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Willow Heath

Will predominantly writes about the books of Books and Bao, examining the literature of a place and how the authors have used the art of storytelling to reflect the world and the culture around them.

Translated from the Spanish by Annie McDermott How do we define narrative? Traditional narratives as we typically think of them involve an entirely fictional story laid out with familiar beats: chapters, dialogue, and paragraphing; a beginning, middle, and end; exposition, themes, and motifs. But experimental forms of narrative, the kinds that have existed for centuries …

Read More about Loop by Brenda Lozano BOOK REVIEW

Hereford is an idyllic little city that’s very much off the beaten path as English towns go. Having been born there, it’s amazing how many people — even people from neighbouring Bristol and Cardiff — ask me the question: where is Herefordshire? Its out-of-the-way nature is just one reason to visit Hereford. There’s plenty more …

Read More about Why You Should Visit Hereford, UK: Sights, Art, & History

It’s no secret that we at Books and Bao love Taiwan. It might be our favourite country. Taiwan is a hotbed of art that celebrates literature, film, and visual arts in all their glory and with real gumption and fervour. Taiwan loves art and we love Taiwan. Tattoo art, likewise, is big in Taiwan, as …

Read More about 8 Taiwan Tattoo Artists to Check Out Now

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was released when I was seven years old. It took the world by storm, turning children into bookworms and bestowing the magic of reading onto an entire generation. Not me, though. I didn’t understand books. At age seven I’d just gotten my PlayStation. I had no friends. I was …

Read More about Confessions of a Late Reader: How Books Changed Me

In 2016 this small Norwich-based indie press by the name of Strangers Press published a selection of chapbooks representing a range of unique Japanese voices in translation known as Keshiki (roughly meaning ‘landscape’). Three years later, they have returned with a new series: Yeoyu. Eight Korean short stories by eight Korean authors, translated by six …

Read More about Yeoyu (8 Korean Short Stories) BOOK REVIEW

Hongdae takes its name from the nearby Hongik University (with the Korean word for ‘university’ being ‘daehag’ so ‘Hongdae’ simply being the first half of each word smooshed together). The area of Hongdae, Seoul itself is considered by many to be the modern hub of the city. It’s not the place to go for traditional …

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Myanmar, once and still more famously known as Burma, is a Southeast Asian country that has been marred by so much conflict, subject to colonial and military control, and is now attempting to find its feet (all the while still making some pretty horrific political moves). Once a British colony, Myanmar gained independence in 1948 …

Read More about 10 Burmese Books to Read Before You Visit Myanmar

Before Harry Potter, the UK was best known for writers like Shakespeare, Dickens, and Virginia Woolf. Today, if you ask a kid to think of an English book character, and they’ll gleefully shout, “Harry Potter!” back at you. Britain is awash with Harry Potter fever, and it has been for 20 years! Which begs the …

Read More about Where to Buy the Best Harry Potter Souvenirs (UK)

Claiming this is the best place to stay in Tokyo is a bold one. yes, this is a city brimming with world-class accommodation but Book and Bed certainly belongs up there with the best. Books, travelling, and sleeping are my three favourite things. And Japan is my favourite country, full of wonderful arts and culture …

Read More about Book and Bed: The Best Book Hostel in Tokyo

Wondering what to do in Fukuoka? Try exploring Daimyo. Daimyo Fukuoka is a tiny quarter in the heart of the city that very much defines the soul of the city. Daimyo is the slightly older, calmer, chicer hipster cousin to Tokyo’s Harajuku and it hides many of the best things to do in Fukuoka. The …

Read More about How to Spend a Perfect Day in Daimyo, Fukuoka