Books, podcasts, a writing prompt and a new word I'm loving this autumn

The new word is 'apricity' the warmth of the sun on a winter's day, but read on for book and podcast ideas and a writing prompt that I love

The Sunday apricity was very welcome as we wandered around RHS Harlow Carr

Hola amigos, how are you?

I’ve run out of words to share, or maybe it’s thoughts rather than words. It happens. Sometimes, occasionally. Or rather, it’s less that I’ve run out of thoughts than I can’t quite work out what I think or want to say. I put sentences together in my head while out walking, sometimes stopping to tap and type them into my phone, but they just don’t feel right.

So I thought the simplest thing to do was to share a few things that have made me smile, laugh even, or simply breathe more deeply over the past few weeks.

Listen

Kirsty Young on Dish: this is a proper smile and laugh out loud conversation with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett, complete with a cracking comment that as soon as Kirsty said it, they knew, we all knew it would turn up in the The Daily Mail. And it did.

I really loved the opening exchanges where she talks about the art of interviewing on Desert Island Discs. Highly Recommend for gentle laughs and a feel good factor. The Gordon Ramsay (Hartnett’s old boss) episode was equally entertaining.

The Rest is Politics with Baroness Sayeeda Warsi is a different kind of listen and a brilliant example of how it is possible to ‘disagree agreeably’ even when discussing the most sensitive and complex of subjects.

If you want to speak to somebody’s head use any language, but if you want to speak to their heart use the language that feels most familiar to them.
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi

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Read

• The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

• In Memorium by Alice Winn

• The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

• Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

• Foster by Claire Keegan

“Being a great reader has nothing to do with reading great sophisticated books or reading great long books or even with reading a great many books. Being a great reader means feeling something about books.”
Rebecca Stead, The Lost Library

Way back in January I started logging the books I was reading on GoodReads. It lasted until March. I thought it would be helpful because I can never remember what I’ve read but it turns out I can’t remember to write down what I’m reading either. So here are a few recent and current reads that are piled on the chair at the end of my bed.

Technically Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is a listen. I’ve rediscovered the joy of listening to audio books while out walking after reclaiming the noise-cancelling headphones my brother bought me when I was having chemo that mysteriously ended up on my son’s head when treatment finished and never made their way back to me.

I initially resisted this book because of the hype (I’m weird like that) and the cover didn’t appeal either but I love it. Sadie and Sam, such a beautiful story with edge and softness. I’m surprising myself at how invested I am in them and their friendship.

The Whalebone Theatre is an epic, chunky family story across generations, countries and world wars. It’s a book to sink into - perfect for autumn and winter. I can’t sum it up in a few neat words so you’ll have to take my word for it (and everyone else who’s read it and made it a Sunday Times bestseller). In Memorium is equally compelling, a powerful read especially with Remembrance Day upon us.

I’ve only just started reading The Dutch House which I got for free. Or rather I’d accumulated enough points on my Waterstones card to earn me a ‘free’ purchase. I can’t quite believe it’s my first Ann Patchett, but there you go!

And finally, I’ll read anything written by Claire Keegan. Sparse, sparing, beautiful and haunting - all of those words. I’m a sucker for a lyrical Irish writer and her ability to deliver stories with depth and nuance in so few pages is incredible.

I went to book club last night so I should have a few more reads to share next time round, but feel free to pop your favourite reads in the comments below.

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Write

Summer Brennan’s five-day essay writing challenge didn’t feel like a challenge, more an opportunity for her Substack community to gather and write under her guidance using her insight and experience a first person essay writer.

“I don’t write out of what I know; I write out of what I wonder. I think most artists create art in order to explore, not to give the answers. Poetry and art are not about answers to me; they are about questions.” — Lucille Clifton

Each daily challenge was full of brilliant essays to read and analyse (think Virginia Woolf, Rob Delaney and others) as well as a variety of writing prompts that would pierce the most robust of writer’s blocks.

It was perfect for this writer who’s exploring how she can get her stories out of her notebooks and Mac and into the world without them having to be in a book.

The ‘Five things’ writing prompt

I loved this prompt. If you want the full lowdown, it’s here but a short version goes a little like this:

1. Open a blank document or turn a new page in your notebook

2. Write the number 1 and write whatever comes to mind. It could be a memory, a thought, an idea, something you can see right now or let your imagination run wild.

3. Don’t go over what you’ve written, no editing or checking for grammar and spelling, just write as much (or as little) as you can.

4. When you’ve finished, write ‘2’ and repeat the exercise. The second ‘thing’ might be related to the first or it might be completely different, just go with whatever your hand, head and heart choose to write.

5. Repeat until you’ve written five things.

I ended up writing far more random stuff than I might usually with Morning Pages or free writing, and at the end of the challenge it was interesting to read back my ‘Five things’ entries to see if any themes popped up.

I also loved her ‘Write a letter to…’ prompts. On day two I used the ‘Write a letter to that person you never saw again’ prompt and wrote a letter to mum, who died in May 2015. It was a lovely way to connect with her memory rather than the conversations I tend to have with her in my head.

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Latest on the memoir writing challenge

Now this is a challenge. I finished the Compelling Memoir course the other week with possibly my weakest piece of writing in a while. This wasn’t exactly the plan especially as this was the one piece of writing that course leader and author Lily Dunn was going to give feedback on.

I wanted to submit something I was proud of but despite having a clear idea and plan of what I was going to write, it just didn’t flow. I struggled to wrangle it into something that made sense mainly because I was tackling a part of the story that I haven’t really explored yet, my father’s death four months after mum’s.

The threads of the story were there as were the themes, it was just a bit confused. The good news though is that her feedback has given me some brilliant pointers I can use for the next iteration. Onwards.

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And with that, I will leave you in peace to the rest of your day and hope you feel apricity this weekend too (no idea how to use the word but I kinda like it). Thank you as always for reading and commenting.

Until next time, Harriet