Tales by the Tide

 July’s first week has drifted by softly - days filled with familiar pages and fresh discoveries. I’ve been reading in nooks near open windows, with tea (and quiet thoughts) always in reach.

📚 What I’ve Finished

• The Salt Path by Raynor Winn - A re‑read of this beloved memoir, and it still cracks me open. Its simple, raw beauty never fails to linger.
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer - Another comfort read that reconnects me with gratitude and wonder.
• This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El‑Mohtar & Max Gladstone - Kit’s recommendation took me by surprise - eerie, lyrical, full of longing. I didn’t fully understand it, but I deeply felt it.

📖 What I’m Reading Now

• The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn - Also a re‑read. Her reflections on nature, grief, healing—they feel like familiar trails in my soul.
  
• The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner - Just embarked on this historical mystery. I’m excited for its dual timelines and atmospheric secrets.

🌊 What Surprised Me

That I’ve circled back to both Salt Path and Wild Silence so early - turns out the comfort of known landscapes is a balm when July feels heavy with the unknown.

Also surprising: how Time War moved me - its haunting, poetic pulses linger long after the last page.

🕵️‍♀️ On the Raynor Winn Investigation

This week, The Observer published an investigation claiming that key elements of Winn’s memoir may have been embellished or misrepresented - allegations of embezzlement, owning a second home during their “homeless” period, and questions about her husband’s CBD diagnosis. The charity PSPA has distanced itself, and Winn’s team has called the report “highly misleading” while pursuing legal advice 

As a reader who has found solace and strength in these stories, it's unsettling to see the foundations questioned. I still cherish the emotional truths the books carry, even if some factual details may now feel ambiguous. It’s a reminder of how deeply memoirs affect us—and how tangled the space between memory, storytelling, and truth can be.

✨ Standout Quotes & Moments

From The Salt Path:
“Just because you’re homeless doesn’t mean you haven’t got a life, a story, a place in the world.”

From Time War:
“Words can wound, or salve. They can kindle love, or spark war. They start revolutions and stop hearts.”

My own notebook:
“Re‑reading feels like returning to a true north - stories that are home, even when the world shifts.”

How is your July unfolding in terms of reading? Have any books surprised or rooted you this week? I’d love to hear your reflections.

Here’s to the stories that carry us through the days. ☀️