A drop of individuality adds a bucket of colour to the day!
The voice sounded very familiar, but the context was a little strange – why was Kenneth Williams doing the public announcements at Oxford Street Tube Station? The Carry-On actor and one time Bicester resident appeared to have a side-hustle giving updates on the Central Line – how odd, because he died in the late 1980s! The story goes that those elongated and slightly camp vowels for which he became famous were a result of the years he spent living right here in this fair town on Sheep Street. And as these things often do, hearing what sounded like his voice got me thinking – where have all the characters gone? Those folk who are happy to stand out from the crowd, not afraid to pop their heads above the parapet, the individuals with a course they plot which is theirs and theirs alone, they don’t need to be part of the crowd, and yet here he was, deep underground with the crowd hanging on every word. Whoever you are, Mr Station Announcer, keep doing it, a drop of individuality adds a bucket of colour to the day!
From a Railway Carriage by Robert Louis Stevenson
Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
And charging along like troops in a battle,
All through the meadows the horses and cattle:
All of the sights of the hill and the plain
Fly as thick as driving rain;
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.
Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,
All by himself and gathering brambles;
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;
And there is the green for stringing the daisies!
Here is a cart run away in the road
Lumping along with man and load;
And here is a mill and there is a river:
Each a glimpse and gone for ever!
After the success of her Roots of Chaos series, our top fiction pick this week goes to Samantha Shannon’s The Bone Season, as we celebrate ten years since it was first released. In a special anniversary edition, there’s new material to expand on the world of Scion, where anything unnatural is classed as treason. When Paige, a rare clairvoyant, falls under this oppressive ruling and is thrown into prison, she must escape using her unusual skills.
Our non-fiction pick this week is a bold cookbook for those who want to cut down on their meat consumption. Packed with enticing veggie recipes and Lucy Tweed’s wit (oeufs sounds much sexier than eggs, according to this author), this has everything from comfort food to perfect sauces for weeknights.
In crime and thriller, Nanny Wanted by Lizzy Barber is a slow-burn novel about Lily, who becomes a nanny for a family in a Cornish mansion; there are secrets galore in this one, as the couple refuse to give away the mysterious circumstances surrounding their previous nanny. In general fiction, Alexandra Potter is back with a sequel to Confessions of a Forty-Something F##k Up. Hilarious and moving in equal measure, Nell wonders if the small delights of an Instagram-friendly lifestyle can save her from the pitfalls of love and friendship. Saha by Cho Nam-Joo is a translated novel about a murder, depicted through the lens of class war; debut author Andre Dao wrestles with memory, colonialism, and family history in Anam; while Alicia Thompson’s With Love, From Cold World is a joyous romance that sees two co-workers’ rivalry heat up as they strive to increase profits in their winter-themed tourist destination.
In non-fiction, Angela Hui’s Takeaway contains tender stories of a childhood growing up in a Chinese takeaway, with the rush of orders, heat of the grill, and even the bleaker moments of not feeling welcomed in their community. Some people want to be wine connoisseurs, but what if more people wanted to become an expert in cheese? The perfect pairing! The Cheese Wheel will help even the novice cheese-taster impress their friends with tasting boards featuring six different types of cheese. Finally, in paperback, James Acaster’s Guide to Quitting Social Media is a self-help book like no other, examining the weird world of the internet.
In Young Adult fiction, Everyone’s Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni is a high-stakes drama where everything relies on reputation. When secrets start flooding the school, can cousins Iyanu and Kitan keep their heads above water? The Odd One Out is a charming illustrated activity book for little ones to spot the difference between groups of animals.
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