Page turners to soothe the soul
As lockdown takes its toll, we turn to independent bookshops for their suggestions on comfort reads to tuck into
Once booklovers were done rereading previously loved novels and managed to gobble their way through that shelf they never get time to dig into, closed bookstores – both online and brick and mortar – put a serious damper on an otherwise almost bearable lockdown. Thankfully, many of our bookshops are open for business again, so now’s the time to support them.
Love Books’ Kate Rogan recommends:
It’s well known that poetry heals the heart, and The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried and true prescriptions for the heart,
mind and soul by William Sieghart is a wonderful “dispensary” – a collection of poetry to fit your emotional needs, and boy do we have needs at the moment! You will find poems for anxiety, hopelessness, infatuation – just about anything you could be feeling. Each poem is accompanied by a short essay, allowing you to explore your emotions even further. The second volume is out now, too – The Poetry Pharmacy
Returns – we can’t get enough.
How to support:
Love Books is offering free delivery to Melville and The Parks, just phone or email for recommendations and requests. They also offer vouchers, and are using SnapScan’s SnapitForward initiative which is aimed at helping small businesses – you can just buy a voucher on SnapScan.
Book Circle Capital’s
Sewela Langeni recommends:
The latest book by prolific storyteller Fred Khumalo, The Longest March, is a bit of history, drama, action and humour, all woven together beautifully by a love story. It’ll leave you navigating all sorts of emotions, but most importantly:
It’ll give hope and courage to endure the tough time we find ourselves in. Another suggestion is Eyes of the Naked by Litha Hermanus – the first novel from this gifted writer. The plot is full of twists and turns, and nothing is what it seems in the life of main character Nakedi Solomon, who is on the run from Joburg to his scenic home province of the Eastern Cape. This book will allow you to travel to beautiful places such as Ngqiqweni, Zonyele and NoqhekwanaPoenskop in Port St John’s, even though we’re in lockdown.
How to Support:
If you don’t want to come to the store physically, Book Circle Capital will soon be offering an online store where their books can be bought online and delivered for a fee. You can also buy vouchers to the store through their payment management system, Yoco.
Kalahari Books recommends:
Maru by Bessie Head is perfect for comfort reading – the writing is intensely fluid, which makes the setting relatable to any reader. A second recommendation is We are all Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler. We have many ongoing struggles as humans and this book is twisted sideways with so much humour on how people cope. This is a refreshing choice considering all the uncertainty at the moment.
How to support:
Kalahari Books isn’t open at the moment, but they’re running a weekly online book club where members discuss the past and present state of literature, including what it looks like for authors and publishers in our country, and whether we have a say in the course literature takes. You can also buy a voucher online that can be used for future in-store visits, with a 25% discount gift from the store.