Reading, Learning & Reflecting
Recent Readings and Doings
Hello friend,
I can’t believe it’s been over three weeks since my last wee update on here! At this time of year, as the days are lengthening, I always feel like time flies. Perhaps it’s the desire to fit as much as possible into the increasing daylight hours, or it’s just that the weather is a little more accommodating and it’s much more fun to get adventuring outside! Anyway a wee re-cap on what I’ve been reading and doing…..
READING
I have a couple of year long readalongs on the go with bookish chums here on substack and over on bookstagram.
I’m particularly enjoying re-visiting Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet. I first read these back in 2022 and fell in love! They only improve on re-reading - all the clever references, allusions and inter-relatedness are even more of a treat when you’ve already read them and are somehow “in the know”. I recently finished Winter and tried to corral my thoughts in a review here.
In keeping with the season, I have now moved on to Spring and after only a few sections/chapters, I’m reminded how much I love this book. It may be my favourite of the Quartet. I’m conscious of being slightly biased however, as it is set partly in the Scottish Highlands and any book which features my home area has a head start towards my heart. I’m enjoying this reading journey unfolding again….
I’ve also been working through Shakespeare’s plays, with another group on booksta, and I’ve just recently finished Richard II and The Comedy of Errors.
Richard II is the first instalment in Shakespeare’s “Henriad” (the others include Henry IV Pt 1, Henry IV Pt 2 and Henry V). It was an enjoyable read and an interesting examination of leadership and usurpation. The Comedy of Errors was the polar opposite - farcical, mistaken identity nonsense, and one which may benefit from being seen rather than read. Still, I’m enjoying this Shakespearean odyssey so far.
Inspired by this post from publishers Eliot & Thompson, I dusted off my copy of Goshawk Summer (I’d meant to read it last year!) and decided to read it according to the dates of the diary style entries. Starting on the 6th April this is an account of wildlife cameraman James Aldred’s experience filming a family of Goshawks in the New Forest during lockdown. It fits the season perfectly and I’m fully invested in it already.
My recent reading highlight however, has been a wonderful spontaneous buddy read with Anna Miles and Liz Humphreys and another friend. We joined together to revel in the delights of Cary’s Davies’ “Clear”. This is, hands down, my book of the year so far! Set against the backdrop of the Highland Clearances it looks at what might happen when people put into opposition with one another are forced into a different dynamic. It explores human relationships, language, power, belonging, love, landscape, place….I LOVED it! It’s a compact read, at around 200 pages, so do yourself a favour and pick up this delightful tome! It was such a wonderful surprise - the writing is subtle and beautiful and I was invested and transported in equal measure.
I have also been dipping into Wolf Hall and trying to find the time to catch up on Simon Haisell fantastic year long reading project. I’m loving it so far but am very behind schedule, I’m hoping some holiday time in a couple of weeks will allow me to get back on track.
And, as is so often the case, I find reading spills into and influences what else is going on in my life….
DOING
Since last September I have been learning Scottish Gaelic, with a view to sitting my NAT 5 (GSCE) exam in May. Both sides of my family are from the Hebrides - my mother’s family are from Skye and my father’s from Barra - and they all speak Gaelic to some degree. I am loving learning this unusual and poetic language and only wish that I’d learnt it when I was younger and could have practised with my Granny. Learning it now, I can see how some of Granny’s turns of phrase in English were influenced by her native Gaelic.
This immersion into Gaelic also feels in keeping with my reading. As mentioned previously, “Clear” and another recent read “Consider the Lilies” both have the Highland Clearances as their backdrop. Although seemingly far in the past, the erosion of Highland culture has still not fully recovered. When my Granny went to school, if she spoke her native Gaelic, she got the belt! The language was literally beaten out of her, and of many generations before and since.
So, I appreciate the opportunity to learn Gaelic and return to a language I should really have grown up with. I’m focused now on studying and revision to prepare for my exam at the end of May - wish me luck!
My doings, once again mirrored my readings when I visited friends near Helensburgh recently. Whilst driving home from a bracing but beautiful walk we passed the Faslane Peace Camp and I was reminded of the many examples of protest in Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet - it seems the need for protest is universal and timeless.
In that spirit, some bookish friends and I attended a heart-filling event in support of Palestine a few weeks ago. A number of Scottish authors and performers collaborated to create the “We Are for Palestine” event. Organised by Kirstin Innes, it was an amazing evening of author readings, poetry, music and reflection, and a chance to raise funds for Medical Aid for Palestinians and UNWRA
Attending this was the tiniest action, but a baby step towards feeling less powerless.
If you’ve made it this far - thanks for reading - I’ll have some more readings and doings to share soon.
Take care
Laura