Book Club - we love a good read, so why not share what we're reading with you, lovely reader?
Words by Emma Brown | 28th October ‘17
Whether we’re exploring the local coastline to find the best waves, or chilling in the garden after a long day, most of us here at Soul & Surf are rarely found without a good book somewhere on their person.
Collected Poems: Jeet Thayil
And since we spend so much time exchanging reading recommendations between us – we thought it only fair that we share some of our suggestions more widely.
So, with that in mind, here’s the first instalment of the Soul & Surf book club – an (admittedly rather eclectic!) round-up of some of the reads which have got us thinking lately.
Jeet Thayil is an Indian poet and novellist. Born in Kerala and educated and brought up in New York, Thayil’s debut – Narcopolis – was shortlisted for the Man Booker back in 2012. We’re big fans of Narcopolis, which is a completely engrossing novel exploring the dark underbelly of 70s Old Bombay, but what’s got us talking more recently is this collection of poems.
A Field Guide To Getting Lost: Rebecca Solnit
Rebecca Solnit is fascinated by the state of getting ‘lost’: how it happens, and why. She talks about the importance of “getting lost to the world, utterly immersed in what is present.”
In this collection of essays, Solnit looks at the concept of the unknown, covering everything from history to politics to art, and brought to life by her own personal experiences and contemplations. It’s at times a slightly rambling read… but that’s kinda part of its charm!
Spanning three decades of his writing, Collected Poems is vibrant and passionate. We particularly love his ‘Malayam’s Ghazal.’
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind: Professor Yuval Noah Harai
Not one but two of the Soul & Surf team have been reading this book, and their rave reviews have the rest of us queuing up to borrow a copy.
First published in Hebrew, before being translated into English a few years later, Sapiens sets out to “ask very big questions and answer them scientifically” – and (in our opinion!) nails it. Fascinating stuff.
Born To Run: Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography is an amazing, brutally honest account of the musician’s life and career – from squatting in the concrete storeroom of a surfboard factory, to battling depression, to ‘big time’ stadium tours and a life in the music industry.
Mindfulness & Surfing: Reflections For Saltwater Souls: Sam Bleakley
Pro longboarder, film maker and surf writer, Sam is a close friend of ours and we’ve been lucky enough to have him join us a number of times for residencies here at Soul and Surf.
In Mindfulness & Surfing, Sam looks at the relationship between surfing and meditation, drawing on his personal travels to explore what the ocean can tell us about our place in the natural world.
You can pick up your copy from our online shop, here!
