Sitting at my desk in this strange new world of “home schooling,” memories of my recent ski trip to the Aosta Valley in northern Italy feel distant and dislocated.

I worked in Milan many years ago and my thoughts are with friends and ex-colleagues living in Lombardy, suffering terribly with the impacts of the corona virus.

On a happier note, I read two wonderful books in the quiet moments around skiing and thought it would be a good time to review them. We are all in need of reading inspiration given the bonus time we have on our hands; I hope these two wonderful books might bring you some joy.

Unbeknown to me when I packed my suitcase, both the books I had chosen transported me to the Orkney Isles, each in a very different way: “Surfacing” by Kathleen Jamie and “The Outrun” by Amy Tiptrot.

Kathleen Jamie is an award-winning poet and non-fiction writer. Jamie’s debut collection of poems “Black Spiders” won both Eric Gregory and Scottish Arts Council awards whilst she was at University. Jamie published her first work of poetry at the age of 20 and now, with thirty years’ experience behind her, she is better known for her collections of essays.

In a Guardian interview Jamie said: “The best thing I can do is go out and be in the world in a very loose, open sort of way, and see what happens.” Though we cannot be outside in the world as we would like to be at present, we can travel in our minds, riding on the wings of Jamie’s lyrical writing.

“Surfacing” is a small volume of essays which transport us from the utter wilderness of Alaska to the windswept Orkney Isles. Although writing non-fiction, the poet in Jamie shines through. “Surfacing” is a treasure – in times of enclosure it transports the mind with powerful vibrations of place and the passing of time.

With eighteen books in print, Kathleen Jamie will be a frequent companion for me over the next few months. My eye is drawn to “Amongst Muslims” a reflection on a trip to the Himalayas. First published in 1992 entitled “The Golden Peak” the book was reissued after 9/11 with a new title, preface and afterword. “Amongst Muslims” was described by The Independent as “utterly luminous.” After that I think I will read ‘Sightlines” and then…

Next time I will share my reflections on Amy Tiptrot’s “The Outrun”, a harrowing story but one filled with hope.

If you think someone you know would like to read these book recommendations, please do forward this one.

Stay well everyone.