Like painting with words, images like a mist lifting off the pages and into your imagination.
The threads are normally all nicely tied-up – all neat and tidy. There may be twists and turns on the way, the author’s skill being the ability to keep you connected as the plot gradually unfolds, the assumption being that there will always be a conclusion – until there isn’t!
Book Club this week with author Ben Tufnell for ‘The North Shore’ was a masterclass in writing and reading. Ben’s writing is sublime, it has a visual quality, like painting with words, images like a mist lifting off the pages and into your imagination. But the really clever bit was the ambiguity, you the reader had a role in how the story can be interpreted – the conclusion, if you wanted one, will be yours and yours alone – but for many, the conclusion drifted like a dream. Ben signed a few extra copies of his book and you can find the link to copies in the Signed Edition section below.
There’s a fabulous little book of poetry published by The National Trust – ‘Nature Poems’ is a collection of over 100 poems, some contemporary, many classics – it’s the perfect little bedside companion of verse – this week’s is from page 139 in the chapter titled ‘Our Place in Nature’ – you can find the book HERE.
To Nature by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
It may indeed be fantasy when I
Essay to draw from all created things
Deep, heartfelt, inward joy that closely clings;
And trace in leaves and flowers that round me lie
Lessons of love and earnest piety.
So let it be; and if the wide world rings
In mock of this belief, it brings
Nor fear, nor grief, nor vain perplexity.
So will I build my altar in the fields,
And the blue sky my fretted dome shall be,
And the sweet fragrance that the wild flower yields
Shall be the incense I will yield to Thee,
Thee only God! and thou shalt not despise
Even me, the priest of this poor sacrifice.
This week, something rather beautiful has arrived! You may recognise the grand scale (or scales), the magnificent scientific drawings, or the magic dust samples carefully woven into the pages of Dragonology, first published 20 years ago. This special anniversary edition is complete with gems on the front cover and all Dr Drake’s careful observations.
In fiction, our top pick is the riveting Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, which merges the absurd with the cold world of the American prison system. In a society obsessed with reality TV, prisoners are forced to go into combat to gain their freedom. The stakes are high, and the crowds are blood-thirsty, but will Loretta’s lethal hammer deliver a blow with dire consequences?
Also in fiction, Open Throat by Henry Hoke comes highly recommended by writing powerhouses Catherine Lacey and Chris Kraus and feverishly depicts a queer lion in search of an identity. In a collection of short stories, Joyce Carol Oates explores eroticism, violence, and obsession; these dystopian tales trace the extreme sides of human feeling. In sci-fi and fantasy, The Hunters by David Wragg is the first in an intriguing new trilogy and Immortal Longings continues the playful theme from our top pick, as a Princess fights against her tyrannical uncle in a series of deadly games.
In non-fiction, Susan Richardson studies the mystifying seal population of our coastlines in Where the Seals Sing. If you find your mind whirring at lightspeed in the middle of the night, 3am Thoughts is the perfect book to write those pesky worries in. If you want to delve into some history, we have two books that fit the bill: Hotbed by Joanna Scutts looks into the early days of feminism in New York in a way that is fresh and exciting, while in France on Trial, Julian Jackson takes a shocking moment in European history and uses it to examine how French politics have evolved.
For children, Victor, the Wolf with Worries is a charming tale about how to be brave despite your fears, complete with Catherine Rayner’s signature illustrative style. The Bedtime Boat will gently rock little ones to sleep using real mindfulness techniques and a soothing rhyme.
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.
The full newsletter with links to books can be found HERE
