Ashleigh Hockley

Happy Valentine's Day! Here is a list of some of my favourite novels that tell great romantic tales. This list is spoiler free so please read on while listening to sad love ballads.  I hope you are all having a romantic evening whether with a real love interest or a fictional one from a novel. 1. Just One Day by Gayle Forman When the very talented Gayle Forman debuted her first novel ‘If I Stay’ it became an international best seller. While that novel is one of my most loved, the ‘One Day’ series is less appreciated so I’m here to give it the credit it deserves. This novel is full with Shakespeare, romance and wanderlust. It is a tale I hope everyone gets the live once in their lifetime, meeting a mysterious stranger in a new city and having one day to create memories. American Allyson meets Dutch Willem on a train bound to London and they decide to go spend the day together in Paris. This book and the sequels ‘Just One Year’ and ‘Just One Night’ are full of advent...

Since its summer I decided to compile a list of easy summer reads. The kinds of books you read on a pool chair while drinking a banana and coconut smoothie.   After reading these novels I became frustrated that my summer hasn’t been exciting but it is always good to live vicariously through fictional friends. So here is a couple of easy reads for your lazy weekends by the beach on an inflatable flamingo. 1. Since you’ve been gone by Morgan Matson Emily’s best friend Sloane is everything Emily is not. Sloane is outgoing, popular and mysterious. When Sloane goes missing Emily doesn’t know what to do with herself. Then Emily finds a list from Sloane of a summer bucket list. Everything on the list terrifies introverted Emily but she becomes convinced if she completes the list she will find Sloane. Now we have a novel that inspires you to get out of your own comfort zone. I first started reading this novel, got bored, put it down, picked it up again and then read it in one ...

How does a battle between kindergarten mums over a playground squabble turn into a murder investigation? When my father hands me a book I am always skeptical. The man has terrible taste in movies so one can only assume his taste in books could leave a little to be desired. I cannot even properly convey how shocked I am that my father bought me a book I had never heard of, that would turn into one of my most favourite novels of all time as well as one of the most successful shows of 2017 winning countless awards. If you're currently watching the T.V series please stop, record and read the novel first. While Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shaileene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoë Kratiz are all doing a fantastic job of the portrayal of these beloved characters, the television show does seem to rush through certain aspects of the novel and the changes while minor have left me feeling somewhat outraged.    The novel first follows the story of Jane...

PRE WARNING: THIS CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS. I mean I was careful not to include any real spoilers but I really am not sure what even constitutes a spoiler these days? Is my opinion a spoiler? Who even knows anymore? Anyway read on at your own risk. Oh what a gut wrenching journey. I remember 5th grade and oh was it rough. The schoolyard politics and the constant need to be liked was difficult for someone as weird as me. My favourite movie of all time, still is today, was Beauty and the Beast. My favourite part was the opening scene of Belle walking through the town while everyone sang about what a funny girl she was. For someone as weird as me I clutched onto the hope that one day I would have a happily ever after just like Belle and that the world would overlook appearances. Today I am going to talk about a story that also has the message we should overlook appearances and that standing out from the crowd is an act of bravery. Unlike Beauty and the Beast, in this story we...

We see people for who they truly are when faced with their greatest challenge in life. Our health and that of our loved ones is precious and can change drastically at any moment. When young people become seriously ill it is tragic and because of this young adult literature has a long history of romaticising illness. From that large collection I have constructed my most memorable selection of young-adult novels centered on illness. Feel free to read on, there are no spoilers here. 1. Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon. This novel is simply everything. It was a gift from my dear friend Caitlin and man does she know the kind of books I fall in love with. This novel shows the world of eighteen-year-old Maddy. Maddy's world is her house and she has never left it. Maddy suffers from a Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. Maddy is basically allergic to the outside world and would die if she walked outside where at any moment she could catch an infection. While ...