It's Tuesday, and time for book two of the Oh Comely's Book Club: Near to the Wild Heart, by Clarice Lispector.

Today's discussion is hosted by Tara Caimi, a writer whose pieces have appeared in Oh Comely, Writer’s Chronicle, Fire & Knives (sadly, out of print) and Whereabouts: Stepping Out of Place. Her memoir Mush: from sled dogs to celiac, the scenic detour of my life is forthcoming with Plain View Press. Here's what she thought of the book:

Clarice Lispector's lyrical language and sensory descriptions in Near to the Wild Heart read like nothing I've come across before and like nothing I'm likely to come across again. The plot is secondary, with bits emerging like white caps on a turbulent sea as the reader sinks, trancelike, into the depths of the protagonist's musings. One has to wonder, with language this beautiful, how much has been lost in translation.

Joana's mother is dead, and her father has little time for her. We see her retreating into her mind, detaching from the world around her. By the time her father dies, Joana has learned to rely on her imagination for comfort and support. She goes to live with relatives, but they cannot relate to her reticence. She is withdrawn and introspective, and they actually fear her. They send her to boarding school where she makes a connection with a teacher, but even he eventually succumbs to his own domestic concerns.

While Joana goes through the motions of life, the substance is inside her head. She searches for truth and explores the essence of existence, analyzing her observations with circuitous logic. She marries a man who has an affair with his ex-fiancé. When she learns of the affair, Joana takes a lover of her own but, true to her detached nature, chooses not to learn the man's name. When her lover is mysteriously taken away, Joana finds herself physically alone. Only then does she recognize and accept her power - a power that is fuelled by the inner workings of her mind.

Did you pick Near to the Wild Heart as your Book Club choice? What did you think? Head to our Facebook Page to join the discussion.

Here's what some of you thought: 

Near to the Wild Heart follows the life of Joana as she marries the faithless Otavio and moves through an array of emotional states. The story's almost dreamlike and the short sentences and vivid descriptions have you racing through the pages. In scenes which could be described as grotesque in manner, only a few words are needed for the reader to understand the action.

The final chapter ‘The Journey’ is just beautiful and the repetition of ‘De Profundis’ meaning ‘from the depths’ throughout makes you vividly imagine Joana standing, speaking out loud this last phase before the book ends. Rather more like a poem than a novel, the repetition of words and noises created through Lispector's beautiful descriptions make you tuck underneath the duvets just a touch more.

Not something I would normally pick up but something I would definitely recommend. 

Emily Smith. 

Although it was beautifully written, I felt like I was lost in a stream-of-consciousness sea! I was missing a sense of story. I wanted something to happen.

Anonymous. 

My experience of trying to read this book is best described by the first sentence of page 23: 'I get distracted a lot'. No matter how much I read my mind just kept wandering!

Hannah.

Reader photos from top: twoeggtartsplease and annastarra. / Read more at Penguin Classics.

It's Oh Comely Book Club Week, and to kick off we have our first Penguin Classic, We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. 

This short and eerie Gothic masterpiece is told by young Merricat, who lives alone with her sister Constance after the rest of their family were murdered one lunchtime by a generous dose of arsenic. Although Constance had cooked the lunch, she was acquitted of all charges, and now the sisters live hidden away in Blackwood Estate, away from the taunts and stares of the village. Merricat likes it that way though; she loves being spoilt by her sister, she loves their undisturbed lives, and she loves being carried away by her fantasies. All is as it should be, until a distant cousin arrives on their doorstep and threatens to rock the fairytale world that the sisters have created for themselves.

As quick and smooth to read as swallowing a lozenge, I raced through the pages with pleasant chills running down my spine. Rarely do I become so engrossed by a narrator's story, but Merricat's voice dripped with such dark and disturbing naivety that I couldn't put the book down until it was over. 

What did you think? Were you transported into Merricat's Gothic world, or were you unconvinced by the twist at the end? Join in the discussion on our Facebook page. 

Here's what some of you thought:

Throughout this tale of tangled relationships and concealed malice, an atmosphere of creeping unease pervades. As the reader is drawn into the Blackwood sisters’ claustrophobic world, sinister revelations unfold and the novel is propelled towards a conclusion which is strangely inevitable and yet subversively unexpected. We Have Always Lived in the Castle leaves us with thoughts of Merricat and Constance that remain, puzzling and wraith-like, long after the novel’s pages have closed.

Laura Pashby, www.circleofpinetrees.com. 

Read during my holiday, I was transported into the eccentric world of Merricat and Constance. There's an almost fairytale quality to the story, with buried treasure, charms and sisters living in their own gingerbread house. But as in all good fairytales there is a darkness, one that runs from the first page to the last, with talk of werewolves and witches. But in between the tale is a simple one, one that is chillingly real and surrounds a deep secret that the reader is trusted to carry.

This is a beautifully crafted book, one that I would recommend and all ready have.

Natalie McFadyen White.

I loved this story; I found it both enchanting and frightening, and since finishing the book I've bought more of Shirley Jackson's work. I will also be nagging my manager to order some copies for the senior school library, where I work, as I think the pupils will find it accessible and very different from their course texts. 

Cecily Fleming, Somerset. 

It didn't take me long to become hooked on this book, and what did it was the mention of arsenic. It instantly reminded me of the many Agatha Christie books I read as a teenager. Unlike the tales of Miss Marple however, it was me that was the detective, attempting to work out from the clues in the dialogue, who was ultimately responsible for wiping out the majority of The Blackwood family. The book was also infinitely creepier than a Christie novel. Very dark and in a strange way, very funny.

Sally Gill. 

There's just a week to go until the Oh Comely Book Club. By now you should be knee-deep in plots, red herrings and the turnings of events. 

If you've already finished your Penguin Classic, let us know what you thought!

Write a short review of no more than 200 words, telling us what you liked and disliked about your book, your favourite characters and moments. How did it leave you feeling? Would you recommend it to a friend?

Send in your reviews to [email protected] by Sunday the 7th September, and we'll post our favourites on the blog. Don't forget to tell us your full name, and where you're from. 

The Penguin Classics have now been dispatched, and should all be enjoying new homes in your hands. 

We are hosting the Oh Comely Book Club during the week beginning the 8th of September, where we will discuss a book a day over on our Facebook page.

In the meantime, all that's left to do is read! Pop the kettle on, put your phone in the bread bin, find a good corner and settle in. Don't forget to underline your favourite passages, and of course, send us a snap of where you're reading your Penguin Classic with the hashtag #OCbookclub. 

If you didn't get a chance to nab a free book but would still like to participate, you can purchase a Penguin Classic from one of the links below.

 
Here's a little about the titles you can choose from:

Near to the Wild Heart, Clarice Lispector. Lispector’s gripping stream-of-consciousness novel was hailed as a masterpiece on publication in 1943, but has been largely undiscovered outside Brazil until now.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson. If you like your reading with a touch of dark psychology and thrilling claustrophobia, this is for you. 

Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky. The Russian classic follows the mental anguish of Rodion Raskolnikov as he plots to kill a pawnbroker.

The Art of Joy, Goliarda Sapienza. A fictional memoir, and a hymn to being alive. The author spent her entire life unsuccessfully seeking to publish the novel.

Liveforever, Andrés Caicedo. A celebration of youth, hedonism and the transforming power of music.

Follow updates using the hashtag #OCbookclub. Sign-up to the Penguin Classics newsletter here.

Tamar Millen works for the Community Media Association, a platform that aims to empower communities through their arts and media. She got in touch with us over Twitter about her love and commitment to community radio. Here she tells us about her five favourite stations.

Have you ever shouted at the radio? Ever thought that you could do better than the sounds rolling into your room? Do you find yourself pressing the buttons, switching stations looking for something that isn't the same old pop playlist, or the same old arguments?

There's a whole swathe of people out there remedying just this.

There's a station out there for everyone, whether it's one of the 250+ FM community stations in the UK or one of the new wave of online broadcasters, and they’re creating exciting audio content (the best bit is that you can join in too).

Here's a few of my favourite community radio stations from around the country:

Soundart Radio. Based in Totnes (home of the Totnes Pound), Soundart can be found broadcasting from the Dartington Estate. Imagine a patchwork of arts stitched together for your ears - listen closely and you can even hear the birds. You can never predict what you’ll hear from month to month; it’s beautifully eclectic.

Basic FM. Brings an art gallery into your living room with a monthly exhibition. My particular favourites have been the 744-hour broadcast of Radio Boredcast by Vicki Bennett, and The Absinth Hour on Saturdays with Lady Koo.

Two Valleys Radio. This station brings the arts of the Colne Valley to their listeners, with regular programming from a barn. They play with exceptionally creative programming (as does its Leeds-based sister station www.elfm.co.uk). Outdoor broadcasts from the Caravan of Love, an 1980s caravan set up as a portable studio, mean that all aspects of valley life can be covered from Slaithwaite Moonraking Festival to Marsden Jazz Festival.

Resonance FM. Broadcasting to Central London, I dip in and out of this station regularly. I love the access it gives to contemporary art. The station has a worldwide reputation for developing arts broadcasting, and long may it continue! My favourite programme which I listen to regularly is Six Pillars to Persia.

Bradford Community Broadcasting (BCB). When the Tyke in me needs a bit of comfort, I tune in to hear great stories in familiar accents. Based in the city centre, BCB is at the heart of Bradford and you can hear this reflected in all their programmes, from the football to the Ukranian show. A particular hightlight for me is the Sound Art Show by Claire Kearns.

Photos from top: Postbear, Two Valleys Radio

We never meant to introduce 1,500 strangers to each other. We just thought a swap project would be good fun, and a way to cheer the grey skies of November. Here's how we got on, including the results of our post-swap survery.

Step 1: Swap begins; panic does too

We began to feel a little queasy as the numbers of swappers raced through the hundreds. We would have do the matching at random by computer, and this was a little worrying. What if the person who wrote, "Please don't send me mushrooms, even the sight of them makes me queasy," accidentally got matched with a fungus-lover?

Step 2: Excitement

On posting day, the office was filled with over-excited people preparing packages.

Des "no presents, please" Tan had signed up for no less than four different swaps, which called for an industrial production line and much ordering of gloomy poetry books. At least he also sent chocolate.

Des writes an explanation his favourite poet's melancholy verses. 

Rosanna secretively sketches some garden-inspired packaging.

Step 4: Waiting for packages

Oooohh... look what arrived in the office.

Photos of the artistic, the elegant and the fantastically over-the-top began appearing on Facebook and Twitter.

Step 5: Getting feedback

We decided to do a survey. Here's the results: 75% of people got a box back in the post, and 22% didn't. (The other 3% are still waiting and hopeful.) 82% said they'd take part again, 16% said maybe and 2% said no.

Why the un-posted boxes? Well, we know of one potential swapper who went into labour early, another who had to move abroad in a hurry, and quite a few people who had an inbox malfunction. There are plenty of things life can throw at you that mean you forget even your mother's birthday. (Not that that's ever happened to me. Definitely not.)

Step 6: Swap-box stories

When you match up 1,500 strangers, you have to be prepared for 1,500 strange things to happen. In a spirit of sharing other stories, it's over to you.

Some people who blogged about the project:

Oh My, I'm Inspired is a "maker, baker, wannabe world-changer." 
Elk & Me make handmade bouquets.
A Couple of Smiles experiments with shrink-plastic accessories.
Lisa Marie blogs in Swedish, but the pictures are pretty.
Reckless and Gorgeous write, "Words, Ideas, Art. And the occasional Shite Haiku."
Amy's Imaginarium has the tagline: "She believed she could, so she did."
Vickie is an eclectic writer (with a colour-coded posting plan!).
Something I Noticed is a collector of unfinished stories.

Some thoughts and comments:

"It was lovely to take part even though I never heard from my swap partner. I'd do it again, but it would be lovely to encourage people to share more creatively. Friends that live in foreign lands and I often post each other local ingredients. From here in Scotland I posted chanterelles, homemade flavoured vodkas & gins and smoked game. I love the idea that they could be sitting in their kitchen eating a meal that my family and I may also be enjoying. That idea of sending a sense of the place I live with love to another far away. Thank you."

"I was sceptical, but pleasantly surprised. Nice to take a gamble and find a new friend."

"As someone who is pretty much stuck in the house from chronic pain this project reminded me that there is life outside the front door. It also reminded me of the loveliness of other people. It has genuinely been really good 'medicine' for me. Thank you for organising it and for sharing everyone's boxes. Thank you."

"Thank you for organising it all, it could have been great. I am a little sad that mine never arrived after putting a lot of thought into what I sent. Ah, well."

"It was so excellent and now me and my swap box partners are Facebook friends and keep in touch, which is lovely. I received some wonderful things and felt like I was opening a little treasure chest when I received my box."

A huge thank you to everyone who took part. We'll be doing this again in the Spring, so watch this space.

Maureen Du Preez's package for Rachel.

Thank you so much to everyone who look part in our November Care Package Project. We'd love to hear how you got on. Let us know in this form.

Box by Jemkay.

 

The November Care Package Project is now closed to new entries. Questions about your swap? Drop a line to swaps [at] ohcomely.co.uk.

What do you usually receive in the post? Bills? Advantage card updates? The odd postcard from your grandmother in Spain?

Well, we’ve got something up our sleeves to put to right this woeful lack of Good Post. Our November care package project will ensure that everyone has the chance to give and receive something inspiring and unique in the post.

We'll pair you up with a stranger, and you'll prepare a package of surprises for each other. Each box should be a warming collection of gifts and ideas to brighten the grey days.

Here's what to put inside:

Something personal. Eg: a favourite family recipe, a good book you’ve just finished, a playlist of your favourite music.

An inspiring snippet. Eg: newspaper clipping, a photo or illustration you love, the lyrics to a song that strike home.

A wintry treat. Eg: a pair of gloves, your favourite tea, a mini hot-water bottle. The spending guide for each box is £10.

Be creative – if you include a letter you might even start a pen-friendship! Inject it with colours, scents, flavours; make something that you would be pleased to receive. Think outside the - dare we say it - box, and most importantly have fun.

How it works:

1. Put your name and address in this form by Sunday 27th.

2. We will email you with the details of your swap partner, and this is your cue to prepare the box! You'll have two weeks to do this.

3. Post your box off by Monday 18th November.

4. Take a picture of the box you receive and share it with us on Twitter (#OCswapbox) or Facebook.

The Ts and Cs:

1. We will share your email address and postal address with your swap partner, and them alone.

2. If you are under 18, you must have the consent of a parent to take part.

3. If your box doesn’t arrive, feel free to drop your partner an email. Ultimately though, this is about the joyful risk of giving without the guarantee of return.

4. You accept sole responsibility for your swap, and liability for anything that may occur directly or indirectly as a result of sharing the information in (1) with your swap partner.

5. Get a 'certificate of posting' from the Post Office if you're worried about the box you send not arriving.

6. If you share pics of your box with us on Twitter and Facebook (and please do! it's #OCswapbox), we might use them with credit in an online gallery or the print magazine.

Hat tip to the Curiosity Project, who we got the idea from.