If love is not all around, it should be.
A brief glimpse of a headline stating what appeared to be the greatest of untruths – but alas no, every word was true – the film ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ turned 30. Thirty years since Hugh bumbled through his floppy fringe and created a character which turned him into a Hollywood idol. And yet for many it’s a poem for which the film is remembered, W.H. Auden’s ‘Funeral Blues’ – “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone”. A poem so beautiful yet full of aching grief and perhaps a little too sad for a bright and, fingers crossed, warm holiday weekend. Regardless of the subject, Auden wrote only from the heart and perhaps the feeling which runs through most of his prose is that of love – if love is not all around, it should be.
‘O Tell Me the Truth About Love’ by W.H. Auden (extract)
Some say love’s a little boy,
And some say it’s a bird,
Some say it makes the world go round,
And some say that’s absurd,
And when I asked the man next door,
Who looked as if he knew,
His wife got very cross indeed,
And said it wouldn’t do.
Does it look like a pair of pyjamas,
Or the ham in a temperance hotel?
Does its odour remind one of llamas,
Or has it a comforting smell?
Is it prickly to touch as a hedge is,
Or soft as eiderdown fluff?
Is it sharp or quite smooth at the edges?
O tell me the truth about love.
Can it pull extraordinary faces?
Is it usually sick on a swing?
Does it spend all its time at the races,
Or fiddling with pieces of string?
Has it views of its own about money?
Does it think Patriotism enough?
Are its stories vulgar but funny?
O tell me the truth about love.
When it comes, will it come without warning,
Just as I’m picking my nose?
Will it knock on my door in the morning,
Or tread in the bus on my toes?
Will it come like a change in the weather?
Will its greeting be courteous or rough?
Will it alter my life altogether?
O tell me the truth about love.
Few authors can create a buzz like that of writing mastermind, Stephen King. So, this week, his latest collection of short stories, You Like It Darker, must be one of our top picks. These tales of fate and mortality are surprising and terrifying in equal measure; with the same propulsive charge as his novels, these short stories will keep you hooked until the very end. Another exciting bit: we have the Independent Exclusive Edition, with its purple foil stamped cabin on orange board, at a Coles Special Price!
Our non-fiction pick this week is D-Day: The Unheard Tapes by Geraint Jones, released in conjunction with the BBC2 documentary series. This year marks the 80th Anniversary of D-Day and now, museum archives tell the remarkable true stories of the valiant soldiers who fought on Normandy’s beaches.
In fiction, Harlan Coben’s Think Twice is as exhilarating as his previous mysteries, as sports agent, Myron, is left reeling from an FBI visit; they claim that his rival Greg’s DNA is all over a recent double-murder, but how could that be, when Greg is already dead? One Love by Matt Cain follows the friendship of two young men through university and into their adult lives in the vibrancy of Manchester’s queer community, and wonders if love will ruin a friendship or be the start of something extraordinary. Fight Me by Austin Grossman is a strong addition to the superhero genre, which sees a mild-mannered professor return to his action-packed past to save the day. And in I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue, Jolene is suddenly privy to all of her co-workers messages and emails; a strange sense of power looms and soon, Jolene’s in the deep end with more than she bargained for.
In non-fiction, Sophie Yeo seeks the history of how our planet changed from the Dark Ages to now and uses the diverse landscapes of the past to hope for a better future. In Unruly, comedian David Mitchell prances through a history of royalty, bringing humour to the more eccentric elements of England’s monarchy. Tim Peake has lived an extraordinary life as an astronaut and in Space, he shares some remarkable stories of what it is like to explore the cosmos. For cricket fans, Richie Benaud’s Blue Suede Shoes recounts the July 1961 victory for Australia at the Ashes in fascinating detail, from the culture of cricket in England to the stories of key players.
For small children, one very long caterpillar has lost a wellington boot! Wherever could it be? Fold out two metres of fun illustration to help Willy and his friends find it. Finally, The Rainbow Snail features a host of friendly faces who magically change colour when in water!
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
