Anne Brontë's 204th birthday

Today is Anne Brontë's 204th birthday. It's a good day to read her two novels and her poems.

The Times highlights '12 of the UK’s best independent bookshops — as chosen by you' and one of them is the lovely

9. Wave of Nostalgia, Haworth, West Yorkshire

This place is a skip away from the Brontë parsonage. Aesthetically, it’s beautiful, on a cobbled downhill street — and it’s hardly changed since the 1800s. Wave of Nostalgia openly celebrates women and the LGBTQ community. Downstairs is the cellar, an intimate and welcoming space where many top authors come and read several times a month. It’s a real community event and people travel miles (including myself) to listen to authors and poets read their work. It’s a lovely bookshop where reading and community are celebrated.

Christine Sanders, West Yorkshire

Crime Reads discusses writing thrillers in the post-#MeToo era.

Thriller writers have used this underlying fear which accompanies all women’s lives for centuries. We know that there is nothing scarier than being trapped inside your own home, or mind, by a man who wants to control and contain. Thriller writers often don’t need to kill women—they know the stuff of nightmares is much more subtle than that, much more creeping and dread filled. 

Stories like this have been written since before the term thriller was even coined. So many of our classic novels like Jane Eyre, Rebecca, Wuthering Heights, Madame Bovary, Lolita, Anna Karenina – they’re all essentially about women being judged, not being believed and being manipulated. (Araminta Hall)

The Bookseller previews Reading Lessons: The Books We Read at School, the Conversations They Spark and Why They Matter by Carol Atherton.

What can “Lady Macbeth” teach us about empathy? How can a Victorian poem help teenagers understand YouTube misogyny? Can Jane Eyre encourage us to find a voice and speak out? For almost three decades, Lincolnshire-based Atherton has taught English to secondary school students. (Caroline Sanderson)

Harper's Bazaar lists 'The 10 best novels to read in 2024' and one of them is

Hester Musson, 'The Beholders'

A story of maids and mistresses set in a grand Victorian house, this period tale has everything you'd ask for from a gothic thriller: murder, a relatable heroine and plenty of dark detail. Set to be the beach read of the summer, this well-researched and convincing page-turner is the ideal choice for fans of Mary Shelley and Emily Brontë's classic novels. (Clara Strunkc and Marie-Claire Chappet)

In passing, Book Riot recommends a Brontë-inspired retelling: L.L. McKinney’s Escaping Mr. Rochester. BNN Breaking has an article on 'Wuthering Heights on Screen: A Fan’s Guide to the Best Adaptations'.