Beccy Willmetts

A City in a Day: Porto

Porto is often overlooked in favour of Lisbon, but this city has a lot of charm and heart. It is a small city, and whilst hilly, it is very easy to get around. Most attractions are within easy walking distance. Accommodation, tourist destinations and eating out are also relatively inexpensive,...
Read More

Posted Mar. 8, 2017

Fantastic Female Authors You May Have Overlooked

It’s sad but true that we’ve reached 2017 and female authors are still regularly overlooked by literary journals and reviewers, and dismissed as ‘chick-lit’ or ‘too commercial’ by publishers. Because this year, and every year, my New Year’s Resolution is to read more diversely, here are some female authors that...
Read More

Posted Jan. 15, 2017

“A thrilling watch”: Sherlock returns for Season 4

The new episode of Sherlock, ‘The Six Thatchers’ aired on New Year’s Day, and left viewers stunned. A year on from the Christmas special ‘The Abominable Bride’, set in Victorian London, my hopes for the new series of Sherlock were not high. However, this new episode was a pleasant surprise!...
Read More

Posted Jan. 7, 2017

A City in a Day: Barcelona

Barcelona, the Catalan capital and second most populous city in Spain, is perfect for a quick visit. The flight is only a little over two hours from Birmingham and fares are pretty reasonable outside of the summer months, or if booked far enough in advance. The city itself is easy...
Read More

Posted Dec. 2, 2016

Male contraception: tête-à-tête

Warwick students weigh in on the controversial ‘male pill’   A male’s view I’m a straight white male. From atop my pillar of privilege, it’s important to state that I am thoroughly supportive of research into an effective male contraceptive. I think that the resounding predominance of female contraceptive options...
Read More

Posted Nov. 21, 2016

Battle of the genres: Fiction vs non-fiction

Plenty of people like to crack open a good romance on the beach, lose themselves in the latest thriller on the way to work, or scare themselves with a grim crime novel before bed, but why doesn’t the same really happen for non-fiction? Although often dubbed as boring, long or...
Read More

Posted Oct. 31, 2016

Top Tips for Surviving Course Reading

As a third year, I have tried all manner of ways to make myself just do the course reading dammit! and whilst I can’t say I have all the answers, I have some tips for making those long articles, dense novels and incomprehensible theories slightly more manageable.  Firstly, read a summary –...
Read More

Posted Oct. 21, 2016

6 Times Literature Summed Up Warwick Freshers Week

Sometimes only literature can really put into words how we are feeling. The following quotes from famous classic books apply strangely well to the Freshers’ experience, and might help you vocalise all the weird and wonderful things that happen during your first weeks at university.    “I have not the...
Read More

Posted Sep. 29, 2016

11 Times Shakespeare Understood Student Life

They say there is a Shakespeare quote for pretty much every situation and emotion – but how about the university experience? This is a collection of Shakespeare quotes for those times when a reaction gif or a plethora of emojis would usually be employed to describe the highs and lows...
Read More

Posted Jul. 18, 2016

The books that changed our lives

We all have that one book which changed the way we look at our lives forever. Six Boar Books writers share theirs… Sohini Kumar I remember reading once that Roald Dahl wanted to make his readers laugh — “actual loud belly laughs.” Fittingly, Dahl’s Matilda is one of the first books...
Read More

Posted Apr. 30, 2016

Thanks to Shakespeare, the world is our oyster

Today (23 April) marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. He is considered by many to be the best English playwright ever and most of his plays are still regularly performed around the world every year. But how has his work stood the test of time? Why is he still such...
Read More

Posted Apr. 23, 2016