Empathy:
Noun – origin Greek from the word ‘pathos’ – feeling.
empathy
noun – origin Greek from the word ‘pathos’ – feeling
‘the ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation’
We are surrounded by words, hundreds of thousands of them, printed on pages in tens of thousands of books, all of them stitched together by skilful wordsmiths to form sentences, chapters and stories. The skill of the writer is like that of the embroiderer – carefully and thoughtfully choosing from the threads which are available and then creating something even more beautiful by working them together. Like the finest silken threads, words too can be beautiful and significant in isolation – they don’t need to be stitched together to create greater meaning, they are almost a story in themselves. And one of those words is empathy – it’s been popping up in conversation more and more. Conversations which discuss the lack of empathy and the value of empathy in the world around us – seven letters stitched together to form a word which can change lives for the better.
There’s a big conversation bubbling up in our town at the moment about a project intended to transform the centre of Bicester and in particular the Market Square. It’s a project which has the ability to transform a rather sad looking, but architecturally significant part of our town. Let’s hope empathy features strongly in the well-paid consultations.
Give by Simon Armitage
Of all the public places, dear
to make a scene, I’ve chosen here.
Of all the doorways in the world
to choose to sleep, I’ve chosen yours.
I’m on the street, under the stars.
For coppers I can dance or sing.
For silver-swallow swords, eat fire.
For gold-escape from locks and chains.
It’s not as if I’m holding out
for frankincense or myrrh, just change.
You give me tea. That’s big of you.
I’m on my knees. I beg of you.
Big books are like marmite; anything over 300 pages is a beast for me to shy away from, which is exactly why I’ve picked Wellness by Nathan Hill as the best in fiction this week. Reading this dual-narrative, 624-page whopper might usually be a chore, but Hill kept me captured the whole time. You are sucked into the world of Jack and Elizabeth, a married couple suffocated by the pressures of modern living, the insidious nature of wealth, the climate crisis, psychology, and a child with precise needs. Told with glimpses into the past, this is a character study unlike any other, weaving together the threads of their entire lives to deliver a finale on why people become themselves. This hardback is surprisingly slim given the vast material, so I’d highly recommend giving this one a go. For the non-fiction choice this week, acclaimed historian Bettany Hughes explores The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Hughes is in awe of what humans can create when we value imagination and experimentation, and dives into what makes these extraordinary places so important.
An odd clock with hands made from pencils, a cheap and potentially faulty camera, a book with a scribbled note in from 100 years ago; we all have something picked up second-hand and treasured, and in Preloved, Lauren Bravo celebrates the oddities in charity shops. The protagonist Gwen enters lonely and leaves with friendship and a clear perspective. My Friends by Hisham Matar is a heartbreaking novel about political exile that is getting rave reviews. In it, two Libyan friends are wounded in a London protest that will turn their lives upside down. Politics, conspiracies, and health are just some of the topics approached in The End of Nightwork, about a man who ages erratically, and in Aliya Whiteley’s futuristic sci-fi, an internet curator stumbles across an intriguing story from the past.
In non-fiction, Des Fitzgerald takes a stand against the argument that cities are noisy, polluted, urban areas designed for misery. This opinionated book reminds us that a green utopia is not so simple and how this dream might reflect wider panic about the way society is going. In Atlas of Unexpected Places, Travis Elborough journeys through 45 maps and fascinating photos of places that are a bit peculiar; and in Quarterlife, a new way of thinking about youth might help a lost wanderer stuck in their twenties. There’s plenty of cookbooks out there, but Mitch Lane keeps it simple and affordable with Feed Your Family for a Fiver, packed with nutritious meals for weeknights and easy sweet treats.
For teens, That Self-Same Metal is a fantasy novel featuring Shakespeare, sword fighting and peacekeeping battles, and for small children, Ten Little Lambs has squishy lambs to count sheep before sleep.
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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