February’s Choice From The Reader Bookshelf

The Reader Bookshelf is a  carefully curated collection of literature for adults and children, exploring a different theme each year, this year’s theme ‘Wonder’ is about being bold, being curious and being open. Staff and volunteers around the country have selected 12 titles for adults which explore what 'Wonder' means to them.

We're delving into The Reader Bookshelf with a review of Kathleen Jamie's essay collection, Surfacing by two volunteer Reader Leaders – Donald Bannister, who leads an online group from London, and Heather Rodenhurst, a Shared Reading Organiser in Shropshire.

Heather said, ‘Surfacing is a wondrous collection of essays by the Scottish poet, exploring aspects of human life and the natural world in microcosm and with great richness. I’m really delighted to see it on the Wonder bookshelf and hope that other readers will enjoy the range, beauty, and sense of astonishment in the writing.’

Douglas said, ‘I discovered Kathleen Jamie by chance and read my way through the essay collections Sightlines and Findings when on holiday in Scotland. I love the way she looks further than what’s in front of her, questions what she sees, explores different tangents and includes our humanity, our learning and misunderstanding. She’s not just preoccupied with the wild in “nature”, though she’s definitely enthralled by it, but she also always raises the human side, the “wild” in our own lives. Our group has read two pieces from the collection Surfacing and three from Sightlines. They are all very different. I’ve picked through these books frequently and always find something new, something I had previously missed. I now like the chapters I didn’t like at first. These essays are like big, fleshy poems.’

Join us on at Calderstones on 22 February 2025 as we welcome Kathleen Jamie herself to discuss the book and talk all things Surfacing. Book tickets here.