Scribble Recommended Reads

The Snowdonia Killings By Simon McCleave

The Snowdonia Killings is a riveting and fast paced crime novel. Ruth Hunter takes the role of key detective, approaching fifty, the veteran police officer swaps the bustling crime riddled streets of London for a slower paced life in North Wales. However Ruth is greatly mistaken as she is immediately pulled into a murder case, as a female body is found. Ruth joins forces with Nick Evans, detective sergeant to help unravel the murder mystery. However as the case progresses more bodies are found, both victims of murder and suicide. The case seems impossible due to the continuous line of suspects. However the two greatly subverting detectives fight to obtain justice. I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a fast passed novel, filled with convoluted characters and permeated with plot twists.

Beautiful World, where are you?

By Sally Rooney

A sharp and insightful read in which Sally Rooney has a great ability to capture the thoughts and feelings of her characters. The novel follows the lives of four protagonists, each well developed with their own unique personalities and struggles. The book deals with themes of love, friendship, mental health, politics and the state of the world which are handled by Rooney with sensitivity and intelligence.

Anyone looking for a smart and insightful novel about the complexities of modern life, this one is for you!

Anyonewho knows Spanish literature would think in terms of Castilian literature, the most widely spoken language throughout mainland Spain and Latin America, forgetting about the smaller dialects that should be more widely celebrated throughout the world – these smaller dialects, like Cátalan or Valencian, although not as famous, should be celebrated, as they carry the stories of our ancestors, the stories that allow us to shape our futures, for us and the generations after us. Modern Spain has its roots from the Arabs and the Moors, who were expelled from the country in 1492 by the Catholic royal powerhouse. Many words used today in the Spanish language continue with their traditions. Why should we protect these words, and the stories that are made with them? Some argue that they are irrelevant, that the times have changed, and with that we should change our mindset, but I find it difficult to move on from cultures that have imprinted so definitely on our lives; we still should respect these languages, and these backgrounds, with the same appreciation that we show to their monuments, like ‘la mezquita de Córdoba’, which holds up to 1,950,000 visitors each year.

Akey moment for Spanish literature was during Franco’s dictatorship, from 1939 until 1975. Under his reign, he forbade any teaching or acknowledgement of any form of literature that wasn’t written in Castilian. This destroyed a huge number of sentimental stories and pieces of information written in the smaller dialects of Spanish. Throughout the whole of Spain, a large quantity of its cultural value was lost, as each region couldn’t celebrate its individual value. Franco’s aim was to increase the dominance of