Thick woolly jumpers emerge from the bottom of drawers, hopefully the moths have left something to wear.
The fields nearby are sodden, the grass too long to allow what heat there is from the sun to get through to warm and dry the earth. The resulting morning mists hang low and heavy, a duvet refusing to reveal who lies beneath. These are the days where energy is in short supply, re-directed from the task of progress to the more pedestrian role of generating and maintaining warmth. Thick woolly jumpers emerge from the bottom of drawers, hopefully the moths have left something to wear. Conkers collected with dreams of forests to be planted, one pot at a time.
I’m not sure why, but other than a comedy with Snug, Puck, Bottom & Snout, what little I know about Shakespeare reminds me of Autumn. Perhaps it’s the somewhat melancholy language and with his Sonnet 73 he captures this time of year perfectly, not just in subject, but also in style.
Sonnet 73 (That time of year thou mayst in me behold) by William Shakespeare
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see’st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire,
Consum’d with that which it was nourish’d by.
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
There’s nothing better than picking homegrown herbs for a delicious meal or watching the first blossoms after a fruitful prune; luckily, Monty Don is here to guide the way to an abundance of green delights in The Gardening Book. At a Coles Special Price, this grand offering will become the ultimate book to flip through with muddy hands. Our top fiction choice this week is a bestseller in Korea – Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop illustrates the healing effect of books. An ode to the magic of bookshops and a meditation on belonging, this is a novel with a lot of heart.
Also gracing our fiction shelves this week is the new book from Melissa Broder. In Death Valley, a woman escapes her life’s sorrows through a cactus that is large beyond belief; what awaits her may just change the course of her life. If a book is blurbed by Colm Tóibín and Anne Enwright, it must be good, which is why we’re so excited about Mike McCormack’s This Plague of Souls. This surreal novel about a man returning to an empty world delivers on thrills and the ties of family, all wrapped up in witty prose. And if you’d like to digest the classics in an unusual fashion, two siblings have rendered nine of Franz Kafka’s most beloved tales in unique illustrations, adding an extra layer of absurdity to his haunting stories.
In non-fiction this week, there are plenty of Coles Special Price books to get stuck into: Jeremy Clarkson’s Pigs Might Fly looks at the challenges of his unconventional farm, from a man who has mellowed during his time roaming the fields; acting legend Judi Dench pays homage to Shakespeare, a man who has helped shape her illustrious career through the decades; finally, Britney Spears tells all in her memoir, and we’ve got some incredible Indie Exclusive editions with sprayed edges for the release! In Conflict, a historian and the former CIA director navigate 70 years of warfare; The Hairy Bikers explore sugar and spice with their favourite comfort foods; and in Love: A Curious History in 50 Objects, Brooke-Hitching displays the wonders of intricate love tokens, the origins of love songs, and paintings that show off one of the most complex emotions.
For little ones, David Walliams’ latest caper The Blunders, featuring a very eccentric family (and one ostrich), is available at a Coles Special Price, and Secrets of the Forest is full of nature-inspired stories to nod off to!
As always, if there’s anything you need help with, or anything you need ordering in, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
From Sophie
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