Whisked Away By Words
Illustration by Lydia Shehata
Words by Lucy Wren
We jolt forward in unison, hissing wheels bringing the bus to a not-so-smooth stop. A gaggle of teens in school uniform clamber on, squealing and wrestling as they move down the aisle, pressing every ‘stop’ button on the way. If it weren’t for the man behind me who keeps coughing into my hair, they may have taken top spot for worst bus companions this journey.
In front of me, a small girl begins to cry. I pull out my book.
Her piercing cry morphs to birdsong and her blonde knotty curls turn to feathers as I push my feet into the sand. A small crab climbs over my toes.
“Now!” the Captain yells as the boom of a cannon fires from behind us. The sun beats down on my back, unrelenting. I close my eyes and beg the sea breeze to kiss my blistered skin.
Then BING. My stop.
Books can transport us. Here are a few book recommendations for readers looking to be transported from Dorset to somewhere entirely different.
Website → lucy-wren.com
Instagram → @whatlucywrites
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini
Witness the resilience of women in Afghanistan through the lives of two characters whose paths intertwine during Kabul’s political turmoil. This poignant tale gives a deep insight into Afghan culture and history.
Winter in Sokcho
Elisa Shua Dusapin
Enjoy the quiet, haunting beauty of a South Korean seaside town in the eyes of a young French-Korean woman as she grapples with identity, loneliness, and connection.
Woman on the Edge of Time
Marge Piercy
Experience the harsh realities of 1970s New York and a classless, gender-neutral utopian future. This novel depicts a better world through themes of justice, gender equality, and sustainability.
Shantaram
Gregory David Roberts
Lose yourself in the underworld of Bombay, India. This semi-autobiographical novel takes you through the slums, opium dens, and the rich culture of Mumbai, through the eyes of a fugitive.
This Tender Land
William Kent Krueger
Step into the summer of 1932, on the banks of Minnesota's Gilead River, as four orphan vagabonds steal a canoe and head for Mississippi in search of a new home.
Villager
Tom Cox
Set in a rural English village, this novel tells interlinking stories of villagers across several decades, capturing the essence of the land and the traditions that come with it.
Five Hundred Miles From You
Jenny Colgan
Hop between the bustling streets of London and the tranquil Scottish Highlands through the lives of Lissa and Cormac. This is a heartwarming tale of the unexpected places where one can find solace and love.
A Tale for the Time Being
Ruth Ozeki
Travel between modern-day Tokyo and a remote island off the coast of Canada through the diary of a Japanese teenager, beautifully intertwining two lives across an ocean.
Call Me by Your Name
André Aciman
Escape to the sun-drenched Italian Riviera, where the passionate and tender summer romance between Elio, a young man, and Oliver, an American scholar, unfolds.
