I moved into my new university house nearly 3 weeks ago, term started last week and it's been a utter whirlwind so far. Unfortunately our WiFi was delayed in getting set up (thanks Virgin) so I spent two weeks without any internet, apart from a few hours sitting in the library on campus. Until I couldn't use it I really hadn't realised how much I rely on the internet for literally everything I do, from boring stuff like checking emails to planning how to get from A to B (as I'm still getting to know Brighton and the bus routes). But it was finally installed last week so I thought it was time for a room tour!

The house itself is a three-storey townhouse in a residential part of Brighton, and it's kind of an average between my two previous student houses - it's more modern than my house last year but definitely not as pristine as the place I lived in my second year. Unlike in previous years I didn't have any say in my choice of room as I joined this group after someone dropped out and they had already decided who was having which room. Nevertheless I'm really pleased with mine (I think it's actually the best of the lot!) and I think I've managed to make it my own quite easily. If you've read my previous room tour posts you might recognise some things because it's basically all the same stuff just in a different space!

This is what you see as you come in the door. I'm lucky that there's a great amount of storage, both in the form of two wardrobes and those shelves which are kind of the centrepiece of the room. Having said that I'm unlucky that one of the wardrobes has the boiler in it, but there's still room for a suitcase and my coats and jackets in that side - and I'm just about getting used to the noise it makes every time someone runs a tap!

None of the bedrooms have any kind of open storage like this, which is why I personally think it's the best room. I love displaying my knick-knacks and photos and things and it's also really practical for things like books and DVDs. The top two shelves are basically just for display, the next one down is my hair and makeup station, and below that is just general storage with shoes right at the bottom. Of course I stuck some fairy lights to the top shelf and I also have some fake tealights which look really atmospheric when the lights are dimmed.

I really love my bed area, which is where I decided to put my photo wall this time around. My room has picture rails running all around it which I took advantage of and got some picture hooks to put another set of fairy lights up, as they kept falling down with just bluetack. As this is the longest wall I thought it was the best place for my map print bunting and I think the overall effect is lovely.

My desk area is less fabulous, mostly due to all the cables which are inevitably in view underneath. However on the plus side I do have two desks for some reason (which none of the other rooms do) so I have my monitor on one with my printer under it, and my laptop and stuff I use every day on the other. Up on the wall I have my usual world map poster (once a geographer, always a geographer), my Durham tube map, some postcards and along the picture rail is another string of photos which are also fairy lights.

For some reason my room also has a tiny sink, which is kind of weird and unnecessary and I haven't used but I suppose it's there if I wanted to. Above it I have a celestial chart poster, which is a new addition to my university decor.

And that's my room for this year! I think it's really cosy and it's a great space for working in too - what more could you need from a university bedroom?

I recently discovered gracewithabookinherface on YouTube and I was inspired by one of her videos which was a historical fiction tag. It's been a while since I did a tag so I thought why not make it a book-themed one? Even though I have been reading less of it lately, historical fiction is definitely the genre I own the most of (though not necessarily the genre I have read the most of because frankly I have a lot of unread books). They're arranged chronologically on my shelves from Eleanor of Aquitaine to the post-WWII period covering pretty much everything in between so I figured I might have some interesting answers.

Why do you like to read historical fiction?

The main reason I like to read historical fiction is the educational aspect, as you can learn a huge amount about historical events and how people lived in the past just through the context. I also find that details and broader attitudes tend to stick in my mind more when I absorb them through a story with engaging characters and places rather than just reading the facts for example in a more traditional education setting. I especially love historical fiction that's written from the perspective of more disadvantaged groups including women and more specifically working class women, as I think it's only by reading about the (albeit fictionalised) experiences of those worse off that you come to build up a picture of the broader social system of the time.

What was the first historical fiction book you read?

The first book I remember reading was Bloody Tower: The Diary of Tilly Middleton, London 1553-1559. I distinctly remember getting this out of the library in primary school, so I must have been about 8 or 9 at the time, although I reckon I've read it at least three times since then. It's part of the 'My Story' series, and I can absolutely credit my love for historical fiction later in life to reading this series at a young age. I remember I had a box set of ten or so of these books including Bloody Tower, but some of my favourites were the ones set on the Titanic, in Manchester during the Industrial Revolution, and during the Irish famine. I have several of the old editions which were made to look like real diaries which just added to the authentic character of the stories. As they were written from the point of view of girls my age (or slightly older), they held my attention and utterly drew me into the stories and have really stuck with me years later. When I think of the Great Plague for instance, most of my knowledge comes not from learning about it in school or through the internet but from reading the story of 'Alice Paynton'.

Where do you draw the line for “historical fiction” and contemporary?

I tend to think of anything written recently but set pre-1900s as by definition historical fiction. Anything from 1900-1950 - which obviously covers World War Two - is kind of a grey area for me, but I also take into account the subject matter of the book when classifying something as historical fiction. For instance, if the book just happens to be set in the past, that doesn't automatically make it historical fiction - which is the case for Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind, which is set in 18th century France, for example. Also, if the main plot actually relates to key historical events of the time or features fictionalised versions of real historical figures then I'm more likely to classify it as historical fiction.

Have you read a book set in each of these eras? Stack your favorites!

1600’s or before

The earliest historical fiction novel I've read is set in 1137 and I have nearly a metre and a half's worth of shelf between then and 1600 so I have plenty to choose from! Some of my favourites from that era are by Philippa Gregory, so I'm going to say the first of her Plantagenet and Tudor series I ever read, The Other Boleyn Girl, which actually comes ninth in the chronological order of the books.

1700’s

I have relatively little set in the 1700s so I'm going to go with a trusty 'My Story': Transported: The Diary of Elizabeth Harvey, Australia, 1790.

1800’s

The 1800s are a strange time for historical fiction in my opinion because there are also so many contemporary novels from this period (think Dickens and the Brontes, for instance) which compete with our interest so it can seem oddly inauthentic to read historical fiction from this time - after all, why wouldn't we read the real thing? I'm not saying I necessarily agree with that, though. Anyway, my pick for this century is The Rose of Sebastopol by Katharine McMahon, set in the Crimean War.

1920s-30s

(For some reason this tag skips out a couple of decades but OK.) The 1920s are one of my favourite eras for fashion and all round glamour, so I'm going with a full-on flapper trilogy: Bright Young Things, Beautiful Days and The Lucky Ones by Anna Godbersen. This series is kind of a cross between 'chick flick' and historical fiction as it's highly glamourised and I would say aimed at a younger female audience, but I remember enjoying it immensely. An honourable mention goes to The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, which is set in 1922 and is about a middle class but relatively impoverished family who are obliged to take in a lodger. It's also the first overtly LGBT fiction I ever read.

1940’s-50’s

There are so many good historical fiction novels from this period, some of which I've spoken about before. My top three would have to be Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wien (which Grace also mentioned I believe) and The Amber Shadows by Lucy Ribchester. The latter I would classify as predominantly mystery but it's set in the 1940s in Bletchley Park so the story is hugely relevant to the intelligence activities which were carried out there during WWII.

1960’s-1970’s or later

As I said above I personally wouldn't classify this period as historical fiction but I suppose I would have to say The Girls by Emma Cline which is about the Manson girls. It's not a topic I know a lot about but I enjoyed the book.

What was the last historical fiction book you read?

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell. Again this is arguably also mystery/horror in addition to historical, but it's the closest thing to historical fiction that I've read recently. I wrote a bit about it in my Waterstones book haul post.

What’s your favorite historical fiction cover?

I really love most of Philippa Gregory's book covers, but to mix it up a bit I'll say Gilt by Katherine Longshore. This cover is so simple but really draws you in, I think it's beautiful. This copy is also signed by the author, and I came across it completely by chance in a bookshop in Toronto with my cousin and just had to buy it.

What’s your favorite historical fiction?

I'm not sure what this question is asking exactly but Grace interpreted it as her favourite historical fiction novel so I'm going to go with the book which had the biggest impact on me, which is probably Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, RMS Titanic, 1912. When I read this at about age 10 it was the first time I'd heard the story of Titanic, and it really stuck with me. Unless they have a personal family story, I think when other people think about the ship they probably associate it most with the characters in the 1997 film, but for me the biggest association has always been the character of Margaret and although she isn't real it was her I thought of when I visited the Titanic museum in Belfast a couple of years ago.

Phew, that was a long one! Well done if you read it right to the end.

It's mid September and summer is well and truly over now, so thought it was a good time to talk about some things I've been loving this summer. I'm very much a creature of habit: while I love finding new things I often stick to the same TV shows and books and find a lot of comfort in returning to them again and again. For some people summer is associated with holidays, adventures, going away and having new experiences, but since being at university for me summer has become a time for being at home for a few months at a time. That's especially true this year as last year I spent two months living alone doing an internship, so in a way this summer has been a time for familiarity and being at home.

The Harry Potter series

Every couple of years I get an overwhelming urge to revisit the Harry Potter universe and read all seven books from start to finish. Sometimes I watch the films over as well, but this time I stuck to the books. For me Harry Potter is peak cosiness and childhood nostalgia, and although I think seasonally they fit better with autumn in terms of maximising that cosy feeling. Even though it's been a few years since I was at school (and I'm just entering my last year of education), there's something about stories set in schools which is inherently comforting to me, I think it creates a familiar environment and helps me identify with the characters which of course I did more when I was of that age. There's not a lot else to say about my re-reading of Harry Potter to be honest, just that they were just as good as ever and much enjoyed.

Continuing with the book theme, a stand-out favourite of the summer was this book by Laura Bates. I've been aware of the Everyday Sexism Project for a while now (check out the website here) and we even covered it in one of my university modules last year, but I hadn't got round to reading the book. Having finished it, I have to say stop whatever you're doing and read it now. I thought I couldn't be surprised any more at the pervasiveness of sexism and sexist attitudes in society, but on every single page there was some terrible statistic or experience which felt like a punch in the gut, to the point where I read a lot of it in tears. Each chapter covers a different theme, from academia to the media, and I have never read anything which resonated with my own and friends' experiences so clearly. It was harrowing to say the least and I honestly think it should be required reading for everybody.

It's taken me over a year to finally watch all of the new season of Twin Peaks, mostly because I wasn't able to watch all of it when it was initially released and had to wait until I got it on DVD for Christmas, but then I also decided I wanted to re-watch the first two seasons before I started it which was actually a good idea. In many ways The Return blew me away. I'd only watched up until Episode 8 before and had been highly confused by everything going on, but when I got past about Episode 10 this time around things started to fall into place. My favourite bits were definitely the parts that focused on the FBI team and the Twin Peaks police department, although some of the new character storylines started to grow on me too. I think the stark difference between the old and new series for me is that the old series is now so familiar, and with the exception of a few disturbing scenes it's generally quite easy and predictable viewing in the sense that things happen in logical order and (again, generally) the weird is toned down. The Return, on the other hand, embraces the weird fully and deliberately tries to unsettle the watcher and create an uneasy viewing experience. Personally I really enjoy being make to think and second-guess my assumptions when watching TV because I feel more engaged with the material, but I can see why people might feel negatively towards The Return because of it. On the whole I think the new season is definitely on a par with the original, although to compare the two in style and content is unhelpful. 

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

While I was in my Harry Potter phase this summer I came across a Harry Potter game called Hogwarts Mystery which launched earlier this year. It's an app which is available for Apple and Android (I think?) and I downloaded it onto my iPad and quickly became obsessed. As a general rule I'm no gamer, but the storyline and style of it brought back a lot of memories of playing similar Nintendo DS or GBA games as a kid when I had a few Harry Potter games. It's set in the period between Harry's escape from Voldemort as a baby and him arriving at Hogwarts and follows a story about your character's brother who was expelled from Hogwarts for trying to find and opening the 'cursed vaults'. There are various tasks you have to complete to progress, including attending classes and developing friendships as well as side tasks which can help earn you points and rewards. The only really annoying thing is that it takes so long to complete anything because the main currency of the game is 'energy', where a unit of energy replaces itself every 4 minutes. Different tasks take up different amounts of energy and are time-limited to make it even more difficult, as I've been in a position a few times of not having enough energy to complete a task but running out of time. Of course you can pay real money to replenish your energy, but I'm not that obsessed and I frankly draw the line. I've been playing it for about a month and I'm progressed to Year 3, but I've also been at home mostly and able to go on the game every couple of hours. It's nothing ground-breaking as a game but I've really been enjoying it, especially as I was reading the books as well.

And those are my favourites from this summer!

It creeps in slowly, this time of year. You have to have a sharp eye and a nose for the weather to notice it in the first few days of the month. I suppose it's like a rollercoaster, inching slowly along as we cling to the last warm evenings and the heat retained by the pavements after months of sun, before suddenly the seasons go into freefall - the mornings getting darker day by day, the temperature dropping half a degree at a time, muted then vivid shades of orange, red, yellow and brown flooding into the leaves. I think the leaves are the first thing I notice starting to change where I live, because there are so many trees. 

But then every so often a day like today comes along - it's currently 24 degrees outside with a cornflower blue cloudless sky, and I am wearing a summer dress and no socks. To me September always seems like a dance between summer and autumn, where sometimes one is a step ahead and other days we have both in tandem or taking it in turns as the day wears on, but ultimately you know that autumn is going to finish on top.

I associate this time of year so strongly with going back to school and university. After 18 years of education my mind and body clock are hardwired into the academic calendar, and I see the beginning of a new school year as far more of a chance to start over than in the New Year, in spite of the narratives around resolutions that inevitably crop up around that time.

It's also very bizarre to think that although I'm going back to uni, I'm not going back to *my* uni. I keep catching myself thinking that I'm heading to Durham for another year, which I could easily have done, playing it safe and familiar and living with other friends who have decided to do Masters courses there or have found jobs in the area. But I decided last year that I wanted to step outside my comfort zone and go somewhere completely different for my Masters so I need to remind myself that I chose Brighton for a reason, and I need to stop mentally comparing it to Durham. I'm also not trying to tell myself that I will love it straight away without question - because you can never tell how these things are going to go - but I hope it will become another second home in the same way that my little city up north has.

This has been more of an introspective post but I like to do them once in a while, especially when big changes are coming up. Wish me luck with the move and the new start - more blog posts will be coming (including a room tour) when the internet is finally installed in the new house later in the month.

x

Today I wanted to talk about a website that I really really love and would like more people to know about. It's called Future Learn and it's a digital education platform owned by the Open University which aims to transform education by offering a huge range of MOOCs (massive open online courses) completely free.

The categories of course they offer are: Business & Management; Creative Arts & Media; Nature & Environment; Politics & the Modern World; Literature; Health & Psychology; Science, Engineering & Maths; Law; History; Tech & Coding; Teaching; Languages & Cultures; and Study Skills. As you can see there is a huge range of areas to choose from, with courses on anything from songwriting to a social history of English football, and from robotics to global food safety. The topics are often super specialist and niche, but there are also more broad introductions to different fields. There are also a range of levels, from those aimed at school leavers to those which recommend having completed some higher education.

Typically the courses are between 4-6 weeks long although some may be as short as 2 weeks or as long as 8. If you join at the start of the course the weeks will become available in real time, but if you come in later there is no obligation to do it week by week and you can go at your own pace. Most courses estimate between 2-4 hours of learning per week, but obviously it comes down to how interested you are and how much extra work or background reading you're willing to do.

Although the Open University offer a wide range of courses themselves, there are also many courses curated by their 139 partners, which are top universities and specialist organisations around the world. For example, my university (Durham) offers two business courses: 'Leading and Managing People-Centred Change' and 'Open Innovation'.

There is no cost to join the majority of courses, but often there is the possibility to upgrade (which typically costs about €50 - €70) to have unlimited access to the material and receive a certificate of achievement to prove participation. Like most people who follow the courses, I personally do it out of interest and enjoyment rather than because I have to or because I want to prove I've done it, but there are also some credit-bearing courses which can contribute to your professional development or even online postgraduate degrees.

I joined my first Future Learn course the summer after my first year of uni when I was back home for a couple of months with relatively little planned. I can't actually remember how I came across the site but I started two courses and completed them over a few weeks. Having an extra educational resource has been a help at various points in my career so far: when I applied for an internship in urban planning the following academic year I talked about how I had followed two related Future Learn courses in my own time, which of course showed a demonstrated interest and was a factor in getting me the internship. Earlier this year I took a course about remote warfare, which I mentioned in my Masters personal statement, and just this summer I joined one on international security as general prep for my MA. 

So far I've only followed courses in the 'Politics & the Modern World' category as they tend to interest me most and relate to my field of study. The courses I've joined and completed are:

On the whole my Future Learn experience has been incredibly positive. I love being able to really follow my interests and delve deeper into topics which I might have touched on in uni courses or back at school, and really get to grips with the nuances of the material. Also, the interface is really stunning and easy to use, as each week consists of a number of steps you have to complete. The feeling of clicking 'Mark as Complete' at the end of a task or long article is incredibly satisfying, and you can track your progress really easily. 

If you're someone who enjoys learning and feeling like you're achieving something at the same time, I would definitely recommend checking out Future Learn and browsing the range of courses on offer. I guarantee there really is something for everyone and it's such an amazing opportunity to add to your CV or academic record by just spending a few hours per week learning new things or expanding on existing knowledge. 

x