Do holidays without books exist? We’re not sure. But we did figure a quarterly compilation of the team’s favourite recent reads might be a useful companion to your retreat planning…
Words by Lisa James | 28th July ‘22
You know what it’s like… getting stuck in a well-worn groove as you live day-to-day. Doing the same things. Seeing the same people. Reading the same stuff. We’re guilty of it too. But from a diverse team comes a diverse set of inspiration - and if it’s good for us, it’s good for you too. Here’s what the team came up with when asked for their ‘read it, loved it’ list.
Underland, Robert Macfarlane | The Book Family Robertson
Underland - Robert MacFarlane / A unique genre of book. Kind of travel, anthropology, archeology, geography, history and nature all rolled into one beautifully-written book about what lies beneath the surface of the earth.
The Wild Silence - Raynor Winn / The follow-up to the inspirational The Salt Path, Winn’s second book continues the auto-biographical story of a self-deprecating introvert conquering adversity through her passion for nature and her ability to write. Beautiful and inspirational.
The Body Keeps The Score, Bessel Van Der Kolk | Manipura Apothecary
The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett / About race, identity, gender & America, tracking twin sisters from their childhood in a Southern Black community over their lifetime. Addictive story, twists and turns, with serious questions/observations about racism & gender. SO GOOD.
The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel van der Kolk / I’ve only just started reading this but I am fascinated. About how trauma/PTSD affects the brain & nervous system, but also how it impacts everything in the body. Really detailed science-y stuff that validates something we all know instinctively when we are in tune with ourselves.
Picklehead - Rohan Candappa / I'm not much of a reader other than food and self help stuff… which probably explains my thick-headedness (Lisa: we'll agree to disagree there Raff...) but I recently read this about a Sri Lankan immigrant to England and centred around food and the kitchen which I enjoyed.
Memory Policy, Yoko Ogawa | Douglas Stuart
The Memory Police – Yoko Ogawa / I’ve got a bit of a weakness for Japanese fiction and this is one of my favourites yet. Based on the premise that there are Memory Police who are in charge of gradually removing everyday items from collective memory and therefore use. I’m only half way through but already don’t want it to end.
Mayflies – Andrew O’Hagan / I loved this book and the way it delivers a story of what it is to live. Male friendship, northern vibes, music, growing up and rebellion. Just a gorgeous read.
Enjoyed this and want more? Look out for the next Book Report somewhere around September or sign up to the Periodical. It’s where we share all the good stuff.
