BOOKS Summer reads to delve into

BOOKS CHARLIE RICHARDS

Summer reads

Charlie sends us to far-fl ung locations with her literary recommendations for the summer

Where do you go when you have a thirst for new sights, but travel is limited? With summer in the air and holidays incoming, the writing featured in this week’s column transports us to far-off places in the way that only books can do.

If you’re craving a city break, then Comma Press is a not-for-profi t indie publisher who specialize in this kind of writing. Their ‘Reading the City’ series gathers 10 stories set in and about author home cities, capturing the essence of the place. Anthologies include Shanghai, Dhakar, Gaza, Rio, Liverpool, and Havana. The latest in the series, The Book of Reykjavik, takes you to the heart of the city and the people who dwell there, feeling the tensions between the urbanisation and rural histories, as well as the love-hate relationship some Icelandic citizens have with their capital.

Carried by the chergul (wind), taking us to Morocco, and moving back in time to 1944, is The Country of Others, the latest by Leila Slimani. Mathilde meets Amine, a Moroccan soldier billeted in her town, Alsace, while he’s fi ghting for France. They marry and move to Amine’s rural farm near Meknes, trying to build a life together while cultures clash against the searing heat, and a Morocco struggling for independence and heading for war.

Other books that capture and champion the spirit of their setting are new-ish in paperback Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola. Classic folklore and mythology are lushly reimagined by Babalola, who has drawn on stories from West Africa, the Middle East and

Ancient Greece to explore love, passion, selflove; how it holds us hostage, drives us wild, and can set us free. For younger readers, we love the Jhalak Prize longlisted The Girl Who Stole An Elephant by Nizrana Farook. Set in Sri Lanka, it’s the story of the mighty Chaya, schoolgirl by day and thief (stealing from the rich to help the poor) by night. Taking the Queen’s jewels and the Royal Elephant may be a theft too far, as Chaya escapes into the jungle in a tale of mystery, friendship, and heady Sri Lankan adventure. A picture book that travels over 4000 miles from the Nile in Egypt and ends up in Paris is Zeraff a Giraff a by Dianne Hofmeyr. “Classic folklore Zeraff a the giraff e was sent as a gift by the and mythology are Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt to King Charles lushly reimagined” X of France in 1826. He made the journey with his young keeper Atir, who would stay with the giraff e for his whole life. This story recreates this astonishing journey and is beautifully drawn by Jane Ray. And fi nally, we’ve got to shout out Che Guevara’s wonderful Motorcycle Diaries, which gets a fresh press this summer. Shortly before completing his medical training, a young Che toured the continent on a Norton 500 motorbike with his friend and fellow doctor Albert Grenado, meeting the poorest of the region and working at a leper colony in a journey that would inspire his revolutionary thinking. The book is a joy, the engaging adventures within the pages at times funny, at others desperately sad, and a historic precursor to the icon Che would become. As always, these books are available from Bookbag, and thanks for your support! Bookbag, 7-10, McCoy’s Arcade, Exeter; uk.bookshop.org/shop/bookbag