Books are often a place of comfort and stability in challenging times – if you love reading, there’s no better place to go than the pages of a book.
The start of a Bank Holiday and the prospect of closing for a day on Monday is a bit of a double-edged sword – the thought of a dreamy lie-in is clearly attractive, but tempered by a missed day’s trade in such economically challenging times can rub away at a little of the joy, particularly in a week when we heard the desperately sad news of the local independent brewery closing down.
Bank Holidays also bring to mind those days when shops closed early one day a week – half day closing was a ‘thing’ with the particular day in question depending on where you lived. I also seem to have a recollection of Saturdays being the same in our part of the north of England –all the shopping done by lunchtime, the afternoon free for Grandstand or a bike ride. Times change and everything is everywhere all of the time, the anxious switch is never off – the virtue of patience a lost attribute, being organised a lost art.
We’re very lucky, books are often a place of comfort and stability in challenging times – if you love reading, there’s no better place to go than the pages of a book. Find the right one, pull down the blinds on the world outside, and dive into your imagination. All the better if you have a little sunshine – a seat outdoors might have your name on it.
Best known for her children’s novels ‘The Railway Children’ and ‘Five Children and It’, Edith Nesbit was a Fabian and also a poet – short hair and smoking cigarettes, her style unconventional for the time – her path through life entirely of her own making. Her verse, Saturday Song is full of the joys of this sixth day of the week – here’s to the other two making up this long weekend!
Saturday Song by E. Nesbit
They talk about gardens of roses,
And moonlight over the sea,
And mountains and snow
And sunsetty glow,
But I know what is best for me.
The prettiest sight I know,
Worth all your roses and snow,
Is the blaze of light on a Saturday night,
When the barrows are set in a row.
I’ve heard of bazaars in India
All glitter and spices and smells,
But they don’t compare
With the naphtha flare
And the herrings the coster sells;
And the oranges piled like gold,
The cucumbers lean and cold,
And the red and white block-trimmings
And the strawberries fresh and ripe,
And the peas and beans,
And the sprouts and greens,
And the ‘taters and trotters and tripe.
And the shops where they sell the chairs,
The mangles and tables and bedding,
And the lovers go by in pairs,
And look – and think of the wedding.
And your girl has her arm in yours,
And you whisper and make her blush.
Oh! the snap in her eyes–and her smiles and her sighs
As she fancies the purple plush!
And you haven’t a penny to spend,
But you dream that you’ve pounds and pounds;
And arm in arm with your only friend
You make your Saturday rounds:
And you see the cradle bright
With ribbon–lace–pink and white;
And she stops her laugh
And you drop your chaff
In the light of the Saturday night.
And the world is new
For her and you –
A little bit of all-right.
I can’t recommend our fiction pick-of-the-week highly enough. The most recent Booker winner, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch, has just been published in paperback and it’s remarkable. This dystopian fiction about a hypothetical civil war in Ireland, is less dystopian and a bit too real. Drawing parallels with current conflicts in the world, this haunting novel will stick with you for a very long time. Paul Lynch is an impeccable writer, so if you’re going to take a punt at any of the most recent Booker winners, I would firmly advise this one.
Our non-fiction pick-of-the-week is an ode to the much-loved Franz Kafka. Metamorphoses: In Search of Franz Kafka by Karolina Watroba investigates the lasting influence that Kafka has made on everyone’s lives. This work not only explores his life, but his legacy, and how his writing has shaped the literature we have come to know and love today.
I have found that this week I’ve had to fill most of our unsigned section with fiction, as there seems to be an unprecedented amount of it around! And it all appears to be excellent! Eliza Clark puts a fictionalised spin on true crime in her new paperback Penance: Based on hours of interviews with witnesses and family members, and even correspondence with the killers themselves, journalist Alec Z. Carelli has constructed what he claims is the ‘definitive account’ of a murder – but how much of it is actually true? The Turnglass by Gareth Rubin is also one that I can strongly recommend. It’s a tete-beche novel oozing with Gothic drama. This is two novels contained in one that appear to be mysteriously linked. It’s very clever, well planned, and a whole lot of fun to read. Meet Hal: twenty-two, gay, Catholic, chops lines of cocaine with his myWaitrose card – and reluctant heir to the noble House of Lancaster: Henry Henry by Allen Bratton is a fun spin-off of Shakespeare’s Henry VI. It’s wholly unique and utterly bonkers. Nathan Newman’s How to Leave the House is equally mad – It’s Natwest’s last day before he leaves for university, and there’s only one thing on his mind: the deeply embarrassing package he ordered to his house – which still hasn’t arrived. He won’t leave town without it…If you’re a Science Fiction fan Jared Shurin has compiled the best cyberpunk fiction in The Big Book of Cyberpunk. This contains over one hundred of the finest short stories containing AI, the darkest parts of the online world, and cybernetic enhancement.
For young adults (and older) there is Theo Parish’s Homebody, this is part graphic novel, and part autobiography: “Hello! I’m Theo. I like cats, Dungeons & Dragons…and I’m trans and non-binary. Ever since I was young, I’ve been on a journey to explore who I am. To discover the things that make me…me. Sometimes it can feel like the world is trying to fit you into a box, to label you one way or another, but there is nothing more wonderful than finding your true authentic self, whoever you are.”
New in non-fiction is Jeff Maynard’s The Frontier Below, a history of humans’ fascination with the deep ocean. From the first ever divers entering the water holding their breath, to submersibles, this is everything you ever need to know about our obsession with the deep, dark sea. We also have The Better Second Half by skincare sensation Liz Earle. In this, Liz tells us how to future-proof our lives using evidence-based techniques, whilst also letting us into some tried-and-tested wisdom about being older.
And finally, for small children, we have Penguin’s Egg by Anna Kemp and Alice Courtley. Daddy penguin is looking after his rockhopper egg on the ice, but he’s fast asleep so he doesn’t hear the CCCRACK! Suddenly, he is alone on the ice. From train to helicopter, hot-air balloon to limousine, Daddy Penguin hitches lifts with kindly folk – but will he be home in time? And for ages 7+ Curious Features of Extraordinary Creatures by Fiona Fogg is a non-fiction documenting the weirdest looking animals and insects ever to be found!
As always, if there’s something you need help with, or a book you need ordering, please call or email us!
From Amber
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