Raymond Antrobus, poet<\/p>\n
One of my favourite reads recently has been Childish Literature by Chilean author Alejandro Zambra, translated by Megan McDowell. It\u2019s a mixed-genre book of memoir, short fiction and poetry on the theme of parenting and new fatherhood, with lots of lucidity, humour and humility throughout.<\/p>\n
To 2049 by American poet Jorie Graham is one of my favourite collections of recent times and rereading it recently was incredibly rewarding. Filled with slippery and existentially evocative lines such as \u201cYears pulled their \/ lengths through us like long wet strings\u201d, it had me pointing at some of the pages gasping: \u201cI wish I wrote this!\u201d (a condition I frequently suffer from, known as poem-envy).<\/p>\n
Another poetry collection I recently enjoyed is The Island In The Sound by Scottish poet Niall Campbell. Campbell writes concise, soulful and lyrically observant poems that are (subtly) apocalyptic and (sonically) beautiful.<\/p>\n
Easy Beauty by Thai American author Chlo\u00e9 Cooper Jones is one of my favourite memoirs by a disabled author in recent years. It\u2019s impressively scholarly, emotionally honest and very giftable for students, readers and writers looking for more nuanced disability narratives.<\/p>\n
The Quiet Ear by Raymond Antrobus is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. To support the Guardian order your copy from guardianbookshop.com<\/a>. Delivery charges may apply.<\/p>\n Michael, Guardian reader<\/p>\n I finished Is a River Alive?<\/a> by Robert Macfarlane over the weekend. I beat a heat wave at Oregon\u2019s Deschutes River with a camp chair in the shaded shallows and feet in the water. A perfect setting in which to complete this hauntingly beautiful, gut wrenching yet inspiring book. Macfarlane\u2019s language in places is brilliant prose-poetry. The stories of the rivers and the people dedicating their lives to protecting them are braided tales that somehow gave me hope even if the big picture feels less than hopeful.<\/p>\n Imani Perry has become one of my favourite writers. Her prose is simply exquisite. Its beauty often delivers searing perspectives on US history. Black in Blues is narrative history at its best. Perry tells an entirely different history of perseverance and cultural expression amid and despite the horrors of enslavement, Jim Crow policies and current racism in the US. Like Macfarlane, Perry tells a complex story that is by turns inspiring and enraging. To compel a reader to engage with difficult paradox over the course of a book is high achievement.<\/p>\n Sarah Hall, author<\/p>\n In the current, dismal void of integrous liberal politics, I\u2019ve been reading books about systems change and citizen sovereignty. All Guy Shrubsole\u2019s writing is inspiring, but Who Owns England?: How We Lost Our Green and Pleasant Land and How To Take It Back<\/a> is really edifying, laying bare our historical and hierarchical social structures, land and wealth inequalities, and what these mean for both ecology and democracy now.<\/p>\n On a similar note, it has always seemed odd to me that so few speculative fictions depict British republics \u2013 can\u2019t we even imagine an alternative to the monarchy? Mary Shelley\u2019s The Last Man does so, along with 21st-century hot air balloon taxis and other ingenuities. In the novel, plague exterminates the human race indiscriminately; an avenging female personification of nature. It\u2019s worth remembering there\u2019s more to this radical writer than just the F word.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n While trying to get a film about wolf reintroduction off the ground, I\u2019ve also been in the zone of lost species. The Hunter by Julia Leigh \u2013 an extraordinary novel about the last Tasmanian tiger \u2013 is tenser and more tragic than its (albeit brilliant) screen adaptation. The story follows a man tracking this phantom creature for undisclosed, sinister purposes. It takes a cold look at our environmental failures and mercantile choices, and its rendering of the Tasmanian wilderness is spectacularly immersive.<\/p>\n Finally, I loved Raising Hare<\/a> by Chloe Dalton \u2013 the account of a rescued European brown leveret. It\u2019s tender and quietly miraculous. Dalton\u2019s memoir invites the reader beyond personal connections with animals to the common ground where collective campaigning becomes a force that must inhabit the political void.<\/p>\n Helm<\/a> by Sarah Hall is published by Faber<\/p>\n Dave, Guardian reader<\/p>\n