Poetry is the quiet friend, always there, never shouty, never wanting to be centre of attention.
Back in the day we used to run a poetry evening at the book shop – we’d have a lead poet to get everyone warmed up and confident, and then we’d have an ‘open floor’ for anyone who wanted to get up and read a poem to the room. Sometimes it would be verse the reader had written themselves, sometimes just a favourite they wanted to share. The evenings were popular and always full of joy – poetry is the quiet friend, always there, never shouty, never wanting to be centre of attention – the small pot of Balm hidden away at the bottom of the bag of life.
Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day (Sonnet 18) by William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Listening to Michael Mosley the other day on Radio 4 with his ‘Just One Thing’ programme and poetry came to the fore for its benefits for wellbeing – it seems reading poetry is good for both your body and spirit. Perhaps we should start our poetry evenings again – the Doctor will be back in the house and will see you soon!
One of our top picks this week, The Beacon Bike by Ed Peppitt comes from Nigel’s recommendation for a book full of warmth. As an ode to the beautiful coastline, it succeeds, but as a story of appreciating the small things and never giving up on a dream, it absolutely soars. The journey taken to explore these grand lighthouses is pleasantly interrupted by joy and generosity – a delightful read.
Our fiction top pick is the paperback release of Dan Jones’ Wolves of Winter, the raucous sequel to Essex Dogs. It is 1347 and the war is far from over, but with morale fading, can the Essex Dogs retain composure under the threat of a violent siege?
Elsewhere in fiction, Catriona Ward’s Looking Glass Sound is a spooky revenge story about a writer who, during his furious writing sessions about an old friend, becomes haunted by the past. Sam Taylor plays with parallel universes in The Two Loves of Sophie Strom, a love story tragically affected by the Nazi regime, which questions how free will and circumstance affects our entire lives. Juli Min’s debut Shanghailanders takes the microscope to one family, examining the fragile, woven creation of secrets and connection in a family uprooted by life’s complexities. In sci-fi, Christopher Paolini’s space opera Fractal Noise follows a rag-tag team of explorers as they move across a desolated planet in search of a mysterious crater. For some, this is a chance of a lifetime, for others, what lurks there surely means disaster.
In non-fiction, Ellen Atlanta reflects on the modern obsession with our own image and the toxicity of a beauty industry preying on our insecurities. If you loved Adam Kay’s books, you’ll be fascinated by Dr. Benji Waterhouse’s You Don’t Have to Be Mad to Work Here, a darkly comic memoir of his career as a psychiatrist, from someone who is just as complicated as his patients. Football player turned gardening fanatic, Tayshan Hayden-Smith is here to help you transform your environment into a tropical oasis, all while connecting to your community and repurposing materials. And Played in Germany by Kit Holden kicks off the football season with an energetic recount of Germany’s winning teams, songs, and stadiums; this will certainly prepare you for the UEFA Euros!
For children ages 5-8, Enid Blyton’s Five-Minute Summer Stories are perfect tales for sunny adventures, from picnics with pixies to jolly seaside toys. For little ones, Helen Docherty’s Someone Just Like You is a picture book with a big heart that reminds us how, despite our differences, we can come together to provide love and care for one another.
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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