books Archives - Queen's Journal

Two modern classics perfect for aspiring writers

Written on November 5, 2021. Posted in Arts, Literature.

I’ve become quite interested in reading so-called ‘modern classics,’ the books published in our lifetime that have won major awards and received frequent praise online. As a writer, I’m drawn to reading the best of the best. My favourite books are the ones that simultaneously inspire and intimidate...

Books to read this spring

Written on April 2, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

The winter semester is almost over, which means it’s just about time to start stashing away your textbooks in favour of books to read for your own enjoyment. While I’d always recommend re-reading Harry Potter one more time, I’ve put together a list of some of my favourite books to get you through...

In defense of YA literature: teenage experiences are valuable, too

Written on March 5, 2021. Posted in Editorials.

A lot of people put down Young Adult (YA) literature. Not only is it considered less valuable than other literary genres by the academic English community, but the general public often frowns upon readers of the genre who lie outside of its targeted age demographic. It’s labelled unrealistic, inconsequential,...

Analyzing the phenomenon of the YA book-to-movie adaptation

Written on March 6, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Do you remember the delightfully uncomplicated early 2010s, when movie adaptations of popular young adult (YA) dystopian novels dominated the box office? If not, let me refresh your memory. In 2012, The Hunger Games kicked off the golden era of 16-year-old protagonists fighting evil governments. The...

The Journal's recommended Reading Week reading list

Written on February 13, 2020. Posted in Arts.

With midterms finally winding to a close, many students are headed home to enjoy a well-deserved rest. What better time than Reading Week to kick back with a good book and see what Canada’s authors have to offer? These new books share diverse voices from across the country from Newfoundland to Saskatchewan,...

Queen’s alum Omar El Akkad brings American War to campus

Written on November 14, 2017. Posted in Arts.

It’s 2074: half of Louisiana is underwater, the President of the United States has been assassinated, fossil fuels are banned and a second civil war is erupting as southern states break off to secure the remains of the coal industry. Needless to say, Omar El Akkad’s American War isn’t a light read....

Seven books to read this fall

Written on October 24, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

The leaves are changing, the weather is cooling down and its finally starting to feel like autumn. With the change in weather comes cozy sweaters, hot cups of tea and the perfect excuse to get lost in a good book in between your studies. Here’s a list of the best books to cozy up with this fall. The...

The problem with Hillary Clinton’s What Happened

Written on October 17, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

There’s no doubt that for the majority of the United States, the wounds left by Donald Trump becoming President have been hard to heal. Since November 8, there have been changes happening everyday that cause worry for the future of the country — if it’s not suggesting athletes should be fired for...

Let’s hear it for audiobooks

Written on September 26, 2017. Posted in Arts.

In the unpredictable world of the publication markets, only one product steadily continues to rise in popularity. Considering the bad rap they’ve previously been met with, audiobooks are one of the only literary media outlets that currently outperform in their sales. Given their new accessibility...

Short reads for breaks between readings

Written on September 15, 2017. Posted in Arts.

Every reader in university knows the disappointment of putting off pleasure reading because of their schedule. If you’re like me, you’ve made several New Year’s resolutions over the years to read more books. Yet come the following January, your bookshelf is just as bare. University students juggling...

Queen’s Reads is The Break you need

Written on July 31, 2017. Posted in Arts.

After being scrapped for a few years, Queen’s Reads is back with a page-turner. Queen’s Reads is a community reading program that attempts to engage students on campus with themes and ideas they may not have previously encountered. Every year, the book chosen by Queen’s Reads is distributed free of...

The most impactful books of 2016

Written on January 17, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

2016 had some good books and some bad ones — Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, anyone? My top five books of the year were ones I personally thought were fantastic, but also books that influenced the wider world outside of the book-lover communities. Each of these books came across my radar from people...

A thought-provoking bookshelf

Written on January 13, 2017. Posted in Arts.

We all know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but can you judge its author? Union Gallery’s off-site project, Union Gallery Bookshelf Selection Project, curated by fourth-year history student Christopher Grant, asks a similar question. The project is visually underwhelming; a locked bookshelf...

What makes literature 'truly Canadian'?

Written on March 31, 2016. Posted in Arts.

What’s the novel all Canadians should read? That’s the question at the core of CBC’s Canada Reads competition. I followed along with Canada Reads this year by reading all five of the shortlisted books in six weeks — a task that proved more trying than I anticipated. According to the CBC website, Canada...

Books don’t bite: approachable non-fiction for the non-non-fiction reader

Written on March 4, 2016. Posted in Arts.

Non-fiction has a bad reputation in the world of literature, and it’s time we change that misconception. We often read for an escape from reality. Fiction offers a much-needed escape, whether it’s set in our world or a wildly different one. Other times we read for school. While some of us enjoy...

Some light reading for reading week

Written on February 11, 2016. Posted in Arts.

As the weather outside goes from premature spring back to the gloom of February, many — myself included — find themselves spending reading week alone in Kingston. A book can provide a well-needed escape. I’ve done your homework for you (because no one wants homework on their week off) and chose...

Reading as an act of performance

Written on January 26, 2016. Posted in Arts.

The Agnes’ exhibition With You and Others features art in the form of books. The Agnes is currently home to an exhibition of vintage artists’ books — self-published books taking various forms — which aims to portray the sentimentality behind the books and their multiple identities as text, image and...

2016’s most anticipated Canadian page-turners

Written on January 18, 2016. Posted in Arts.

Most people write down a list of resolutions and goals as a way of ringing in the new year. Some clean out their closets, while others sit down with their loved ones to reminisce. I make a master list of the year’s exciting book releases. It may be an unconventional way to get yourself pumped for...

“Little free libraries” pop up in Kingston

Written on November 27, 2015. Posted in Arts.

If you aren’t feeling up to a trip to your local library, the Little Free Libraries project may be just what you need. Since the movement began in 2009 with one man and a little box of books in Wisconsin, little libraries have grown in popularity worldwide. As described on the project’s website littlefreelibrary.org,...

Supporting the little guys

Written on October 6, 2015. Posted in Editorials.

As a self-proclaimed book lover from the age of four, working at a bookstore has always been my dream job. While I achieved that aspiration twice — initially working at Chapters in high school and then at a local bookstore, Novel Idea, as of a year ago — one experience destroyed my romantic notions...

Literary gems in downtown Kingston

Written on October 2, 2015. Posted in Arts.

In the coming winter months, few things are more cozy and warm than a cup of coffee and a good bookstore. While the recent Kingston WritersFest brought dozens of renowned Canadian writers to Kingston, it also brought an influx of people to the city’s oldest and busiest bookstores. Here’s a list of...

A Queen’s comic to come

Written on January 23, 2015. Posted in Arts.

Two years after the formation of the Queen’s Comic Book Legion (QCBL), the club has officially created a brand-new series of comic books about Queen’s that will represent the student experience in a fun, exaggerated way. President Brendan Montgomery, Sci ’15 and the founder of the club in 2013, decided...

QJ Pop: YouTube meets print

Written on November 14, 2014. Posted in Lifestyle.

I like to picture the publishing industry as a middle-school girl just on the periphery of the cool kids. She’s very ambitious, lovely and intelligent, but infinitely dependent on her cooler counterparts. Her most recent bid to win the hearts of her often disinterested classmates comes in the form...

Hot summer reads

Written on May 27, 2014. Posted in Lifestyle.

Summer provides a glorious time when you aren’t burdened down with five papers due in a week or an ever-increasing reading syllabus that brings tears to your eyes. Here’s a comprehensive list of books you should read this summer, whether you want to experiment a little or just enjoy a light-hearted...

Alumna reveals sobering epidemic

Written on March 7, 2014. Posted in Features.

Success and alcoholism are two words that seem as far-removed as night and day. Experience with both, however, is what led Ann Dowsett Johnston to write the 2013 book, Drink: The Intimate Relationship between Women and Alcohol. Dowsett Johnston, ArtSci ’75, was already a widely-acclaimed Canadian...

Lived experience and learning: Kingston Writersfest

Written on October 2, 2013. Posted in Lifestyle.

A guffaw, a chuckle and an unaccounted-for smile – they’re the telltale signs of another Kingston WriterFest filled with cultural and philosophical insight. It’s the powerful moments of experience – while meeting our favourite authors – that continue to inform our understanding of ourselves and the...

Page turners for the summer season

Written on June 25, 2013. Posted in Arts.

We have all, at some point, promised ourselves a fruitful and educational summer of reading.Whether our reading list consists of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird, our student selves often resent the novels pushed on us from a course syllabus. Instead...

QJBlogs Recommends…

Written on January 17, 2013. Posted in Lifestyle.

By Trilby Goouch Blogs Editor I’m not going to lie-when it comes to reading for pleasure, I have a habit of turning to Harry Potter when the opportunity presents itself. I’ve always felt either guilty or stressed when I choose to read a novel over my textbook readings, and re-reading childhood favourites...

Tag: books

The Journal, Queen's University - Since 1873

Get the App

Get the App