Mrs Blackwell Reads - October 2025 скачать в хорошем качестве

Mrs Blackwell Reads - October 2025

At the end of each month I share a summary of the books I've been reading during the course of the month. This month I'm in Bend, Oregon - recording at Dudley's Bookshop & Cafe. The US tends to get a lot of books before we do in New Zealand so the majority of the books I'm discussing this month won't be available in New Zealand until December. 🦉 'Wisdom Takes Work' by Ryan Holiday The final book in Ryan’s Stoic virtues series, following 'Courage Is Calling', 'Discipline Is Destiny', and last year’s 'Right Thing, Right Now'. Like the others books in the series, this book has many short chapters you can read all at once or dips into at any point. It mixes real-life and modern examples with historical stories. 🤔 'Could, Should, Might, Don’t: How We Think About the Future' by Nick Foster Nick is a British designer based in California, he helps big companies imagine the future. He wants to help you make better decisions about the future, be less afraid, and make the most of your limited time on this planet! If thinking about the future ever feels stressful, you’ll find this book easy and enjoyable to read. 📚 'The Bookshop, The Draper and The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street' by Annie Gray I have days when I really worry about what the future of physical retail will look like. Over the last three months, Adam and I have covered a lot of ground and seen many high streets across England, Wales and both the east and west coasts of the United States. Some of these places filled me with a renewed sense of confidence, while others left me feeling a sense of despair for the towns they serve. However, reading about the history of the high street helped bring me back to a bit more of a balanced perspective. Annie suggests that 1650 was roughly the time we started shopping for pleasure rather than just necessity, marking the beginning of permanent, fixed-location retail. When I consider my little bookshop within that long time and space continuum, it becomes easier to feel less worried and more grounded. 👒 'Ruth' by Kate Riley We meet Ruth, a young girl growing up within a very conservative Brethren cult in Michigan during the 1960s. Due to US laws, she is required to attend school outside her community, and this forced exposure to the wider world creates a great tension between her sense of purity and that of the society beyond her homelife. We follow Ruth through her early attempts at becoming a cook, but she ultimately settles on a career as a typist before embracing the role of a mother. ❄️ 'In a Distant Valley' by Shannon Bowring This is the third (and final) book in Shannon Bowring’s Dalton series - a fictional community located in a quaint, fictional town in Maine during the 1990s. Quite a lot more cozy than the kind of fiction I usually read but I’ve really enjoyed this series over the past three years. A large and diverse cast of recurring characters, each one is thoughtfully developed and they all contribute meaningfully to moving the story forward. Best read in order. 🌿 'Nature Notes of an Edwardian Lady' by Edith Holden Based on a best selling book from the 1970s - The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady - this new book reproduces more notes and paintings from Edith Holden’s 1905 and 1906 diary following the seasons at her English home. Presented in a diary format, the book features notes and paintings along with observation of the countryside, poem, quotes, and history. 🪻 'Wildflowers of the West: An Artist’s Guide' by Molly Hashimoto A few years ago, Te Papa began releasing a lovely Nature Series of small hardcover books that each individually catalogue our native flora and fauna with detailed text and black and white illustrations. These little books remain some of my favourite recommendations for visitors. I purchased Wildflowers of the West (as well as Trees of the West and Birds of the West) as a keepsake to remember our time living in the western part of the United States. It’s a fantastic collection of Molly’s drawings, paintings, wood cut prints and writings. 🪡 200 Japanese Cross Stitch Designs by Saeko Endo I find basic cross stitch to be a bit like colouring, in that it’s easy to do and once I have the rhythm of the pattern and repeats, it’s very relaxing. Saeko has drawn inspiration from flowers plants, animals, snowflakes, kimono, and classic geometric repeats. Every pattern is illustrated with a photo and a chart - the photo and the chart are in different colours to show you how much that choice can change the look of the pattern. This book is coming to Mrs Blackwell’s Village Bookshop in December. You can support Mrs Blackwell's Village Bookshop at 93 Main Street, Greytown, New Zealand, by visiting our online store, or buy buying your audiobooks through LibroFM. LibroFM (audiobooks that support indie bookshops) - https://libro.fm/thevillagebookshop