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“The goal was this: to live to the highest degree possible on what’s out there. Like the other species did. Anything caught was shared. They were a collective organism, not individual beings.”

A thought provoking book constructed around the formation and existence of a group of people who leave their lives behind and dwell together in a remote forest in Sweden.

Living outside of the black and white is undefined. And you get a feel of that in the book. The routine without the rat race, the not needing a purpose, the slow existence, the curiosity around pursuing desires, fulfilling everyday needs as a mindful act rather than a stress inducing chore. Hungry? Cook a meal. Tired? Go sleep. Want to dance? Just dance.

I liked the backstory of each character as it was insightful, but there were dots missing where everything still didn’t marry up and we were living in the past for a large chunk of the book rather than the current colony.

I was fascinated by Låke, a boy who has grown up only within the confines of the colony. He seems primal, with none of the social awareness or boundaries that humans have constructed to give a sense of safety and belonging. When he is exposed to the world he has been shielded from, I was completely gripped.

There were so many layers and nuances to this read which is what I loved most about my experience of it, and I think it’s a great opener for some more meaningful questions. What or rather who, are we living for? How is our sense of belonging, peace and happiness impacted by our environment and the people around us? How much of our stress, obligations and distractions are the result of us blindly following or pandering to fit in? Do our social constructs harm more than benefit us?

On the whole it was an engaging reading experience, and I’d love to hear thoughts if anyone else has read it. It was translated well and I didn’t feel like I was reading a piece of translated work, which I’m normally very aware of.

I picked up my copy from the gorgeous @chaptersbookbar in Chester 💜

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Spanning the whole of his life and career, Towards Light: A Philosophy of Life and Architecture is a beautiful memoir, where ingenious self-taught architect Tadao Ando offers us an insightful glimpse into his lifelong practice, his influences, his creative process, the challenges he's faced, his dreams, and the people, the landscapes, and the communities that have shaped his worldview.
If you're familiar with Ando's work, you know how marvellous it is, and if you're not, you must have a look at his impressive and exceptional body of work. Born in Osaka in 1941, Tadao Ando never formally studied architecture at university or college, and I loved seeing how pursuing architecture in his own terms and being self-taught has positively impacted his artistic sensibility, his work, and his decisions. I also loved learning more about Ando's life, personal struggles and illness as well as the things that inspire him and keep him going and the immense scope of his practice and vision, which is astounding, inspiring, and heart-warming.

An essential read for everyone working in the Arts.

* Translated from the Japanese by Polly Barton

Thank you so much @scribe_uk for sending me a copy!!

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#towardslight #tadaoando #londonreads #nonfiction #nonfictionbooks

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Our spooky BOOK OF THE WEEK for w/c 19th October 2026 is MONSTERLAND by Nicholas Jubber! In THE FAIRY TELLERS Jubber travelled the globe seeking the origins of stories collected by the Brothers Grimm and beyond; here he applies a similair tack to bring us the beginnings of folkloric monsters, from the obscure to the chillingly familiar 🧛‍♂️

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AD / All the Presidents’ Wars: Twenty-Five Years of America’s War on Terror by Peter Bergen

The year 2026 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, the most devastating attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Within days, the United States began to declare its war on terror: ‘Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists,’ President George W. Bush proclaimed. The resulting invasion of Afghanistan cost trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives, and led to a series of misguided wars and the damaged perception of American power.

Based on hundreds of interviews, All the Presidents’ Wars focuses on critical decisions of four successive presidents ― Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump ― that arose out of the country’s responses to 9/11. One of the few journalists to interview Osama bin Laden and to have unparalleled access to the US intelligence community, Peter Bergen covers a tragic history that might have been avoided.

All the Presidents’ Wars explores the innovations and unintended consequences of each presidency’s military and political decisions, including debates over military intervention and withdrawal, and the tactics of special operations units, armed drones, and the armies of counterterrorism partners. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand America’s devastating war on terror and to avoid the mistakes of the past.

#9/11 #terrorism #worldtradecenter #presidentwars #unitedstates

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What’s the right way to live your life and where should you live it?

These are the questions raised by Norlin in this satire/ dark humour take on a cult in rural Sweden. A book that many people will relate to as we begin with Emelie, who is burnt out from the demands of life/work/family/friends but as she leaves the city to escape to the countryside what follows is a completely unpredicted turn of events. Every time I got a grip on what was happening we got thrown another curveball 🤯

Overall a very clever book that questions the nature of humans and how we live, how we differ from animals and ultimately what we want out of life.

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A Symphonie Fantastique of a novel: a terrific hurricane-lamp or by-the-fireside read.

The Song of Stork and Dromedary by Anjet Daanje, tr. David McKay. My thoughts in Asymptote. @asymptotejrnl @scribepub @scribe_uk
https://www.asymptotejournal.com/blog/2026/10/12/whats-new-in-translation-october-2026/

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I finally got around to reading "The Long Cloud" by Hector MacKenzie, a New Zealand-Australian novelist and artist, after having an advanced reader copy with me for a while. At the heart of the story is Xander, a thirty-year-old male model living in London, whose career is slowly losing its shine while his girlfriend’s stardom continues to rise. When he returns to his hometown in New Zealand after almost a decade away, he finds himself confronting the life he left behind, his changing family, old relationships, and the uncomfortable feeling that time has moved on without him. What makes this book interesting to me, though, is not just the story but the way it is written. The chapters are incredibly short, sometimes barely a page or even a few lines, and the entire book is written in lowercase with very little punctuation. It might take a little getting used to, but once you settle into the rhythm, the storytelling feels surprisingly easy to follow.

I think this is the kind of book I would happily pick up when I am not in the mood to read anything too heavy. Sometimes, especially when I am going through a reading slump, I prefer books that allow me to take my time without making me feel like I have to push through lengthy chapters or keep track of too many things at once. The Long Cloud works well for that. I could read a chapter or two at night, put the book down, and return to it whenever I felt like reading again. Beneath its casual, sometimes funny narration, the novel explores aging, insecurity, vanity, and the strange feeling of becoming a stranger to the place you once called home. Xander is not always an easy character to like, and there are moments when his self-absorption can become a little frustrating, but I could still understand his struggle to figure out who he is beyond his looks, his career, and the life he has built around other people's expectations. His return home also brings an uncomfortable realization that you can revisit a place, but you cannot expect everything, or everyone, to remain the same.

#thelongcloud

#fyp
#exploreyou
#booksbooksbooks
#ᴠɪʀᴀʟᴘᴏsᴛ

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A year ago, almost to the day, we launched Atlantic Furies: The Women Who Risked Everything to be the First to Fly at the Society of Authors. @scribe_uk @thesocietyofauthors

Now I’m back at the same venue, this time learning how to box with expert coach @boxingcoachroy Roy Summers. It was a great session and I met some really lovely authors. It was like being back in school PE but with more laughs and no need to worry about if you’ll be picked for the team. My T-shirt says The Future belongs to Women. @imperialwarmuseums

I loved wearing the gloves but they make it difficult to type. 🥊📚

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FINALLY caught up on processing the massive backlog of deliveries from my week away. Here are a few nonfiction books that made me stop and have a flick through.
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📖 Worlds of Fear & Wonder by Malcolm Gaskill - a history of living with the supernatural
📖 The Big Payback by Lenny Henry & Marcus Ryder - a case for slavery reparations from a British POV
📖 Green Shoes by Alison Hastie - pick up your copy of her lookback at 40 years of radical craft, then go see her speak @makesouthwest on 30 October (books also available on the night from MAKE)
📖 The Puffin by Stephen Moss - his series of bird biographies continues with this cutie
📖 Perilous Enchantment by Sarah Clegg - a true history of faeries? Tell me more!
📖 Toward Light: A Philisophy of Life & Architecture by Tadao Ando - the acclaimed architect looks back on a creative life
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What do you think? Would you have picked these books up for a browse? Come in to the bookshop for a good old look around at all the newness.
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Happy reading!
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CREATIVE AND LITERARY LIVES: new releases from Independent Presses for October 2026

Here are our highlights this month in Creative and Literary Lives from Independent Presses in the UK and ROI.

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October 2026 - recommended new releases: links below

https://tinyurl.com/Oct2026TBR
https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/october-2026-recommended-new-releases-from-independent-presses

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Highlights in Creative and Literary Lives:
* Agatha Christie A World of Mystery, edtied by Lucy Rowland and Martin Edwards, British Library Publishing
* Hotel Casanova And Other Brief Texts by Annie Ernaux, translated by Alison L. Strayer, Seven Stories Press
* Visible Mending- Remaking Ourselves by Kathryn DeZur, Saraband
* Towards Light: A Philosophy of Life and Architecture, Tadao Ando,translated by Polly Barton, Scribe UK

#Bookstagram #BookstagramUK #ReadersOfInstagram

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I had a great conversation about the transcendent creativity of the Beatles and my book Across the Universe with Mike Croaker at YOU CAN TALK TO ME - A Beatles Podcast. It's such great fun to speak about the Beatles - I never lose the sense that there was a deep spiritual significance to their music and their extraordinary cultural impact.

You can find it on you tube, by typing in 'you can talk to me beatles podcast'

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another week, another 4 books read 🙂‍↕️🌸

Wow parable of the sower was such an intense, amazing read. Definitely a strong start to the week!

Then I read women and children which was such a great book. It’s also my 3rd student / teacher relationship read of the year! (Obviously relationship is not the right word!!).

I finished the long cloud in a day! The writing style and chapter layout was so fun and creative.

I couldn’t resist a little reread so i listened to big Swiss at the weekend! I love using @everand_us for my audiobooks and you can use code LAURAH30 for free audiobooks!

#tbr #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #reader #weirdgirllit

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