Feel better this Blue Monday with our Blue Books - Clare

Apparently, the third Monday in January is said to be the most depressing day of the year, Blue Monday. For me its always been a rather excellent dance track from the 80s by New Order. Anyhow, whatever Blue Monday means to you here's some blue books recommendations to help you through

Deborah Levy's August Blue tells the story of Elsa, a renowned concert pianist who is wandering Europe questioning who she really is, following a disastrous stage performance when she lost her place in the music and walked off stage mid concert. She observes a woman who looks much like herself, her doppelganger in an Athens market.... and wonders. 

Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann is an epic novel (ask our Suzanne, she was reading it for months) which is a stream of consciousness ramble consisting of just eight near endless sentences and expresses the thoughts of a middle aged woman in Ohio, it'll see you through 'til spring. 

In Heaven by Emerson Whitney the author offers an expansive examination of what makes us up and wonders what role our childhood plays in who we are. Can we escape the discussion of causality? Is the story of our body just ours? Mixing memory and theory Whitney explores these questions.

Other life questions are explored by Jon Fosse in his Booker Prize shortlisted Septology. Questions about what makes us who we are and why we lead one life and not another are explored through the eyes of Asle, an ageing painter and widower who lives alone on the southwest coast of Norway, reminiscing about his life. If you like book one there are six more installments to keep you reading. 

Our final recommendation is They Call it Love by Alva Gotby who you may have seen last year when she came to The Railway Inn in Winchester, organised by the wonderful Wire Wool. More life questions to be explored here too. Is love work? Who performs this? Who benefits from it? How might we create more equal and meaningful connections? A thought provoking read.

We hope you enjoy our selection to fight off the Winter blues. We'll be adding some more to the selection so do check in again on our webpage here for more inspiration