Wishing away the months is like washing away time – and it’s too precious for that.
A conversation with a publisher this week included the provocative question ‘what’s the point of January?’ and in a way he may have had a point. The excitement of the previous month has dissipated quickly, for many it’s a month of clearing up and clearing out, the days are short, the nights are long, and dark and cold. Why not split these 31 days across the remaining 11 months? And if it wasn’t for Valentine’s Day, why not get rid of February too? – 10 months of 36 days and let’s create a brand new long-weekend of 5 days in the Summer! The Romans were always changing their calendar, at one point they had just 10 months, and the Gregorian calendar we work to hasn’t been around that long.
Publishers, like Easter Egg manufacturers, work many months in advance of the calendar the rest of us work to. For them, the build up to next Christmas will be starting soon, but in the meantime, it’s a bit ‘meh’ – treading water, engines idling, wheel gripped firmly, waiting for the lights to change. The normal cycle of the year may not be the same for all, but for those of us who do work to the calendar, and the perceived wisdom of the changing seasons, then each of these 12 months has some joy, even if it is sometimes a little harder to find. Perhaps the joy is that by dealing with these months as they are, we appreciate those months which offer more. Wishing away the months is like washing away time – and it’s too precious for that.
These first few months of the year are as exciting as the rest – there’s stuff to be done and one of those tasks is a good tidy up, and that often uncovers hidden gems, some of which we’ll be popping up on the website, some of which will appear in the shop in February.
This week’s fiction pick of the week is Tom Crewe’s fantastic The New Life; set in the tumultuous times of Oscar Wilde, our protagonists Henry and John are writing a revolutionary book about the legalisation of homosexuality. Our other top pick of the week is Cory Wharton-Malcolm’s All You Need is Rhythm & Grit, this is a love letter to running. Whether you’re a newbie, or a long-time pro, this book will give you the best advice on gear, routes, music and motivation.
New fiction is now starting to trickle into the shop, which makes me happier than you would realise after the lull of new releases over the Christmas period. In this week, we have a classic crime whodunnit with a modern twist in Cate Quinn’s The Clinic, set in an ultra chic celebrity wellbeing centre. Audrey Burges new book, The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone, is the romantic tale of a doll’s house which is magically changing to mimic people’s own interiors – but why? The Whispering is Laura Purcell’s new gothic historical fiction, a novel set in the depths of London’s West End, this tells the story of an actress possessed by the spirit of the Greek god Melpomene, destined to make her the best actress the stage has ever seen. Lastly, Sebastien de Castell’s Malevolent Seven is now out in paperback, this fantasy brings together seven ancient powers to fight the war of all wars.
In non-fiction,Rebecca Boyle explains our evolutionary relationship and understanding of the moon, in Our Moon. Churchill was an exemplary traveller and a boss at international relations, which is explored in Robin Cross’ Man of the World. In All Sorts of Lives, Claire Harman takes a critical look at Katherine Mansfield, the writer that even Virginia Woolf admitted to being jealous of. We also have the useful How to Calm Your Mind by Chris Bailey, which effectively tells you how to tackle nervousness and anxiety in order to become more productive.
For teenagers, David Almond’s Island is now in paperback, this is a coming-of-age story about Louise and Hassan – a young refugee recently arriving from war-torn Syria. And for very little ones (ages 3+), we have the brilliant picture book, Meet the Dinosaurs, by Caryl Hart: Join in with the rhymes and get ready to spot all the friendly (and not so friendly!) dinosaurs, from the huge Brontosaurus and amazing Diplodocus to the speedy Velociraptor and scary T-Rex.
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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