The Steady Read

Your home for book reviews, recommendations, and more

Tag: Reading

  • Everything I Read in 2023

    Everything I Read in 2023

    2023 had its ups and downs, as well as plenty of pauses in my reading habits thanks to life and other responsibilities. Despite these occasional stutters, I still managed to read a good handful of books. Regardless, here’s to a better year in 2024, as well as a lot more reading on my part. Please…

  • Sixty Books I Want to Read Based on Their Covers

    Sixty Books I Want to Read Based on Their Covers

    As the title states, here is a rather lengthy showcase of sixty titles I’d like to read, purely because their cover is cool or interesting to me. Let me be clear that these are in no particular order, but I hope you can pick out a few for yourself and maybe give them a read….

  • Review: Blood on the Tracks by Shuzo Oshimi

    Review: Blood on the Tracks by Shuzo Oshimi

    There’s plenty of dark manga out there, but few tend to focus on the complete collapse of a seemingly happy family. Blood on the Tracks follows a young boy, Seiichi, as he tries to grapple with the difficulties of his life and overly protective and obsessive mother. At first, it almost sounds typical, even relatable….

  • Re-Read Your Childhood Favourites

    Re-Read Your Childhood Favourites

    Readers are creatures of habit, ones forged during our formative years. Anyone with an affinity for books in their matured years will, in most cases, have grown up with reading. Whilst many children were encouraged or ‘forced’ to read during the primary/elementary school days, it is unlikely that many of them ever carried on reading…

  • Some of the Best Book Collections

    Some of the Best Book Collections

    Books are renowned for their aesthetic abilities, so here are some of my favourite collections of authors’ works or series. Kazuo Ishiguro — Modern F&F Faber & Faber’s minimalist approach to their modern reprints of Ishiguro’s work are amongst some of my favourite designs for a book cover, ever. Speaking of covers only: A Pale…

  • It’s Fine to Give Up on a Book

    It’s Fine to Give Up on a Book

    Reading is something we do for many reasons, but the key motives behind reading (especially fiction) are mental stimulation and entertainment value. And when such things are lacking, that’s when you know it’s fine to give up on a book and never finish it. To keep it simple: reading is supposed to be a fun…

  • Tips for Writing a Book Review

    Tips for Writing a Book Review

    Offering tips for writing a book review is hard. Advice can vary not only based on the book in question, but the style of review, the depth of analysis, and how much of the book will be directly summarised and mentioned within the review. All of these introduce or invert the dos and do nots…

  • How to Combat Reader’s Block

    How to Combat Reader’s Block

    Burnout, or reader’s block, can be a real pain. Here are some tips on how to conquer it!

  • Why We Like to Read

    Why We Like to Read

    Do you ever sit back and wonder why it is we like to read? Not all of us question our habits, but sometimes it’s good to know what we enjoy about them and what compels us to sit down with nothing but words and our imagination for a few hours per week. 1. Escapism In…

  • More Tips For Easily Distracted Readers

    More Tips For Easily Distracted Readers

    Even more tips to help those of you who can’t always remain immersed in your reading. If you haven’t seen part one, simply click here. 1. Read During Off-Peak Hours Whether it be an hour before bed, or first thing in the morning, reading when the world around you is mostly asleep is a great…