Sitting next to my desk is a small pile of new books (yes, I am aware that I have literally hundreds of unread books on my shelves) that I’ve got from various places recently. I thought I’d share my latest book haul! You’ll see just how eclectic my reading tastes are, which goes some way to explaining my book-hoarding habits.
Inside the Wave – Helen Dunmore
I’ve never read Helen Dunmore before, so I thought I’d start with Inside the Wave, the last book she released before she passed away in 2017. It is a moving collection of poems about the border between the living and the dead, and the intensity of each side.
Me and White Supremacy – Layla F. Saad
This was a perfect pick by my bookseller friend for two reasons. One, there’s a lot of discussion happening globally right now about racism and privilege, and I am always seeking more learning material on those topics in order to be a better ally and anti-racist. And Two, because I have this strange tradition of buying one orange book per year when I visit her bookshop in the summer (I might visit at other times throughout the year, but the orange book can only be bought in the summertime). Previous orange books include The Good Immigrant, They Both Die At The End, and I Was Born For This.
The Occult, Witchcraft & Magic: An Illustrated History – Christopher Dell
It’s no secret that I love all things spooky, and witchcraft and the occult are no exception. This gorgeous coffee table book is full of high-quality images (and hopefully just as high-quality information!) that are simply mesmerising to flick through. One day I will try to sit down and read through the whole giant tome, but it may end up being my white whale.
Diary – Emma Dent
On a recent visit Sudeley Castle, I fell in love with the character of Emma Dent, who lived in the castle in the 19th century. She loved fabrics and had an incredible collection, and based on what I read going around the castle and flipping through this book, she was opinionated and quite fun. She had sass for days, as chronicled in this diary – I simply had to get it from the gift shop.
Natives – Akala
This book has been in my wishlist since I first heard about its release back in 2018. I saw the paperback for dead cheap so I finally picked up a copy. Akala is such a brilliant speaker on issues like race and class, so I can’t wait to see how he writes about them.
The Five – Hallie Rubenhold
I am such a sucker for a flipped perspective on famous history, so I knew this would be right up my street as soon as I heard about it. We don’t know the identity of Jack the Ripper, but all the talk about his murders focuses on him. We do know the names and backgrounds of his victims, and yet nobody ever talks about them. Hallie Rubenhold seeks to fix that with this book.
***
Knowing me, it may well be a few years before I start reading some of these books because my TBR is eternal! But I’m excited to read them all nonetheless, as they’re all full of very interesting and varied ideas.
The Star Jar 