The rain of today will be followed by the sun of tomorrow.
As booksellers, we clearly have a bias – because of all the arts, it seems that it is writing, and the commercial conclusion: the publishing and the production of books, poetry and lyrics, which best reflects society at any given time. The commitment to the written word of storytelling and the sharing of ideas not only has a permanence on paper and in music, but it also has an immediacy – if you want to understand how confident, happy, angry, frustrated, worried, content or optimistic a society is, look at the books that writers are writing and readers are reading. From Aristotle to Orwell, via Shakespeare and Dickens, it is the authors who hold the mirrors with the truest and clearest reflections of who we are and what we can be. The world at large may not seem it at the moment, but walk through the bookshop and you’ll find the shelves and tables are alive with optimism and opportunity. The economic, political and social struggles of life all continue to roll through the cycles, but just like the weather, the rain of today will be followed by the sun of tomorrow.
Poems became a part of our weekly newsletters during the pandemic, particularly works by the Victorian poets. I think it was the fortitude and stoicism which comes from much of the verse of that period which seemed to resonate at the time – to enjoy the sunny uplands, the trek to the top must first be completed!
Invictus by William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
Although the brisk air is starting to settle firmly for the dark evenings ahead, we can still look ahead to brighter days; which is why A Garden A Day by Ruth Chivers is one of our top picks this week. A painting by Gustav Klimt beautifully adorns the cover, and inside, more treasures await. Botanical photography sits alongside garden history, folklore, and horticulture, making this book a great source of inspiration for any green-fingered friend. Our fiction pick this week comes from the masterful novelist, John Boyne. In Water, Boyne shines a light on the dark side of human nature – if Vanessa’s ex-husband was so terrible, how can she move on and how much of a price should she pay?
In fiction, Lee Geum-yi reveals the class divisions present during World War II and the Korean War, as two women desperately seek identities in a country uprooted by atrocity. In Run to the Western Shore, Olwen, daughter of a local chief who gave her away, flees with slave, Quintus. This ancient story shows a deep appreciation for nature by Pears as this dynamic duo cross lands both enchanting and frightening. In crime fiction, Auld Acquaintance depicts a New Year’s Eve party with a chilling twist and in fantasy, Anne Eekhout’s reimagining of the birth of Frankenstein is a feverish tale of grief and monsters.
In non-fiction, Pen Vogler whets the appetite with a history of elaborate feasts in Stuffed; Sarah Ditum explores the culture of vulture-like paparazzi, damaging magazine headlines, and internet fame in Toxic, and James O’Brien sharply criticises the actions of those in power in How They Broke Britain. And after the success of Entangled Life when it was first released in 2020, Merlin Sheldrake brings us a marvellous illustrated edition, complete with detailed photographs and fascinating telescopic images.
For younger readers, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats brings the magic of T.S. Eliot’s cat-themed poems to life. With the release of the sequel to a childhood classic, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is the official adaptation of Ginger and the gang as they break in to save their feathered friends.
As always, if there’s anything you need help with, or anything you need ordering in, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
From Sophie
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The full newsletter with links to books – including this week’s Signed Editions – can be found HERE
