 27, 201810 min read
The Harlem Renaissance Turns 100: Celebrating the Era's Exceptional Authors
One hundred years ago, the New York neighbourhood of Harlem was in the first stages of what was to be an explosion of African-American...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 27, 20189 min read
Frankenstein: The Literary Legacy of a 200-Year-Old Monster
New Year’s Day, 2018, marked the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Few could have predicted that this...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 27, 20189 min read
Muriel Spark, a Hundred Years in her Prime
On February 1st we celebrate one hundred years since the birth of one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, Muriel Spark. Two...
217 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Sep 27, 20187 min read
Spotlight on African Authors
The fallout from President Trump’s alleged comments on African nations has continued in full force, with South Africa and Ghana adding...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 27, 20189 min read
2018 Sundance Film Festival: A Film Adaptation ReadingList
A new year means a fresh new set of films up for consideration in the various awards and festivals across the world. One of the earliest...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 27, 20188 min read
Netflix's 10 Best Book-to- Screen Adaptations of 2017
As 2017 draws to a close, it’s a great opportunity to make use of long evenings and holiday leisure time to dive into a whole stack of...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 26, 20187 min read
Book-Ending the Year: 10 Great Works of Fiction Published in 2017
The year 2017 has been a turbulent in many ways, but where there is great conflict and change, great art will also find a way. Much...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 26, 20186 min read
A Review of Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki
There’s something about the vast wilderness of Scandinavia, and the ancient mythology it produced, that captures the imagination of...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 26, 20183 min read
Magical Magi: 5 Great Books about the Three Kings
For many households, the preparation for Christmas can feel like an enormous build-up for a single day. There’s just one day to cook all...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 26, 20186 min read
The Story of Christmas: Five Great Children's Books on theNativity
There’s a lot to get excited about during the Christmas season: giving and receiving presents, spending time with family, celebrating...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 26, 20187 min read
The Snowy Days: Ten Wonderfully Wintry Picture Books
As the evenings draw in for winter, it’s the perfect time to snuggle down with your little ones, and pull out some picture books to read...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 23, 20187 min read
Midwinter Murders: Six of Britain's Best Christmas Crime Novels
Christmas is the time of good cheer, peace among mankind, and, it would seem, solving murders. There has been a long literary tradition...
703 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Sep 23, 20185 min read
Not Just Greek Gods: World Myths for Kids
Myths and folktales are an important part of cultural heritage across the world. They are also a great way of getting kids excited about...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 23, 20188 min read
Even More Murder on the Orient Express
Hollywood is gearing up for this winter’s release of one of the most beloved murder mysteries of all time, Agatha Christie’s Murder on...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 23, 20182 min read
Falling for the Season: Ten Great Literary Quotes about Autumn
As the summer is put swiftly behind us, it’s time once again to embrace the fascinating paradox of autumn, the earth at its most vibrant...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 23, 20187 min read
The Road to Baker Street:Fictional Detectives Who Paved the Way for Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the most well-known and widely recognised fictional character of all time. Within the genre of detective...
285 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Sep 23, 20185 min read
Reading Your Way to the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival: Part Two, Non-Fiction
In this, the second part of Bookwitty's reading list for the Toronto International Film Festival, I'm looking at the nonfiction books...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 23, 201810 min read
Reading Your Way to the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival: Part One, Fiction
As summer winds down, the world of film is gearing up for the excitement and buzz of the Toronto International Film Festival. The...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 21, 20186 min read
Victorian Secrets: Interview with Shrabani Basu, Author of Victoria & Abdul
Stephen Frear’s lavish historical drama Victoria & Abdul is set to hit cinemas in mid-September after its showings at both the Venice...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 20, 20187 min read
Literally Ridiculous: Great Parodies by Famous Literary Authors
The genre of parody in literature has, in recent times, been sadly consigned to low brow pun-based books such as Barry Trotter or The Da...
785 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Sep 20, 20186 min read
The History Behind Dunkirk: A Reading List
Christopher Nolan’s newly released Dunkirk has gripped and captivated audiences around the world. Interweaving several perspectives of...
877 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Sep 19, 201812 min read
Squeeze the Universe into aBall: A Reading List for Eliot's'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock'
T. S. Eliot’s iconic modernist poem ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ was first published in the June 1915 edition of Poetry...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 7, 20187 min read
Detectives in Shining Armour: The Strange Chivalry of Noir Fiction
From men in trench coats and fedoras holding smoking guns, to sultry woman emerging from the fog, noir fiction has some of the most...
310 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Sep 7, 20187 min read
The Lighter Side of Death: Six of the Best Cozy Crime Novels
Crime fiction is one of the most enduring and popular literary genres, and within it is a whole host of widely differing subgenres. The...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 7, 20188 min read
The Terrible Twos: Gothic Doubles in the writing of Daphne Du Maurier
One of the most popular authors of the 20th century, Daphne Du Maurier was adored by fans but eschewed by critics, it would not be until...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 7, 20186 min read
The Conjure-Man Dies: Rudolph Fisher and the First Black Detective Novel
The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 30s marked an explosion of African-American art, literature and music. The movement incorporated...
226 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Sep 7, 20185 min read
The Survival of Science Fiction in Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel is one of the speakers for the 2017 PEN World Voices Festival, where she will be speaking on “Dystopian...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 7, 20189 min read
The Hero's Journey: 12 of the Best Books about Quests
The quest narrative is one of the oldest and more enduring types of stories. It has played a prominent role in folklore and myth around...
458 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Sep 7, 20183 min read
Review: Jenn Lee's Garbage Night
Dystopian fiction is having something of a cultural moment in these recent politically turbulent days. If you’re looking for a fresh...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 7, 20189 min read
Tales of a Juvenile Genius: The Fantasy Worlds of Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë is a name that looms large in the English literary canon. She and her sisters, Emily and Anne, produced some of the most...
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Rachel Sherlock
Sep 7, 20188 min read
Causing a Stir: Controversial Classics and their Impact on History
Classic literature is often famed for being important but feared for being stuffy. The canon can seem too old and well-established to be...
359 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Sep 7, 20187 min read
Reading for Tinder: How to Get as Well Read as Possible, as Quickly as Possible
There are any number of reasonable reasons you might need to read the classics in a hurry: Trying to fit classic literature into hectic...
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Rachel Sherlock
Aug 31, 20187 min read
Flannery O'Connor, a Revelation in Southern Gothic
Considered one of the greatest American fiction writers, Flannery O’Connor epitomised the Southern Gothic genre, which flourished in the...
1,326 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Aug 31, 20186 min read
Dicking around with Dickens: The Oft Overlooked Humor of a Literary Master
For many people, the idea of reading the works of Charles Dickens conjures images of sombre tomes and dry university lectures. It comes...
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Rachel Sherlock
Aug 31, 20187 min read
Wicked Holy: 5 Great Biographies of Saints
The glory of God is man fully alive - St Irenaeus Across the centuries, the saints have been an enduring source of fascination. While...
1,511 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Aug 31, 20186 min read
Lest We Forget: The Overlooked Stories of the First World War
The First World War was one of the largest and deadliest conflicts in human history. It involved 32 countries and over 70 million...
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Rachel Sherlock
Aug 31, 20188 min read
Five Authors to Read during Black History Month
The celebration of Black History Month has been marked with both enthusiasm and contention. While some see it as a way to remedy the fact...
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Rachel Sherlock
Aug 30, 20186 min read
Voyages into the Unknown:The Lives of Little-Known Explorers
One of the most iconic explorers of his age, Ernest Shackleton is today a figure of great historical fascination and commendation. A...
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Rachel Sherlock
Aug 30, 20184 min read
Unearthing the Future: Xenoarchaeology in Science Fiction
While science fiction is frequently characterised by its exploration of the future, and its many possibilities, some of the best science...
166 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Aug 30, 20185 min read
Exploring Jane Austen through the Proud and the Prejudiced
The fame of Jane Austen is such that, not only does she appear frequently on lists of history’s greatest authors, but soon she will...
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Rachel Sherlock
Aug 30, 20184 min read
Charting a Course for Beautiful Books of Maps
Maps have held a place in our collective cultural imagination for centuries, for their ability to represent and order the world around...
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Rachel Sherlock
Aug 30, 20185 min read
A Brief History of Tiny Books
From pocket-sized to postage stamp-sized, tiny books have long proved that bigger is not always better. Throughout history people have...
63 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Aug 30, 20185 min read
Fantastic Books and Where to Find Them: Building a Cryptozoological Canon
There’s a lot of fervour and anticipation as we embark on the five-film series of J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them....
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Rachel Sherlock
Aug 30, 20186 min read
Neil Gaiman and Modern Myth-Making
The influence of myths on modern fantasy fiction can hardly be understated. The ancient stories of heroic endeavours and magical...
738 views0 comments
Rachel Sherlock
Aug 30, 20184 min read
The Threads of Time in the Bayeux Tapestry
Over the past nine centuries, 1066 has remained one of the most well-remembered dates in English history. Marking the Norman conquest of...
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Rachel Sherlock
Aug 30, 20188 min read
Super Girls: Finding your Girl Squad in Comic Books
Recent years have seen the rise of the girl squad. Most famously used in reference to Taylor Swift and her entourage of glamorous and...
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