Other books that might interest you

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  The Tenth Elegy - Lyrical poem...

  Rainer Maria Rilke

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  René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke was born into a troubled marriage on the 4th December 1875 in Prague, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  His mother, having previously lost a baby girl, would dress the young boy up in girl’s clothing.   
  Later his father dispatched him to a military academy at age 10 but after a miserable 5 years the young Rilke left due to illness and instead entered first Prague and then Munich and finally Berlin university to study art history, philosophy and literature. 
  His initial forays into literature was in poetry.  His intense, mystical and lyrical style was much admired and over time inspired many in succeeding generations.    
  His short prose collection ‘Stories of God’, written in an impassioned burst over several nights was published in 1900 and offers a beguiling view of much of Rilke’s influences and outlook.  
  The following year he married the pioneering sculptor and artist Clara Westhoff.  The union produced one child, a daughter Ruth.   
  He lived in Paris for most of the Century’s first decade where he mixed with many great minds of the time.  Although he continued to write he also worked as a secretary to the sculptor, Rodin.   
  It was only after they settled in Switzerland in 1919 that his writing output was in full flow.  Here he wrote profusely in both German and French, which included much on his previous travels, his left-wing sympathies, his religious and existential thoughts, all part of a unique and consummate style. 
  From 1923 on, Rilke increasingly struggled with his health which was now in constant decline and often spent time rehabilitating at a sanatorium.   
  Rainer Maria Rilke died of leukaemia on the 29th December 1926 in Montreux, Switzerland.  He was 51.

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  Steel

  Lee Mattinson

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  Two lads. Twelve hours. One million pounds.
  On the rain-drenched West Cumbrian coast, James and Kamran have been mates for more than a decade. They're seventeen, so the world should be theirs – but Workington is a ghost town, an unemployment blackspot where lasses drink Bacardi by the pint and boys don't cry.
  When James discovers he is heir to a single mile of the British railway network, the lads set out on a high-stakes chase through town, where annihilated aunties, Snakebite-drenched drag queens and a zombie Princess Diana are lying in wait.
  Lee Mattinson's Steel is a hilarious and heartfelt play about first loves, forging identities and the wild, wild hearts of teenage boys. It was first performed at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, in 2024 followed by a UK tour.

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  The Shabby Old Cottage

  B. E. Baker

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  Three old friends in Ireland. Two months and change running their new hotel. One big holiday season in a strange place. How could a shabby old cottage ever shine like new?  
  Natalie’s move to Ireland was supposed to be uncomplicated. Her priorities were to turn an old estate into a hotel and help her kids integrate into school across the globe. But when surprise visitors change her plans and her feelings for a helpful friend turn into more, she struggles to focus on what really matters. 
  Samantha always longed for children, but when that never happened for her, she chose to pursue her other great love: horses. Now that her whole job revolves around riding, she expects to be happier than ever. Only, dreams are hard to shake, and now her love-life makes it hard to appreciate the joy that’s in reach. 
  Vanessa spent the past few years putting herself back together after losing her husband Jason. Her kids are thriving in Ireland, but she’s finding it difficult to find her place in a new culture. She’s also discovering with her beloved mother-in-law that there’s such a thing as too close. 
  Can these three women find a way to survive the busy holiday season in a new (old) place where everything feels strange? Or will the stress of family demands, disappointed dreams, and unwanted surprises turn shabby into downright depressing?

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  Why I Am Not a Bus Driver

  Ashley Hickson-Lovence

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  Why I Am Not a Bus Driver is a moving and musical debut collection exploring grief, love and the power of community, from the author of The 392, Your Show and Wild East. The heart of this book beats in sync with that of the poet's late grandfather, as, sonnet after unconventional sonnet, Hickson-Lovence uncovers the micro-histories woven into the streets and journeys that shape us. These poems speak with Frank O'Hara, in their stream-of-consciousness lyricism, in meditations that dance like winding roads, both immediate and nostalgic. Committed to honouring the authentic and everyday, the real and true, human connection is the destination in this stirring collection, and every reader has a priority seat.
  "Among the most natural, elegant sonnet sequences I've read: a memorial, moving in its radical honesty and grace. What both broke and strengthened my heart about this collection is the sheer humanity and authentic curiosity that make a life feel meaningful, transfiguring both the extraordinary and the everyday with dignity, love and imagination. Just gorgeous." Luke Kennard
  "A moving collection attuned to the knowledge that poetry of the family is both plain and complex, that the dead sometimes require elegy and sometimes celebration; and all of this held within the strength and uncertainty that is the human-made body of the poem." Andrew McMillan
  "A heartfelt elegy to a grandfather, skilfully weaving themes of legacy, promises, influences and dreams. While the grandfather takes centre stage, England itself emerges as a powerful backdrop to the story. Hickson-Lovence's unified themes lend the book the feel of a novel-in-verse, yet each poem resonates with its own emotional strength. An endearing and enlightening read—don't miss it." Roger Robinson
  "Ashley Hickson-Lovence's debut collection offers an intricate reminiscence, an insight into fierce familial bonds and how they shape a life indefinitely. These poems pulse with longing, vulnerability and doubt, highlighting the human need for connection, the resilience that grows from loss, the certainty that comes when the love unfolds." Rebecca Goss

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  Graveyard of Skinny Jeans

  Cat Hepburn

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  Darkly comic and disarmingly relatable, Graveyard of Skinny Jeans doesn't just entertain – it reflects the anxieties and contradictions of the millennial generation. If you've ever felt at odds with the world (or with yourself), Cat Hepburn's words will not only resonate, they'll make you feel seen. But don't be fooled – this is not a comforting collection. It's a hyper-sensational, twisted ride through the trenches of the modern female psyche; an unflinching portrait of the ways we stumble, shag and sometimes laugh in the face of it all.

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  One Good Beating

  Linda McLean

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  A remarkably vivid picture of one merciless family and three desperate lives.
  Linda McLean's short play One Good Beating is a blackly comic account of a grown-up brother and sister who exact revenge on their violent father. Locking him in the coalshed as retribution for years of sniping, bullying and pain, they are both aching to use their fists on him for once. But he's not defeated. Yet...
  One Good Beating was first staged alongside plays by Riccardo Galgani and Iain Crichton as the triptych Family at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in 1999.

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