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Well, it feels as though life has been on fast-forward for the past month, September was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scenario, and so far October has been the same. However busy the month, there's always time to squeeze in a few minutes with a good book here and there. Here are some of the titles the Willoughby team have been reading recently.   Seven Steeples by Sara Baume I loved this book, and I don't really know how to describe it. It's thoughtful, transporting, meditative... strange. The story follows Bell and Sigh over seven years of their relationship, as they escape to...

If there is anything we love as much as reading in the Willoughby office, it’s listening to music. We’re always compiling playlists of our favourite songs and our individual tastes diverge as widely as our literary ones! It’s always a great day though when we discover a song with a literary reference, whether it be fleeting and obscure, or more obvious in its themes. A lot of bands and artists take inspiration from the books and poetry they consume, be it a classical reference, a nod to Gatsby, or even a Shakespeare play. Song lyrics can be very underrated as...

Sisters Under the Rising Sun by Heather Morris I have enjoyed the previous books by Heather Morris so I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this new one as it’s not published until 28 September. Set in Singapore in 1942 and based on a real life events, it follows the story of British, Australian and Dutch women who were imprisoned in the war camps by the Japanese in WW2. When English musician Norah meets Australian nurse Nesta, they build up a friendship and find hope and strength during the everyday horrors they endure. This is a heartbreaking, emotional...

The summer is already drawing to a close and we’re all readying ourselves for crisp autumn days here at Willoughby. The holidays always felt so long and stretched out as a child but now, in the mere blink of an eye, the kids are back at school, with uniforms ironed and pencils sharpened. Reading as a child and reading as an adult are wildly different experiences. The very memory of phonics, diaries filled with diligent notetaking by teachers and parents, as well as reading aloud in turns, may send a big jolt of fear down your spine. These were also...