MIRROR WATER Reading List

A selection of recent (and recent-ish) fiction swapped between the MW team.

Sorrow and Bliss, Meg Mason

Meg Mason’s debut novel in which we follow Martha come to terms with the breakdown of her marriage alongside a battle with an unnamed mental illness. Alongside the sorrow the title describes, there are intense highs of love and wit that will have the reader falling in love with this honest, chaotic and endearing protagonist.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2001, Kavalier and Clay is a great American epic about the glory years of the US comic industry (1939-1954). It is a true testament to Chabon’s writing that he manages to span multiple eras, travel multiple contents and cover everything from superheroes to war, without ever losing the reader’s grip. This novel is a must-read.

Your Silence will Not Protect You by Audre Lorde

With accompanying material by Reni Eddo-Lodge and Sara Ahmed, this posthumous collection of Lorde’s poetry (and some essays) explores the notion of silence as violence, making this relevant reading in order to avoid complacency and maintain the momentum of major movements like BLM and MeToo.

A Manual for Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin

This unique piece contains 43 short stories inspired by Berlin’s highly diverse life. Berlin chronicles through the vast number of jobs she has had during her life and explores some of the roles often taken for granted. She has astute powers of observation that make this collection a deeply-layered and dynamic reading experience.

East, Meera Sodha

Containing 120 easy and delicious asian-inspired vegetarian and vegan recipes, this book provides the perfect starting point for anyone looking to get into vegetable-based cooking. It’ll enchant even the most devot meat-eater.

Art as Therapy, Alain de Botton and John Armstrong

This book introduces the reader to a new way of interpreting art, thereby increasing their understanding of self, the society they live in, and the overall human condition. An excellent read for anyone looking to delve into the world of art and psychology.

Written by
Team MW