Let’s start the year off by thinking about books that have a January in their title…

Bloomsbury is a well-known area of the city, and associated with writers such as Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster, popular in the early 20th Century. Many writers lived and worked here – just walking around will give you a great flavour of their splendid surroundings.

To get into the festive mood, you should read Carol Ann Duffy’s Christmas poems. They are beautifully written, insightful, and present the season in the most perfect way.

If you have always wanted to write a book but have lacked the discipline and motivation, this could be just the thing you have been looking for.

There are many quotations for which Oscar Wilde is famous. One of them is: ‘To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance’.

Poetry is especially good at portraying the change in the seasons.

There is something about this time of year when reading a creepy novel, such as those favoured by King, seem more appealing. Think: crisp leaves, long shadows, smoke spiraling from chimneys…

Having a routine is crucial – as humans, we are attuned to having habits, but for some reason, we don’t always apply this to writing.

Read on to learn about these well-known writers, and more, born in the height of summer…

The Big Jubilee Read is a celebratory event to showcase literature from across the Commonwealth countries, and includes 10 books from each of the seven decades that Elizabeth II has been in power.