Through fleet of foot, he has that canny ability …
It’s difficult to tell how industrious he really is – the sound certainly grabs the attention, and in a beautiful way too, and there’s plenty of movement, but what exactly is he up to? Through fleet of foot, he has that canny ability to give the impression that there are several of him, all going about their ‘industry’ in the same manner. But the reality is that he’s alone – he’s just very good at hopping about in that enthusiastic and noisy manner. The piercing yellow of his eyes, the silky sheen of his black feathers – and of course the noise – the most beautiful song. The gardener, rooting out some old nettles, the chap who follows soon after, curious to see what the fork has revealed – delicious grubs and worms – he certainly knows how to sing for his supper!
‘The Blackbird Singing’ by R.S. Thomas
It seems wrong that out of this bird,
Black, bold, a suggestion of dark
Places about it, there yet should come
Such rich music, as though the notes’
Ore were changed to a rare metal
At one touch of that bright bill.
You have heard it often, alone at your desk
In a green April, your mind drawn
Away from its work by sweet disturbance
Of the mild evening outside your room.
A slow singer, but loading each phrase
With history’s overtones, love, joy
And grief learned by his dark tribe
In other orchards and passed on
Instinctively as they are now,
But fresh always with new tears.
The start of the month is transformative in the shop; in a blur, the book fairies arrive with bundles of dazzling new fiction and inquisitive non-fiction. This month, our top fiction pick is one that has been much anticipated: the paperback release of Maggie O’Farrell’s The Marriage Portrait. The epic historical novel that took the literary world by storm last year is back. Lucrezia must somehow avoid the murderous intentions of her powerful husband, but how to do so when in a secluded villa, she must figure out fast.
There’s more fantastic paperback fiction for the summer holidays, with Dan Jones’ historical Essex Dogs and Carrie Soto is Back by TikTok sensation Taylor Jenkins-Reid, which sees the titular tennis champion fight for her legacy. With the popularity of Sally Rooney and Claire Keegan, Irish fiction has been having a moment for quite some time now, and Lauren Mackenzie is making her grand entrance into it. In The Couples, Mackenzie tests the boundaries of three couples on a boozy weekend; can they create intimacy without falling in love with the wrong people? For something a little darker, Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein delivers a tale of unusual natural disturbances in a new town that is more hostile than welcoming. Sarah Hilary returns with Black Thorn, where six people end up dead in a Cornish haven designed to be an eternal paradise for a handful of families; this psychological thriller of dangerous neighbours will leave you twitching the curtains all night long.
In non-fiction, our top choice this week is Pyramid of Lies by Duncan Mavin. There’s an increasing interest in scandals and fraud in popular media recently, and one in particular sits close to home, having drawn in former Prime Minister David Cameron. Mavin meticulously researches the rise of a sugar-cane farmer as he disrupts a trillion-dollar industry using loans from unsuspecting investors.
Along that thread, where money talks, the art world sings. An industry shrouded by secrecy, huge auctions, and solitary creativity behind studio doors is laid bare by Matthew Israel in A Year in the Art World. At the other end of the non-fiction spectrum, Polly Atkin beautifully narrates her experience of chronic illness and her life in the Lake District. With nature often being seen as a wonder cure, Atkin reminds us that there are better ways of treating those with bodies that defy the norm. For a feast, Imad’s Syrian Kitchen is packed with aromatic recipes that show off the delights of Syrian cuisine.
In young adult fiction, Threads that Bind is a fantastical mystery featuring Io, who is born with the power to see threads that connect everyone. In a frightening twist, Io finds that she is connected to a member of the mob, with no idea why. For younger readers, James May’s Marvellous Vehicles gathers his expertise in a brightly illustrated collection for little ones.
As always, if there’s a book you can’t find, call us and we will try our best to source a copy for you.
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