Keep warm by inner fires, and rest in peace
‘I always pay attention when a small joy grabs me. Some say easily pleased, I say frequently happy’ – and so starts a delightful little book of poetry and musings on life by David Larbi. His recently published book, ‘Frequently Happy’ is a small packet of joy, the sort of book which is unlikely to reach shortlists for awards or be thought of as a groundbreaking work of high literature, but that’s not the point. Sometimes you just want your hair stroked, your hand held, a comforting word whispered in your ear or to just sit quietly with someone you love. This book is all those feelings in printed form, destined to be read whilst snuggling on a sofa beneath a blanket – perfect for a Winter’s eve.
A Calendar of Sonnets: January by Helen Hunt Jackson
O Winter! frozen pulse and heart of fire,
What loss is theirs who from thy kingdom turn
Dismayed, and think thy snow a sculptured urn
Of death! Far sooner in midsummer tire
The streams than under ice. June could not hire
Her roses to forego the strength they learn
In sleeping on thy breast. No fires can burn
The bridges thou dost lay where men desire
In vain to build.
O Heart, when Love’s sun goes
To northward, and the sounds of singing cease,
Keep warm by inner fires, and rest in peace.
Sleep on content, as sleeps the patient rose.
Walk boldly on the white untrodden snows,
The winter is the winter’s own release.
Following the thread of simplicity, and its connection to happiness, another book leapt out at me whilst browsing the shelves the other day – ‘Bill Baily’s Remarkable Guide to Happiness’. Written by Bill during the lockdowns of the pandemic it may have been provoked by circumstances, but like David Larbi’s book, it is simple and pure in its pursuit of happiness – a commodity in such short supply, but free and abundant to those who seek it out.
It feels like months since we’ve been graced with new releases (new publications tend to slow down from October onwards), so it’s lovely to see some fresh, new titles appearing on the shelves this week. From quirky Fantasies, like A.T. Qureshi’s The Baby Dragon Cafe (yes, you heard correctly), to dystopian YA, like Polly Crosby’s The Vulpine, there’s a lot of tantalizing new fiction fresh off the press. New stock also includes more serious non-fiction, like David Torrance’s The Wild Men, about the first Labour government; to existential environmental ethics in Travis Rieder’s Catastrophe Ethics. And some great books for children 9-12 – why don’t you check them out below?
As always, if there’s anything you need, just pop by or reply to this email!
From Amber
The full newsletter with links to books – including this week’s Signed Editions – can be found HERE
