A Taste of the English Countryside

i“I’m off socials for a while. Can’t handle the news lately.”

“Left my phone at my friend’s house on purpose so I could have a break from the headlines.”

I’m receiving texts like this from my closest friends. In the middle of summer holidays (many of us with young children in constant need of snacks), it’s hard to believe that the world is still in such a sorry state. How have we not relieved Palestine from her heavy burdens yet?

I’ve been craving peace, too, what with the news and recently leaving my tech job. We were in the UK last week – here’s a photo of the magical treehouse where we stayed in the English countryside (so the kids could enjoy nature while continuously begging for iPads, as usual). It felt like it belonged to fairies and dwarves:

In a hard world, it seems like a show of strength to seek beauty and peace. Being in nature – and specifically, majestic trees – always does wondrous things for my soul. I grew up in a leafy, mountainous town outside of Athens. There’s just something about the rustle of a breeze through leaves and taking a moment to watch a ladybird daintily make its way along a branch that is so calming. And I’ve always had a thing for olive trees in particular…

I live in Dubai, so this may be the reason why I am so tree-starved. Did you know trees are intelligent beings that have a network - they “speak” to each other to warn of danger (i.e. insects or drought) and they can send extra nourishment to their own identified young. I mean, wow, mama. (Just bought this book: How to Read a Tree - it’s a Sunday times bestseller. I’ll let you know how it goes.)

All a high-brow way to say that when the world feels really sucky, it helps me to put away screens and get back to basics. We can all learn a thing or two from trees. They shed all their leaves every winter and blossom with fruit and flowers again every spring. Take a minute, take a breath, and – wherever you are – smile at a tree. You make look nuts, but you’ll feel better. Tried and tested.

📚 Read: Historical Fiction

Dubai is a new, shiny city, so traveling around the UK has felt like a step back in time (in a great way). It’s also reassuring to read stories that take place during different time periods as proof that, through the ages, shit happens and humans find a way to manage and to choose love. I wanted to share a few great historical fiction reads that I’ve loved recently. Tell me some of yours!

Our Fair Lily by Rosie Goodwin

Bridgerton fans will love Rosie Goodwin’s novels. Her latest, Our Fair Lily, doesn’t disappoint. Set in a small coal mining town in England in the 1800’s, the story follows Lady Arabella, an aristocrat who has an illegitimate child and then leaves her maid, Lily, to raise it as her own.

Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree by Tariq Ali

The world is literally falling apart in this intergenerational family saga that takes place in a changing Granada, Spain. Atmospheric and informative, this novel pairs cinematic writing (the author is a filmmaker by trade) with some fascinating historical tidbits about Muslim Spain in the late 15th century.

Time of White Horses by Ibrahim Nasrallah

This novel is a work of art. Each chapter feels like a short story, taking place from the perspective of different villagers (an Orthodox priest, a horse trainer, a young groom) in Palestine under Ottoman rule in the early 1900’s. We get a taste of Arab rural life leading to the British mandate in the 1940’s, then the aftermath of 1948 that has led to the 75 years of life under occupation for indigenous people ever since.

Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan

This one is in my TBR list - the latest Women’s Prize winner takes place during the Sri Lankan civil war, based on 16 years of research by the author. Let me know if you’ve read it and if it’s lived up to the glowing praise by every famous author and book critic 🙂 

💡Write: Get Inspired

I don’t usually wait for that lightning strike of inspiration in order to put a story together. What I feel I lack is time, because inspiration comes from literally everywhere when you’re a writer. We took our kids to the zoo – I saw the most beautiful feathery crown on the head of a bird and dreamt up a Bridgerton-worthy costume design in my mind fit for a ball. Take that, J-Lo.

I do carry a cheesy Moleskin notebook in my bag, but I find that the best inspiration nags me until it takes the form of something in a story - a character quirk, an outfit, a setting.

So look up from your phone, absorb the world around you with all five senses (don’t go licking park benches or anything, but you know what I mean), and write down what sticks in your mind at the end of the day. Some irrelevant, interesting raw material might show up in an award-winning best seller one day. Like my fancy crown-wearing bird.

Inspire: Dubai’s Best Comedians Do London

My husband produced this incredible comedy show in Cadogan Hall in Sloane Square, bringing Dubai’s hottest comedy talent to London town! Standing ovation, full house. In a world that loves to apply cultural stereotypes, comedy is a beautiful art form that cuts through the noise to deliver truth dressed up in a funny package. It’s part of the reason why the main character in my upcoming debut novel is an Arab, female standup comedian!

Browse These Links

Funny, random stuff from the internet (far, far away from yucky politics):

• Inside Out 2 becomes highest grossing animation of all time (yes, outpacing Frozen)

• Open AI’s Sam Altman on who will control AI in the future

• Ice baths, rare steak and no masturbating - why Walt Whitman (American poet from the 1850’s) may have been the first real wellness influencer 😂

• London’s “Chat Benches” encourage strangers to talk… this is cute

• The New York Times released its 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

Countdown to My Novel’s Publication Day:

Thanks for reading! See you next week!

With kindness,

Sara