November, November – 12 November 2022
Heron Books is certainly feeling autumnal as we cycle to work through umber leaves, return home to the sound of fireworks and get cosy under a pile of blankets with an Agatha Christie or a Georges Simenon. To the customer who is a third of the way through reading the full Maigret (75 books), I doff my woolly hat.
Onto some book recommendations:
Bournville by Jonathan Coe
From one of our best writers of state-of-the-nation political satires comes a novel examining how we got here, starting in 2020 and then looking back at the generations of one family. Through a subtle of the questions affecting their daily lives Coe examines 75 years of social change. A must-read. And we have signed copies.
Diego Garcia by Natasha Soobramanien & Luke Williams
Winner of the Goldsmiths prize, this is a novel of two friends, trying and failing to write, until they meet Diego. They become obsessed with his story of the Chagossian people and the crimes of the British government from 1973. The style and layout changes with the friendship and whereabouts of the two friends; the story is tragic, witty and brimming with protest. A fictional companion to The Last Colony by Philippe Sands.
Shirley Hazzard by Brigitta Olubas
In this new biography of the well-travelled writer, Olubas examines Hazzard’s fiction, her letters, diaries and interviews resulting in a profound portrait of this wonderful author. Hazzard lived in Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the US and Italy and it is a joy to follow her literal and written journey.
Unearthed: On Race and Roots, and How the Soil Taught Me I Belong by Claire Ratinon
Cultivating her own vegetable patch in the English countryside helped Ratinon to understand more not only about the production of food and the environment but also about her own place in the world. Ranging from East Sussex to Mauritius to New York, Ratinon’s story is a moving combination of memoir, manifesto and nature writing.
The Missing Bookshop by Katie Clapham (age 5+)
A joyful book about the importance of stories (and bookshops of course!). Mrs Minty holds marvellous story time sessions, beloved by the children who attend them, but one day the bookshop has disappeared and it falls to young Milly to find out what has happened.
Always, Clementine by Carlie Sorosiak (age 9+)
A hyper-intelligent mouse escapes from the laboratory in which she has been kept. From her hiding place she writes letters to her best friend Rosie, a chimpanzee. She may be able to dream in Latin, but is she clever enough to survive in the outside world and earn her freedom?
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (we keep it in young adult, in adult fiction, and on our bedside table at all times)
We have indie-exclusive copies of this beautiful re-issue of one of my favourite books. ‘I write this sitting in the kitchen sink,’ Cassandra famously begins her story. If you need a warm hug as the evenings close in, here it is in castle form.
Book groups
Thank you to those who have expressed interest in a book group. We are considering starting with a non-fiction group meeting monthly from January. Suggestions very welcome – please email read@heronbooks.co.uk. We have a few suggestions too below and we’d love to know what you think:
The Undercurrents by Kirsty Bell
Things I Don’t Want to Know by Deborah Levy
Cold Blood by Richard Kerridge
