It is the language and words used which describe and define us.
The tone and pace had been frantic, visible layers of anger, whipping up emotions with noisy rhetoric, sometimes born out of chaotic desperation, sometimes fuelled by the drug of ego. But beneath it all is something remarkable, at least in some quarters – the words which were written and spoken in the aftermath. When all is said and done, the last vote counted and inevitability comes blinking out into the early morning daylight, it is the language and words used which define and describe us.
“Whatever our disagreements in this campaign, he is a decent, public-spirited man, who I respect.”
“We must hold true to that idea of who we are…that vision of kindness, decency, and tolerance that has always been the British way.”
“This is the best country in the world and that is thanks entirely to you, the British people…the true source of all our achievements, our strengths, and our greatness.”
“When you lose the trust of the electorate, all that matters is to have the courage and humility to ask yourself why?”
“Today power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides,”
“To defy, quietly, those who have written our country off. To restore service and respect to politics, end the era of noisy performance, tread more lightly on your lives and unite our country.”
Decent, kindness, tolerance, courage, humility, peaceful, goodwill, quietly, service, respect, unite… all these words were used in Arrivals & Departures yesterday, read them all together in one go and a lump might appear in the throat. These are the words which define us, these are the words of democracy – we should cherish them, with every fibre we have.
Give by Simon Armitage
Of all the public places, dear
to make a scene, I’ve chosen here.
Of all the doorways in the world
to choose to sleep, I’ve chosen yours.
I’m on the street, under the stars.
For coppers I can dance or sing.
For silver-swallow swords, eat fire.
For gold-escape from locks and chains.
It’s not as if I’m holding out
for frankincense or myrrh, just change.
You give me tea. That’s big of you.
I’m on my knees. I beg of you.
During a polarising week, one thing connects us all – our place on Earth. So, this week’s top picks consider the planet we live on from multiple angles. Samantha Harvey’s Orbital is a bite-size fiction about six astronauts who spend their time in orbit conducting experiments and observing Earth. When a mother dies and a natural disaster wreaks havoc, the gravity of human fragility hits them and they ponder questions of humanity and compassion. In Land Smart, Tom Heap tours the country to meet the people doing their best work to save the planet, from scientists to warehouse managers. With England’s green and pleasant land on the decline, Heap explores the ingenious ways we can make the most of what we have to solve crises such as housing and renewable energy.
In fiction, Another Person by Kang Hwagil is an unflinching campus novel about power and consent, in which Jina returns to the pervasive, toxic culture of Anjin University to search for the truth about a fellow student’s death. Julia by Sandra Newman is a feminist retelling of George Orwell’s classic Nineteen Eighty-Four; apathetic and hard-working, Julia has survived in a totalitarian state, but when she meets Winston Smith, her world begins to change. Claire Fuller’s The Memory of Animals is a tense, pacy novel about a memory-affecting virus and a small group of paid volunteers fighting against it; as Neffy reckons with the new world outside of the hospital where she received the vaccine, secrets bubble within the clinic. And Joanne Harris delivers a romantic fantasy of forbidden love, magical wars, and secret worlds – this is Romeo and Juliet meets Neil Gaiman.
In non-fiction, Adam Sisman wrestles with the secretive life of spy-turned-novelist John le Carré, whose espionage work influenced a lifetime of affairs and deception; the brainy researchers behind the game show QI share some of the most tantalising, bizarre facts about sport across millennia and cultures in A Load of Old Balls; Russian journalist, Mikhail Zygar, reveals how 350 years of propaganda and fantasy led to the nation’s war with Ukraine; and Sami Kent paints a striking history of Turkey, delving between the layers of politics and emerging with a picture that depicts the country’s brilliant ideas and diversity.
For young adults, it’s 1896 in Yours From the Tower and three best friends have left boarding school and are setting off on their own paths. They share their dreams, frustrations and romances in letters, but can they find happiness? And for little ones, Otto by Catherine Rayner is a delightfully funny tale about Otto the sausage dog who just can’t say no! After he kindly shares his bed, Otto finds himself on the outside looking in; will Otto ever get his bed back, and will he like it if he does?
As always, if there’s something you need help with, or a book you need ordering, please call or email us!
From Sophie
Click on any of the book covers below for more info.
The full newsletter with links to books – including this week’s Signed Editions – can be found HERE
