Ursina's Shelf - Poetry + Shoreditch walk
Issue 96
Dear readers,
This year has already had a lot of ups and downs! Today, I am coming out of my newsletter hibernation to talk about two highlights: reading poetry and a walk through Shoreditch.
I never “got” poetry in school, and had not found my way back to it, minus one memorable exception, when I was introduced to T.S. Eliot’s Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (link) by a coworker at a company training in Cape Cod in 2009.
In 2023, Aishwarya recommended Rupi Kaur to me. So when I found myself with some extra time after a meeting in Santa Monica and before heading to LAX, I drove my rental car to Venice Beach to check out Small World Books, which Nathanial recommended to me after reading my LA for Booklovers issue (Nathaniel incidentally was also at that training in Cape Cod!). I left with an unusual amount of pre-flight joy and two books, including Kaur’s Milk and Honey.
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur (2014)
Description: A combination of words and drawings that feel light and heavy at once. Kaur covers gutting topics along the four themes: the hurting, the loving, the breaking, and the healing. (Buy here).
My take: These spoke to me deeply. I could have read them all in one sitting, but was trying to space them out and save them up, because each page on its own is so impactful and moving. I will be returning to Kaur’s work many times.
Dog Songs by Mary Oliver (2013)
Description: Oliver writes everyday observations about and meditative odes to the four-legged companions joining her along her life’s path. (Buy here).
My take: After reading Kaur, I was ready to give more poetry a chance and started asking around for recommendations. Again and again I was told to pick up Mary Oliver and there is certainly a reason she is so popular. This is the first compilation I picked up by the late writer, and certainly not the last. The warmth and love with which she describes her dogs and her bonds to them brings immense joy.
Forever Words by Johnny Cash (2016)
Description: These poems discovered by Johnny Cash’s son in his house after his death cement the legacy of Cash even further. (Buy here).
My take: Like his songs, many focus on a love interest or a gun, and while some feel a little outdated, many go straight to the heart. I marked many a page that I look forward to coming back to. This would also make a great gift, because it is so unexpectedly wonderful.
Shoreditch walk
On a recent work trip, I had the luck to walk along Redchurch Street and Brick Lane in the London neighborhood of Shoreditch on my way from the hotel to lunch, discovering two new book shops that I’d like to recommend:
First, I hit up Brick Lane Book Shop and immediately felt at home in this cozy atmosphere with friendly staff who curate a wonderful selection. Keeping up with my Q1 book buying ban, I bought two birthday cards, one of which already got used this week!
Next up was Libreria and wow, the space is amazing. The selection is small and even more curated on these beautiful curving wooden bookshelves. The store has a no phone policy and so you will have to check this beauty out yourself. I did break my book buying ban (more on that in the next issue) to get the Johnny Cash poetry collection here, and got it specially stamped by the store, a very nice touch.
For refuelling, I recommend the local Dishoom (of course!) and Spitalfields Market with its many stalls. And if you are into records, check out the local Rough Trade.
Currently reading: Kairos, by Jenny Erpenbeck, which won the International Booker Prize. I am not finished yet, but I have a strong sense I will be talking about it on here.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for sticking around in my “less issues are more” era of this newsletter, it’s very much appreciated. If you have discovered or rediscovered any genres, let me know. I will leave you with the last two lines of my favorite Shakespeare sonnet from high school:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
(Sonnet 18, William Shakespeare)
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