Mother Nature is a remarkable character, her steely determination to go about her business despite our interruptions and hindrance, is a lesson we can all learn from.
The application and resulting change in its progress is almost imperceptible to the eye, slow and steady seems to be the strategy. But the energy required to bring about such change is not only extraordinary in its scope and power, but also in its ability to bring about such progress on a scale that is really quite mind-blowing – and there’s no technology at all involved. From barren branches and twigs, held in slumber in the months since the leaves fell, to the profusion of buds and green in April. Mother Nature is a remarkable character, her steely determination to go about her business despite our interruptions and hindrance, is a lesson we can all learn from – what can we know which can compare to such power and ability? That slow and steady but dramatic changing of the seasons demonstrates an energy which we admire and take to heart in our bookselling. Without getting all woo-woo, a business can learn much from the Mother of all Mothers – that quiet, steely determination; an appreciation of beauty; the acceptance and desire to bring about positive progress; making sure your business adds to the richness of life, not takes away from it – all these attributes we try to exercise as we go about the business of Coles Books. In the coming weeks, we too are applying some slow and steady progress to how we go about the picking and packing and shipping of our orders – the changes will be almost imperceptible, but progress is afoot – our energy dial continues to turn upwards.
David Herbert Lawrence is perhaps best known as a novelist who swam against the tide of his times – his work often coming under fire from critics and censorship. But he was also a prolific poet of work which also demonstrated great energy and passion. The Enkindled Spring is such a work and is the perfect read for the middle of April when the hedgerows are alive with Mother Nature’s fireworks.
The Enkindled Spring by D. H. Lawrence
This spring as it comes bursts up in bonfires green,
Wild puffing of emerald trees, and flame-filled bushes,
Thorn-blossom lifting in wreaths of smoke between
Where the wood fumes up and the watery, flickering rushes.
I am amazed at this spring, this conflagration
Of green fires lit on the soil of the earth, this blaze
Of growing, and sparks that puff in wild gyration,
Faces of people streaming across my gaze.
And I, what fountain of fire am I among
This leaping combustion of spring? My spirit is tossed
About like a shadow buffeted in the throng
Of flames, a shadow that’s gone astray, and is lost.
Our top picks this week couldn’t be more different and that’s the thrill of being surrounded by books! Andrew Gold, host of the radical podcast Heretics, explores the psychology and history of secret-keeping in The Psychology of Secrets. With comparisons to acclaimed journalist Jon Ronson, be assured that this is a confident and well-researched non-fiction from the fringes of society. Meanwhile, comedic cartoonist Tom Gauld has turned his attention to children’s books with The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess. This heartwarming fairy tale of two siblings is full of unconditional love, determination, and adventure as the little wooden robot sets out on a quest to rescue the log princess.
In fiction, new and old come together to create a dazzling display of excellent reads. Sometimes, a classic is just what you need and Vintage have released some of our favourites with striking new covers; Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is a dystopian novel about pleasure and freedom, and the consequences for greater society when we have these things in excess. Holly Gramazio’s The Husbands is an inventive love story of one woman and her multiple husbands who keep appearing from her attic – this debut ignites questions on how you find ‘the one’ and what love really is. The Morningside by Tea Obreht is a mythical tale of a demolished city with a rich history; I, Julian by Claire Gilbert is a fictional account of Julian of Norwich who, while enveloped by grief and society’s expectations in 1347, pens the first English book to be written by a woman; and in Thomas Lee’s Perilous Times, can Arthurian Knights come to the rescue in the modern world?
In non-fiction, there’s always a hunger for inside knowledge and the anonymous Rebel Accountant feeds us with tales of riches in Taxtopia. Big Mamma, the popular Italian restaurant, has released their first speedy cookbook of delicious recipes and top tips; Growing Mushrooms at Home is a guide for many varieties of fungi and growing situations, from lion’s mane to outdoor beds; and Inga Buividavice teaches an array of painterly techniques with our furry friends in Wild Watercolour.
For younger readers, Smile by Lauren Child is the latest installment in the Clarice Bean collection in which Clarice’s optimism sends her on a journey to make things better and prove that, big or small, everyone can make mighty changes.
As always, if there’s something you need help with, or a book you need ordering, please call or email us!
From Sophie
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