1 of 6
Sun and Her Flowers
2 of 6
A gentleman in Moscow
3 of 6
Book of Dust
4 of 6
Life in the Garden
5 of 6
Mythos
6 of 6
Women & Power
The Sun and her Flowers by Rupi Kaur. Simon & Schuster £12.99
Rupi Kaur is a Canadian poet and performer, of Punjabi descent. In this book, she depicts various aspects of her life, which feel universal. It is a self-reflective, biographical collection of sensitive, accessible, beautiful and hard-hitting poetry, which speaks loudly and clearly of family, love, sex, beauty, anger, a rape and healing. Often with poetry books, I find myself dipping in sporadically. This book is best read cover to cover. Some favourite lines:
i do not weep
because I am unhappy
i weep because i have everything
yet i am unhappy
From the poem: all you own is yourself
***
a lot of times
we are angry with other people
for not doing what
we should have done ourselves
-responsibility
it is a trillion billion dollar industry that would collapse
if we believed we were beautiful enough already
their concept of beauty
is manufactured
i am not
- human
Recommended Top 5 Reads:
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage – Philip Pullman
The first in a new trilogy – long awaited!
David Fickling Books £20
Women & Power: A Manifesto - Mary Beard.
An entertaining yet serious book, by the renowned classicist, about how women have been treated throughout history.
Profile Books, £7.99.
Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece - Stephen Fry.
A lively, intelligent retelling, perfect for the 21st century reader.
Penguin £20
A Gentleman in Moscow – Amor Towles
A count is put under house arrest in Moscow, 1922, and experiences a new kind of richness.
Cornerstone £8.99
Life in the Garden: A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week – Penelope Lively
Part memoir and part exploration of gardens in literature.
Penguin £14.99