I stand amid the roar
Thursday’s Hunter’s Moon was bold and bright, gracefully rising up above the rooftops, bathing the town in a glow both comforting and beautiful. Thursday evening was also Book Club with Bridget Collins, who for me has a writing style evocative of this time of the year: the scenes she sets, the characters she creates, the mood and tone of her story, the shadows she casts, a merest hint of peril to get the imagination racing. Her prose perfectly matches Autumn evenings, these are the times when life starts to slow a little after the activity of Summer, attention turns to the coming Winter months, hunkering down and nest building. Bridget’s latest novel, The Silence Factory, is one of those ‘sofa+blanket+mug of tea’ books – perfect for days like these.
A Dream Within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe
Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow –
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand –
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep – while I weep!
O God! Can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
If you’re looking for some amazing titles at amazing prices, then we might have what you’re looking for! Odyssey by Stephen Fry has been discounted to £15 from £25. This book is the story of one man’s endurance through one-eyed giants, six-headed monsters, terrible storms, titanic whirlpools, hypnotic sirens and jealous goddesses. We also have Mary Berry’s Foolproof Dinners, down from £28 to £20. From hearty one-pot wonders, to straightfoward dinner party showstoppers, this is just the book you need to become an excellent chef.
New in fiction, Tim Winton’s Juice is a hold-your-breath adventure where a man and a boy must fight to survive at the edge of the world; there’s a brand-new edition of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, and it’s beautiful. The resolution to the book is presented as an evelope at the end, so you too can be the detective; For readers of Fantasy Whispers Most Foul by Emma MacDonald is your new favourite Dark Academia novel; and Heir by Sabaa Tahir is the new action-packed Fantasy duology to become your new obsession.
In non-fiction, Winter Wellbeing is full of recipes and practices to make the darker months easier; Whisky Opus makes the perfect gift for any whisky nut, full of the history and stories of whisky, as well as how to get the best out of the drink – this is a mammoth book!; I Love Russia by Elena Kostyuchenko is a mixture of memoir and journalism to show the beauty of Russia before Putin’s regime came into effect; and The Stars of Football is a great stocking-filler for any football fan, showing 90 of the best players of today.
For children – Did you know that Catherine of Aragon rallied her troops in full armour while heavily pregnant? Or that Anne of Cleves met Henry VIII BEFORE they married – only she didn’t realise, because he was in disguise! The Six Queens of Henry VIII by Honor Cargill-Martin and Jaimee Andrews is a great history book for ages 9+ (I think I’d like to read it too!). Whilst Moon Mouse by Corrinne Averiss and Lorna Hill is a beautiful picture book for ages 3+ about a mouse who strikes an unlikely friendship with a boy, whilst being on the moon. I absolutely fell in love with this book when I read it – so you should read it too!
As always, if there’s something you need help with, or a book you need ordering, please call or email us!
From Amber
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