The first time I read a poem by Alice Oswald I was deep in the countryside; in my imagination. She took me away from the bookshop where I stood in front of the poetry shelf, running my fingers along the slim spines, waiting to be tempted, to stand in a woodland deserted of people. It says something about my own need for nature that her words drew me in so effortlessly.
Alice Oswald [photo Pako Mera]
‘Footfall, which is a means so steady
And in small sections wanders through the mind
Unnoticed, because it beats constantly,
Sweeping together the loose tacks of sound
I remember walking once into increasing
Woods, my hearing like a widening wound.
First your voice and then the rustling ceasing.
The last glow of rain dead in the ground’
Read these other excerpts, and perhaps find a new poet to love:-
‘After a row’ by Tom Pickard
‘Poems’ by Ruth Stone
‘Digging’ by Seamus Heaney
And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
A #poem to read in the bath: ‘Woods etc.’ by Alice Oswald https://wp.me/p5gEM4-3g8 via @SandraDanby
“Jacob is a human who has found his way to a magical world called the Mirrorworld. He keeps coming back to it and moves between two worlds. Despite his nomadic life Jacob always puts family first and he is willing to do anything, sacrifice anything to save his brother who is slowly turning into stone. The characters that flow from Cornelia’s imagination are so very real and they draw you and hold your attention.”
Amelia, Peradora’s teenage heiress is a fashionista and boasts of 6 million followers on Twitter. In reality she is a bit of an introvert, a prisoner in a golden cage and her ‘it girl’ image is nothing but a carefully crafted, elaborate P.R. plan, masterminded by her guardian, Liam, the dictator of Peradora. As secrets from her past dodge her at every turn, can Amelia choose between Adrian, the adventure junkie, her first love and Noah, the handsome bodyguard, and her best friend? Do they have secrets of their own they’re keeping from her? Now Peradora, her beloved nation is in trouble, and a sorceress ancestor, grants Amelia the ability to shape shift. Will it prove to be a curse or a boon? Will the power be too much for Amelia to handle? And can it truly change who she is inside, a frightened girl, quite out of her depth? As a stunning set of events unfold, will the truth set Amelia free or will she learn that some secrets are best buried in the past?
What is a ‘Porridge & Cream’ book? It’s the book you turn to when you need a familiar read, when you are tired, ill, or out-of-sorts, where you know the story and love it. Where reading it is like slipping on your oldest, scruffiest slippers after walking for miles. Where does the name ‘Porridge & Cream’ come from? Cat Deerborn is a character in Susan Hill’s ‘Simon Serrailler’ detective series. Cat is a hard-worked GP, a widow with two children and she struggles from day-to-day. One night, after a particularly difficult day, she needs something familiar to read. From her bookshelf she selects 
The current UK Penguin edition [above] dates from 2004. 
It remains chilling to this day. 
SANDRA DANBY'S BOOK REVIEWS 