The Ragged Optimist 54

Books Not Bombs

I love books, so living above a bookshop feels somehow inevitable. I have - for as long as I can remember - loved reading. I had a thing for Biggles, as a child (for the planes, really - I have always loved flying, had my first lesson aged 13). Then I discovered Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone’s Fighting Fantasy books. I really liked the science fiction ones, perhaps more than the fantasy. I even made my dad take me to meet them at a book signing, up from Worthing to London. Years later, I met Ian at GEEK festival in Margate and thanked him - he’s a lovely chap. My first proper relationship revolved around Terry Pratchett novels, and I still think that well-chosen books make the best gifts. I can’t imagine a life without books.

Since being here, I have read a couple of Nevil Shute books, issues 1-30 of Crisis comic (there’s a comic shop across the road from the bookshop - what more does a man need?*), Robin Ince’s ADHD memoir, the quite Worthing-ish Modernism On Sea, and I have just finished Send Flowers, the debut by

Emily Buchanan

. It’s out later this year, and it’s a very Ragged Optimist kind of a book. Make a note, because I’ll be talking more about it closer to release, and because you’ll want to read it.

And as well as loving reading - I love books. The actual physical objects. A good book - the right size, well bound, good paper, beautiful typesetting - is there anything better? Books are surely the peak of technology and culture combined. I own well over 2000, mostly packed away in storage down in Worthing. Books from the 1700s, books with beautiful marbled end-papers, books gifted to me by authors, books from the libraries of friends who have died, precious books that are printed in tiny editions, books that are worthless but I absolutely treasure. Do I miss them? Well, yes - I often find myself thinking ‘I’ll just look that up’ or ‘I want to read that passage’ but I can’t. Living above a bookshop, though, is some consolation.

* Pants. There’s nowhere to buy pants in Margate.

Margate, May 2025

1. Rod Stewart read about a small child waiting for an autism assessment, so has paid for it to be done privately. He used to live on the houseboats at Shoreham-by-Sea, long before I used to hang out there — obviously —, and all the houseboaters are good, kind, generous people.

2. Built entirely from locally sourced materials, the Wild House in Brighton demonstrates how housing can exist in harmony with the local landscape and support biodiversity. With one in five people in the UK living in areas deprived of green space, the pioneering project showcases how biodiversity-friendly materials can be used in social housing at scale.

3. On the hottest day of the year people all over the UK will join the Heat Strike. In 2022 the UK passed 40°C for the first time in recorded history, and it’s not getting any cooler. The UK does not have a maximum working temperature. When the UK next hits 36°C this coalition of trade unions and community organizers will call a Heat Strike. We’ll be talking about this at Marine Studios, to see if we can work out ways that freelancers and independent artists can get involved.

4. Beavers breaking wind.

5. Beaver T-shirt, anyone, with your purchase supporting Rewilding Britain’s work?

6. Ronay in the Outer Hebrides has the remains of prehistoric settlements, suggesting a long history of diverse land-use, including seaweed harvesting and livestock grazing. It was bought by new owners in 2023, and now they’re planning to restore nature across the island, and to make a range of Ronay Island products, using wild-grown seaweed and quality venison. Meanwhile, filming in Margate over the last couple of weeks needed seaweed for set dressing: they imported two tons of finest Scottish seaweed.

7. This tower acts as a lookout point for tourists on a network of cycling and walking trails in the Einderheide forest near the Belgium border, and also provides homes for bats. It was commissioned by the local council.

8. At 85 years young, Brother John Green is setting off on an extraordinary adventure - an eight-week journey around the British Isles using nothing but public buses. Brother Green’s “Brother on a Bus” tour is raising funds for The Hospital of St Cross and their almhouses. Brother John is, incidentally, a bookbinder! Meanwhile, James White is travelling from Lands End to John O’Groats by bus. The whole journey will cost under £250.

9. This month, Bristol Waste’s IT recycling scheme has delivered 26 laptops, one TV, and two games consoles to eight different organisations. The donations aren’t just about recycling technology - they’re about creating opportunities, fostering independence, and improving quality of life for Bristol residents.

10. The Palace Cinema in Broadstairs has been operating for sixty years, and in June they’re launching a new ‘People’s Palace Community Hires’ scheme, for local charities to use the cinema to fundraise for their good causes.