On Self-Improvement

Eponine Howarth

A series exploring loss, memory, romantic relationships and purposive reading. A mix of essays, short stories and a list of gardening tips for beginners. Learn how to become Umberto Eco’s Model Reader, how to save words and about the art of tweaking neurones.

Zen or the Art of Gardening

Eponine Howarth

Cultivating a garden for a prolonged period of time and subsequently ruining it is frustrating.

Tweaking Neurones

Eponine Howarth

The very act of remembering can change memories. Both tucking away an old memory or building a new one...

A Week as Umberto Eco’s Model Reader

Eponine Howarth

I became Umberto Eco’s Model Reader for a week. This was neither an easy decision, nor a simple task.

The Waltz of Missing Words

Eponine Howarth

In France, every new edition of the dictionary Le Petit Larousse removes around five hundred words.