September 2022 - Book Club by Arktic Lime Magazine

SEPT 2022 book club

Table of Contents A Well-Written Rebellion Words by Ruth Sellin and Illustrations by Alice Catteau Every book opens an ocean Words and Illustration by John Chamberlain Book Shops Words by Ananthi Parekh and Illustrations by Alexandria Harvey Paper Haven Words and Illustration by Rachel Middleton Cover and Endpapers: Margarita Louka Editor: Margarita Louka

A Well-Written Rebellion

By: Ruth Sellin

Words have always been the most devastating weapon of the marginalised, whether written or spoken. One of the first offensive moves of a government against its people is to ban, or in some cases even burn, books that challenge their power. Authors have been able to counter these offensives in recent years by allowing online access to their books or, in the case of Margaret Attwood, developing an unburnable copy of her novel The Handmaid’s Tale. The act of making their words accessible to a wider audience as well as unburnable is an act of rebellion. A metaphorical call of “we will not be silenced”. By: Alice Catteau

We have all heard the powerful and timeless words of the comparatively unheard of Edward BulwerLytton from 1839: “The pen is mightier than the sword”. This demonstrates the power that words have to transcend time and space, existing long after those who wrote them have been forgotten. They can devastate and destroy, but they can also build and empower. They shape history and imagine society’s future. They are the only medium that can be wielded by all, despite their origins or status, to challenge or support, to create beautiful narratives or convey devastating truths. With the state of the world today, it is easy to lose hope. We are living in a ‘post’-pandemic reality, having our human rights debated by our own elected officials as we are forced to watch a war slowly break out across Europe. In the face of these comparatively huge issues, words appear small and rather desperate. ‘Rebellion’ appears light-years away in this world where our voices are repeatedly marginalised and erased. However, routes of rebellion are still open to us. Since time immemorial, literature and the arts have served as personal acts of rebellion, and bookshops can operate as focal points of this rebellion by collating these individual acts and delivering them to their communities. Power seeks to divide the governed to make them easier to control. Bookshops have countered this move by organising public events such as reading groups, book readings and discussion groups. These events foster a sense of community and uprising sorely needed in this vulnerable post-isolation country where our rights and lives are up for debate.

Illustration

Illustration By: John Chamberlain

Blank pages are like the open sea. The dips and waves are letters. On reading, you are submerged in a world of chalk reefs, curve-clawed lobsters and shoals of fish. Every week, the library van would arrive. And I can still feel the expectation and excitement, I felt at around three years old. You’d go up two steps and discover a new Ibook.would always gravitate towards Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. The book and its characters seemed the same size as me. I would get this book all the time. The large pages would envelop me in its world, the monsters filling the space. The possibility of a van containing a library, is the same as a wardrobe containing narnia, or the sea containing atlantis. A library contains rare forests, palm trees, beasts and islands. And then, visiting grandparents by the sea, we would stop by Bertram A, Watts bookseller. I remember the large Tintin Rocket in the corner. Aged around seven, I selected a book on sea life. Then minutes later I was on the beach and found the treasures the book mentioned. I physicalgatheredcollection of beach objects, inspired by the book. My grandpop scoured the beach for jet or amber. Then turned his finds into

Every book opens an ocean

By: John Chamberlain

Everyjewellery.book contains an ocean. And each bookstore, bookshelf or library is a steady ship at sea.

Book Shops

And this love and comfort is something that makes me feel as if I am part of a club, even if we’re not reading the same books. So I thought I’d call on these friends and ask them what they love so much about bookshops.

By: Ananthi Parekh

“There’s no place like a bookshop. The atmosphere is always so cosy and peaceful and full of wisdom. I love seeing all the books on the shelves, flipping through them and being able to leave that same day with something I’d never heard of. And I like that once they’re mine, I can keep them, reread them or lend

Despite doing an english degree, a reading list at uni is probably the closest I’ve ever come to being part of a book club. But that doesn’t mean the community books bring me isn’t a huge part of my life, when I think of my love of books I always think of the feeling of walking in to a book shop.

“It’s hard to write about bookshops without being sappy - I’ve always viewed them as a sort of escapism. Whether you enter purposefully seeking out the next book in a series or that must-read recommendation from a friend, or if you enter and wander aimlessly among the rows and shelves until something catches your eye, you can be certain that in the end, even if it’s not what you originally had in mind, you’ll come away with your own piece of treasure. No matter what kind I’m always sure that after a visit to a bookshop my wallet will hate me but my heart and mind will love me” - Ilana Berney

If you’ve ever felt the same way, if you too find a home amongst shelves full of stories, then you’re already part of a book club, a community of people who you’ll find hidden in the nooks and crannies of a bookshop.

By: Alexandria Harvey them to people I love forever.” - Naomi Crisp

- Helen Jackson

- Hayley Butler

Illustrations

“They just feel like a safe and welcoming hug. I’ve been to bookshops across the globe and they always feel welcoming and like they have some kind of special magic (aside from that where I feel compelled to spend all my money). You can spend hours just browsing the shelves without feeling like you’ve out stayed your welcome.”

“A bookstore is a place with the power of endless potential. Infinite stories spanning out from a single location, some old, known stories that unify us, some new, introducing and combining ideas in paths not previously explored. Endless possibility, a chance at escape, to experience things you never could, to learn about the society you live in. A way to form your opinions, figure out your problems, be inspired. If that isn’t magic I don’t know what is.”

- Alex Harvey

“Although modern technology means that we can hold an entire library of books in our hand, there’s something beautiful about a book shop. Being in there with other people, all of you searching for your own papery world to hide away in, is a wonderful reminder of how much literature unites us. Stories are magical things, and, by that logic, it stands to reason that the places where they are collected - more of them than most people could read in a lifetime - are magical too. They must be magical, because something about them means that every time I leave one, I’ve bought another book to add to the “to be read” pile, even when I’d gone in with the express intention of leaving empty-handed. These quiet places, filled with 10,000 words, are special in a way I can’t quite describe, and that mystery is my favourite thing about them.”

Each of us has a memory of reading a book and losing ourselves in the world that it holds, feeling as though it’s our own personal space that can push the boundaries of our imagination. A place that’s been made sacred for writers and creators to reach, all contained in ink on bound paper. As a practice over a thousand years old, bookshops have been providing us with access to the voices and stories of people all around the world. They have withstood wars and crisis and come back each time providing comfort and information to all who need it. Now that our society has created digital versions of books which can help with efficiency and speed of production, there is a fear that physical printed books will become redundant and will be lost to the past. While it’s understandable that it can make literature and information more accessible, even making it easier for those who find reading difficult i.e. audiobooks, and yet because of the disappearing bookshops and libraries you can see why people think physical books may eventually become a thing of the past. However many people still prefer physical books over digital, the feel of the paper grain, the smell of new and old books, the design of the cover and binding, all these things bring back the joy of printed books. In fact, children’s book statistics show that printed books are far

By: Rachel Middleton Paper Haven

By: Rachel Middleton more popular than digital books viewed on screens or tablets. Parents can see the value of teaching a child to read, to hold a book, and the sensory memory of holding and turning pages with their own hands. We all learn how to hold a book before we even know how to read. So even the youngest generation will know the value of books. Since the pandemic we saw a loss of many bookstores because of the need to reduce physical contact for safety. Larger corporations moved online and although we still were able to order books while reducing our contact, we saw local bookshops struggle to stay in business as they often relied on footfall and delivery access was not as efficient compared to online companies. Bookshops also rely on local reputation, community integration and the interests of its regular customers. Unfortunately the pandemic deterred this and it was something larger corporations thrived on. But there’s a silver lining! Now that the pandemic has eased, people have been reaching out for community again, something that bookshops have always been a part of. We are seeing more and more support for local bookshops to come back, even providing more opportunities to connect with cafes and community events. Books are what we can all connect with, safe havens of memories, treasure troves of information, and comforting coves of stories, creativity and adventure

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