Even Mother Nature does her best work following the habits of the seasons.
The gentlest of breezes this morning, barely moving the branches and leaves, has brought some welcome warmth from the south. These calm days seem to have been in short order this summer, the changeable weather, with a dollop of the usual holiday chaos on top, has made the prospect of the return to order which September brings a little more welcome than usual. Those habits which underpin our day-to-day order are often under-appreciated: as a species we are creatures of habit, our best work coming when we have a sense of schedule. Not worrying about the small stuff liberates the big stuff, get the chores out of the way and leave some space for creativity and joy.
This week we spent some time with Rory Stewart in Scotland – he was signing copies of his forthcoming memoir for us. The weather was mostly dry and in the pastoral fields between Stirling and the Trossachs, the farmers were busy with the harvest, the degrees of longitude making the season a little behind there than in this part of the country. Even Mother Nature does her best work following the habits of the seasons.
The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth
Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.
No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.
Will no one tell me what she sings?
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?
Whate’er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o’er the sickle bending;
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
Summer’s nearly over. I don’t have to look outside to know that, deliveries have come flooding in all week from every publisher, ready to fill our shelves with autumnal new releases and gift ideas for Christmas (already!). One of the biggest new releases of the week has been Jamie Oliver’s new food sensation 5 Ingredients Mediterranean, a book bursting with colour and consciousness. This book has 65% meat-free, or meat-reduced recipes; so you can eat well, and save the planet whilst you do it. For fiction, The Wolf Hunt by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen is a psychologically astute, timely and page-turning literary novel about what happens when a community disintegrates.
Other stellar new fiction includes, The Boy and the Dog by Seishu Hase, an inspiring tribute to the bond between humans and dogs, and the life-affirming power of connection; Anne Enright is back with The Wren, The Wren, a multigenerational novel that traces the inheritance of trauma, it’s a testament to the resilience of women in the face of promises false and true; Mad Honey fuses Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan’s best writing, in an exploration about what happens when true love turns to murder; and Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney is a psychological thriller about a decades old crime, centering around a woman in a care home.
In non-fiction, Lia Leendertz is back with her legendary Almanac, this time guiding you through 2024 – this Almanac is by the far the most popular in the shop every year, so if you’re new to Almanac-ing, this is the one I would recommend. Dr Gavin Francis has published an ode to the NHS in his new non-fiction, Free For All, and a manifesto about what we can do to help save it. David Sumpter’s Four Ways of Thinking breaks up human psychology into four digestible categories, to help us better understand ourselves, and our fellow human counterparts. Finally, in Happy Families Dr Beth Mosley answers all parents’ questions when it comes to children and teenager’s mental health.
For young adults, Youngblood by Sasha Laurens is the next vampire, high-school drama, which is set to make Twilight look so lame. For ages 7-12, Cheryl Rickman has worked with Lionesses Ella Toone, Nikita Parris and Georgia Stanway to bring us a guide that builds inner confidence and teambuilding within children.
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.
From Amber
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