Book Lovers Chat - June 2024
'a room without books, is like a body without a soul' Cicero
This voiceover is an audio version of my Slow Sunday Letter below. It is unedited, so may have some stutters, imperfections, and background noise. I hope you enjoy listening to it anyway!
Welcome to Generosity of Spirit, a space to share my slow and gentle living philosophy. Please do subscribe to join me on this gentle journey of discovery and receive my Slow Sunday Letter straight into your inbox.
Welcome back to another Slow Sunday Letter! I hope you have had a slow and gentle week.
I am so excited to welcome you to the first, of what will be our monthly Book Lovers Chat letters. At the beginning of each month our Slow Sunday Letter will be dedicated to all things reading and books!
What to expect!?
Alongside my video catch up with you all, I will share my recent and current reads, as well as reviews and recommendations. There will be some bonus book lovers fun like reading challenges, classic literature exploration, TBR list building guidance, reading tips and encouragement. Without further delay, grab a cuppa, get cosy and let’s settle down for a read together…
This post is too long to read in full in your email, but you can read it in its entirety on the Substack website or app so do click through! (video catch up is towards the end so don’t miss it!)
Diving into Audiobooks!
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I have started using audiobooks more often, and I am slowly getting addicted to them! I really love having the story read to me. It offers another level of escapism, and encourages my mind and imagination to really soar into the stories and characters.
I love the alternative audiobooks give us as readers, and how listening to a story can slot into your day and routine.
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of audiobooks…
Why I Love Audiobooks…
Time
The biggest obstacle I encountered when I got back into reading regularly was finding the time to sit and read. With audiobooks you can listen whilst doing another gentle task. I often listen to audiobooks while I am walking, commuting to work, ironing or cooking.
When I get home, sometimes I will carry on listening to my book whilst making myself a cup of tea or having some lunch. I found there were so many opportunities to listen throughout the day. It slotted into my routine so well.
Often I am listening to an audiobook whilst still reading the physical book, so I can still swap to the actual book and read whenever I prefer. I love the variety and how easily you can listen to a chapter or two during the day. When I started to use audiobooks in this way, I found I was easily getting through more books.
As a Slow Living advocate it was significant for me, that this didn’t translate into a feeling of hurriedness. I didn’t feel like I was rushing through books, or that the goal was to get through the books as quickly as possible. Rather, I found I was more absorbed in the stories and books than ever before. I found many pockets of time throughout the day to reach for my headphones or press play to hear the next part of the story.
Imagination
The main element of audiobooks that keeps me coming back for more and more, is the opportunity for imagination. As you put on your headphones or press play - you are almost immediately transported into a whole other world, guided by the narrator. My imagination has truly been ignited by each word and scene as life is breathed into the characters and the story.
Listening to audiobooks allows you to absorb yourself in the words effortlessly - whether it is a fiction or non fiction. It is a wonderful way to consume content - it encourages connection and invites you to slow down, and enjoy each moment of the book. It is like walking into another world, and a place for your imagination to play, with no limits.
Story-telling
The importance of good narration is everything. An engaging and entertaining narrator has so much influence over bringing the story or book to life. Narrators provide accents, tone, cadence, pitch as well as character, story, drama, suspense, emotion and so much more. There is little more impressive than a narrator delivering an audiobook with so much heart and expertise that you are swept up into the story. It is an amazing skill and brings so much to the written word.
There are lots of professional narrators, and I have heard many readers/listeners have their favourites they will look out for or choose over others. Often the author will narrate their own book. Or an actor will take on a story. Andy Serkis’s narration of The Hobbit is well renowned as one of the very best, and Stephen Fry’s narration of Harry Potter is nothing short of iconic.
It is performance, and offers so much to the readers and listeners. It transforms the story off the page and right into our imaginations.
I would go so far as to say, the quality and skill of the narration has the power to influence the success of an audiobook. So if you find a voice you don’t like - it is worth seeking out an alternative version - or you may even be better choosing the physical book. It is that important.
My May Reads
(all my summaries and reviews will be spoiler free)
Happy Place - Emily Henry
3 STARS
Happy Place by Emily Henry is about Harriet and Wyn who after many years together have called off their engagement and separated. When they find themselves both on their annual holiday in Maine, with their very best friends, who don’t know about the break up and they decide to pretend they're still engaged for the sake of their friends and their pivotal last holiday all together. Truthfully, it took me a fair while to get into this book. I didn’t connect with the characters very easily, and I found the mood of the book quite heavy at times. Though for me it wasn’t as good as Book Lovers, there was still plenty to enjoy. It is a thoughtful and charming book about change, friendships and following your heart.
Lud-In-The-Mist - Hope Mirrlees
4 STARS
Lud-in-the-Mist, the capital city of the small country Dorimare, is a port at the confluence of two rivers, the Dapple and the Dawl. The Dapple has its origin beyond the Debatable Hills to the west of Lud-in-the-Mist, in Fairyland. In the days of Duke Aubrey, some centuries earlier, fairy things had been looked upon with reverence, and fairy fruit was brought down the Dapple and enjoyed by the people of Dorimare. But after Duke Aubrey had been expelled from Dorimare by the burghers, the eating of fairy fruit came to be regarded as a crime, and anything related to Fairyland was unspeakable. Now, when his son Ranulph is believed to have eaten fairy fruit, Nathaniel Chanticleer, the mayor of Lud-in-the-Mist, finds himself looking into old mysteries in order to save his son and the people of his city. Good Reads
Lud-in-the-Mist is a genre bending fantasy which unfolds as a fairy tale, a ghost story, a murder mystery, and an adventure. Lud-in-the-Mist is Hope Mirrlees’ only fantasy novel, I stumbled upon it, after reading Neil Gaiman’s praise and adoration of the book,
he says, it is ‘the single most beautiful and unjustifiably forgotten novel of the twentieth century’.
This book is utterly unique - steeped in symbolism and mystery. It is a slow read at times, and certainly hard going in parts. There are a lot of unanswered questions throughout, which Mirrlees’ is in no hurry to answer. As a reader it can feel like an uphill battle through the story unaware of who the hero of the tale is, or being able to follow the plot in a linear fashion. I don’t want to give anything away, apart from to say - though this can be a confusing read, it is a rewarding read. Though unconventional it is a thoroughly enjoyable read, unique and one of the best faerie tales I have ever read.
The Artist’s Way - Julia Cameron
5 STARS
“The Artist’s Way” provides a 12 week guided program (though I worked through it in 24 weeks as part of
book club) to overcome our blockers, bad habits and inhibitions to fully embrace and own our creativity and artist identity. It speaks to the heart of the creative and creative life, and has so many life affirming, life shaking and life over turned moments. It is a transformative read, and one I will return to again and again. It is hard to summarise how much I got out of this book - so keep your eyes peeled for a deeper dive into The Artist’s Way over the summer.Falling In Love With Reading
I have fallen in love reading all over again in the last year. I can’t imagine my life without a book ‘on the go’ anymore. Sticking to a consistent reading habit has improved my mental health in so many ways. Whenever I pick up a new book, it is like walking into my own personal happy place. I have really enjoyed dipping into different genres and finding what worlds I love. Falling back in love with reading has made a huge difference to my life. It is the perfect slow living hobby, and opens my mind to creativity- reading inspiring non-fiction books or amazing fiction stories. There is so much to gain.
To find out how to create your own reading habit, follow the link below to explore more with a recent Slow Sunday Letter offering some gentle guidance…
New On My Book Shelf
This month I have added two more books to my bookshelf…
Things No One Taught Us About Love: How to Build Healthy Relationships with Yourself and Others by Vex King
This completes my trilogy of books by
, and I adored the first two - Good Vibes, Good Life and Healing is the New High. I am so excited to dive into this book. Vex writes in such a kind and generous way, he really helps you discover ways to harness the power of the universe, to uncover greater depths of self-understanding and manifest stronger and deeper relationships with yourself and others.He writes in such a warm and relatable way - it just feels like a chat with a friend, but there is so much wisdom there. I highly recommend the first two books, and I‘ll let you know what I think of the third instalment.
You Like It Darker by Stephen King
I have recently put a basket of books by my bed, so instead of doom scrolling on my mobile, I reach into my basket and grab a book. Sometimes it is my current read, but I have also included some poetry books and some short stories in the hope it would feel easier even if I don’t have much time.
I was after a new collection of short stories for my basket, and so when You Like It Darker was released this month… it caught my eye. Additionally, (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) but I have never actually read a Stephen King book, so it essentially bought itself…
'You like it darker? Fine, so do I', writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life - both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read.’
Hello, from me…
Next Up on my TBR List
During the month of June, my reading will shift from Spring reads to Summer, as I continue to explore seasonal reading.
As a rough (rough!) guide, I seem to have stuck to the following …
(non fiction sporadically placed too!)
Winter: re-reads/classics, fantasy, philosophical stories, crime, Christmas fiction
Spring: contemporary fiction, romances, classics, fairy-tale/fantasy, friendship fiction
Summer: vacation/destination/travel fiction, romance, thrillers, mystery
Autumn: thrillers, mystery, spooky reads, paranormal, historical fiction
Next up on my TBR list are:
Run, Rose, Run - Dolly Parton and James Patterson
You and Me On Vacation - Emily Henry
I also leave some space for spontaneous choices, and library visits! Do join me again next month for all my reading in June!
Bookish Substacks I’ve enjoyed this month…
Both
and are a book lovers dream… they pour their deep love of books and stories into their Substacks, and provide some really comforting and inspiring work. Follow the links below to read more…
I hope you have enjoyed this first edition of Book Lovers Chat! I’ll be back at the beginning of next month with even more reading inspiration!
If you would like to see anything at all featured in Book Lovers Chat, please let me know as we grow this community together! And please do share in the comments what you are currently reading, or if you have any recommendations this month to share!
Thank you for being here,
With Light & Love
Emily xxx
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Thanks for the shoutout!
I love your book lovers chat!!
Thank you for these reviews Emily! I’ve had the Artist’s Way on my tbr list for so long and want to read it even more now! ✨