8 Books For When You Need a Break From the News
While I would never encourage anyone not to be clued up on what’s going on in the world around us - right now, it definitely feels like a lot.
There’s nothing wrong with needing to take a break away from it all, recoup, refresh and come back better able to handle... all of it.
Getting lost in a good book is a great way to take our mind off things - and there are also plenty of great reads out there that help give us that vital shot of resilience we might be looking for. Here are a few of such books I’ve been turning to recently.
Fiction
Pure Colour by Sheila Heti
Sheila Heti's latest novel is an adventurous fable-like journey into mortality and meaning. The novel’s protagonist, Mira, studies at the prestigious American Academy of American Critics, where she meets Annie and her world kaleidoscopes. An older Mira experiences the death of her father, and once more, she finds herself tumbling into the unknown depths of life, this time around loss. Described as “a galaxy of a novel: explosive, celestially bright, huge, and streaked with beauty”, Heti’s latest work will not disappoint as it returns us to enchantment in a disenchanted world.
The All True Adventures (and Rare Education) of the Daredevil Daniel Bones by Owen Booth
A rollicking romp of an adventurous read offering precisely the kind of narrative that will drag you away from reality and take you on the kind of adventure we all surely yearn for at some point or other. The eponymous Daniel is at the heart of the story, whose life changes utterly when Captain Clarke B appears on the scene. The story is set in the late 1880s, beginning in a poor seaside community in Essex but taking Daniel together with Clarke on a tour of Europe where he has incredible adventures. I may like this as one of the few books that mention where I grew up, but it’s a fabulous coming-of-age tale full of love, friendship, and enjoyment. It’s also a wonderful LGBTQIA+ positive read.
Careering by Daisy Buchanan
Highly relatable, hilarious, and an excellent book for anyone wanting to feel a bit seen. Careering introduces us to Harri and Imogen. Having poured everything into her job at Panache magazine, Harri is passed over for promotion and forced into running 'a new venture', which everyone knows is code for 'being pushed out'. Imogen has hustled her way through her career, fighting for every competitive win she can get. When Harri offers Imogen a job, she feels like all her dreams are coming true - but the truth is something far closer to reality. Both realise they love a career that simply refuses to love them back, and Harri and Imogen decide to take drastic action. While this one might not take you away from reality completely, it will definitely give you a few good laughs and help you feel a little saner about the absurdity of ‘careering’!
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
Often overshadowed by Adams’ other popular work of fiction (you know one), Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency is just as delightful, laugh-out-loud, and a great feel-good collection to get stuck into. Dirk Gently, a self-styled private investigator, sets out to prove the fundamental interconnectedness of all things by solving a mysterious murder, assisting a mysterious professor, unravelling a mysterious mystery, and eating a lot of pizza – not to mention saving the entire human race from extinction along the way (at no extra charge). Utterly ridiculous, playful, and, therefore, just what we need right now - there are five novels in the series, so plenty to keep you entertained.
Non-fiction
On Connection by Kae Tempest
Award-winning spoken word poet, Kae Tempest, tackles the hyperactive, individualistic numbness of current years and reminds us of the role of connection in our lives, across our creative endeavours and in general. In this short but charming book, she builds her manifesto with personal and intensely relatable experiences and insights. When I finished Tempest's book, I immediately scribbled down about it - Magnificent. Heart affirming. The healthiest book I’ve read in a while. I can't embellish on this any further. Everyone should have this on their shelves.
The Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer
In a world that tells us we have to be constantly doing, The Art of Stillness provides the permission and the benefits of staying still. Lifelong traveller, Iyer, explores the lives of people who have made a life seeking stillness and draws on his own experiences to examine why our tech-heavy lives lead us to withdraw more and more in our search for connection. When our minds become whirlwinds, Iyer reminds us we have ultimate control over our own spaces and the power to find comfort in stillness when we need to.
The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman
The Principles of Uncertainty is a philosophical graphic novel of sorts and a compilation of Maira Kalman's New York Times columns. Part personal narrative, part documentary, part travelogue, part chapbook, Kalman shares her beautiful illustrations, ideas, and images on some of the most profound questions and uncertainties of life. At first, seemingly random, the collection intricately draws together the artist's connected worldview—a pure, escapist feast for the eyes and heart.
Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith
Smith has readily established herself not only as a brilliant fiction writer but a superbly incisive essayist whose words bring us back to the depths of the simple moments in our lives. In Feel Free, Smith explores seemingly benign questions with heart and insight. Divided into five sections - In the World, In the Audience, In the Gallery, On the Bookshelf, and Feel Free, she offers a superb blend of cultural events and her own lived experiences. I also find Smith’s thoughtful examinations enlightening without being a burden.
Elaine Mead is a freelance writer and book reviewer, currently residing in nipaluna (Hobart), Tasmania. She is passionate about the ways we can use literature to learn from our experiences to become more authentic versions of ourselves and obsessed with showing you photos of her Dachshund puppy. You can find her online under www.wordswithelaine.com.
