Guest Editor: Emma Dabiri’s essential summer reading.
We here at ME+EM are big readers. Even our stores are kitted out with a library of literary highlights, from coffee table books to personal favourites of our Founder + CEO Clare Hornby. So with long summer days and the prospect of lying somewhere idyllic with a good book (sun lounger, park, garden lawn), we asked professional bookworm Emma Dabiri to step in as guest editor of The Style Section and help get our bookshelves in order. As a bestselling author, broadcaster and columnist, as well as a judge for this year’s RSL Ondaatje Prize, no one is better placed to share all there is to be excited about in literature right now.
How I curate my reading list…
I honestly have so much that I have to read, and that I’m invited to read. As an avid, lifelong book lover this is like a dream come true, but it does impact the nature of how and who one reads. Before I was reading ‘professionally’ as it were, I would mosey around bookshops, picking up whatever caught my eye. As a result, my choices would be very eclectic, not governed by what’s new or hot, and I think in my own reading, I’m still very much that way inclined. I read a lot of older books. I love strange tales. I’ve devoured short story anthologies since childhood; ghost stories, or stories that are odd and haunting. I read a lot of English writers from the 1950s and 60s, people like Robert Aickman and Daphne Du Maurier – who is a master of atmosphere. I’m re-reading a lot of her short stories at the moment.
If you feel overwhelmed by book lists and don’t know where to start…
My advice is actually quite simple; what do you like? If you know you like romance, or thrillers, go with what you feel inclined towards, rather than what you feel dictated to. But also be open to being surprised. I remember everybody telling me I had to read All Fours by Miranda July – this immediately triggered my demand avoidance, and I resolutely refused to read it. Luckily, I found myself on a trip last summer where it was the only book at my disposal. I inhaled it and it remains a firm favourite! I think literary prize lists can be super helpful, but (time permitting) don’t be scared to amble around a bookstore and pick up whatever you feel drawn to. It’s one of my favourite pursuits and you can find real unexpected treasures, especially in second-hand shops.
But if you only have time to read one book this summer…
I have been thoroughly immersed in A House for Miss Pauline by Diana McCaulay. This is such an exciting time for women’s literature, with so many incredible sharp, witty, insightful, funny, powerful women writing at the moment. Books I’ve loved recently have been Wendy Eskine’s The Benefactors, and Joanna Pocock’s Greyhound. I’m really looking forward to reading MJ Corey’s debut Dekonstructing the Kardashians.
This year I’m honoured to be a judge for the RSL Ondaatje Prize…
The criteria for the Ondaatje Prize is “a work evoking the spirit of a place”. An objective that appeals to me deeply; I really appreciate work that is deeply atmospheric and evocative of place. Often what I enjoy most, especially from novels, is those that have the ability to transport me to a time or place that I might never have physically experienced but which is conjured through the writing.
Books inspire me to travel…
Especially books written during the Harlem Renaissance – an incredible outpouring of Black American literary creativity during the jazz age of the 1920s and 30s. The first time I went to NY on my own, still a teenager, I remember I beat a hasty pilgrimage to Harlem, and though many of the sites I’d read about were much changed and dilapidated, I could still hear the echoes and feel the presence of that other world that had existed there almost a century earlier.
The book that encapsulates summer for me…
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy is fab – a sexual awakening in the heat of the Spanish summer combined with the tension of navigating an intensely difficult mother-daughter relationship.
This summer you’ll find me…
Heading to the CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt to visit the Atman Mountain Spa, inspired by Japanese onsen, Bhutanese hot stone baths and the art of Northern European sauna. Bathing culture is one of my favourite wellness practices. I’m engaging with a lot of Buddhist teachings and practices at the moment and will be bringing books by the Buddhist Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. I’m slowly making my way through Consciousness and the Mind, as well as one of his books of poetry Call Me By My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh. Don’t worry about dipping in and out of books and reading them over a period of time, even years. This has been my relationship with many of my favourite non-fiction books.
And I’ll be packing…
Somewhat out of character - a pair of jeans. As a committed dress wearer I don’t generally do jeans, although am seriously reconsidering this position. The shape and the cut of the white Exaggerated Taper Jean are so flattering. Paired with a fitted ribbed tee or tank top, this is a perfect summer look from day into evening.
The Wide-Leg Jumpsuit is an absolute belter. One of the reasons I love dresses so much is that you can look very put together with minimal effort, the same stands for this cobalt blue dream. I sneak-peaked this look in my IG stories and was inundated with questions as to where it was from!
The pair of shoes that you will have to pry me out of this summer is the High Front Clog. I don’t really wear heels anymore as I can’t stand the discomfort and generally, I just need to move around quickly BUT these clogs are the exception. Super cute, chunky open toe clogs, gorgeous with a mini skirt or short dress, but also gorge with a straight-leg trouser or jean. They’re incredibly versatile and comfortable, with a supportive cushioned sole that makes them a pleasure to wear. 10/10.
The other essentials that I always pack…
Books are my vice – I usually bring more than I will ever read and end up unnecessarily weighed down. I wish I could do kindles but I just can’t. I need the crack of the spine and the scent of the page! But I also love skin care, so I’m probably packing my Omnilux LED facemask as well as Tatcha, 111 Skin, QMS Medicosmetics, and Beauty Pie products!
For more of her literary wisdom and insights, head over to Emma’s Substack.