Oh No, Monster Tomato! (Egmont, pbk, £5.99)
The 2009 winner
| December 2009 Newsletter Special Christmas Event We held our special Christmas event on Friday December 4th between 4pm and 9pm, not knowing quite what to expect. As we were offering 10% off everything in the shop and readings from Dickens' Christmas Carol, it was difficult to know how to organise it. On the night, however, it was great fun, with four fantastic actors performing amongst the customers in the shop. The book was divided into six episodes, interrupting the Christmas shopping every 15 minutes. With the mulled wine and the mince pies and a special lucky dip for the children, I think everyone came away feeling a little bit more Christmassy! Don’t forget
New Opening Hours Please note that our normal opening hours have changed. We are now open at 9.30am until 6pm during the week, but 9 – 5.30pm, the same as before, on Saturdays. During the run up to Christmas we will be opening on Sunday 13th and Sunday 20th from 11am - 4pm. We will be open late some evenings during the two weeks before Christmas. Best to ring us to check.
Hallowe’en Hallowe’en was a great success again. It’s a fantastic way to “do” Hallowe’en with young children. (Lots of shops in the 'High Street' display pumpkin symbols in their windows. This is the sign that the children (and their parents) can go in and ask for Hallowe’en goodies) There were even more children than last year – certainly more than two hundred children in fancy dress came into the bookshop. I had to go rushing off to get more sweets. We printed off our own witch bookmark for children to colour in (thanks to Joy’s ‘wizard’ drawing). Certainly quite a few mums and Dads looked relieved to get something other than sweets! Book Tokens I had thought I would be telling all our customers that the new ELECTRONIC BOOK-TOKENS would be launched by October, but they have been postponed yet again. Perhaps it's just as well. With Christmas coming up, it could have been a bit chaotic. The paper ones will have to do until next year. E-Books & E-Readers There’s a lot of interest at the moment in e-readers and e-books. Most of the articles herald doom and gloom for the printed book and independent bookshops. However, I prefer to be optimistic that the two will continue to co-exist for quite some time. At the moment we assume that an order for a book will be a paperback or a hardback edition, but in fact, even now, we can also offer audio books, CDs and e-books. (If available). We’re just going to have to think of them as just another edition. I would point out, in case people don’t realise, that the new ‘Kindle’ e-reader just launched by Amazon, will only ever be able to download e-books from Amazon. It locks you into only buying from them! The publishers are extremely worried about this as it gives Amazon even more power to dictate to them. Sony e-readers and others are available generally and can use any supplier. Gallery News Joy’s exhibition in the gallery has been extended for a few weeks. If you haven’t seen her work, do pop in – it’s lovely. Gifts & Cards It’s a bit early to tell, but it looks like our new Crystal Palace Jigsaw is going to be our Christmas bestseller! We’ve just sold out again, but we’re expecting a new delivery at the end of this week. Another new venture for us is a series of DVDs on London history. Showing unseen or rarely seen footage, they each last about 55 minutes. There are eight titles on the East End, London in the Fifties, London’s Lost Docks, Railways, Haunted London & the Krays. At £9.99 they could be the perfect Christmas present. We’ve had so many other unusual gifts in there’s no space to enthuse about them all, but I’ll mention a few.
The Greyhound Development The revised plans for the Greyhound Pub and car park have been sent in to Lewisham Planning Department. We have a model of this development in the gallery if you are curious to see what it could look like. I’m sure there are lots of people with specific arguments against it, but I personally think that we’ll never get a better offer. BOOKS We’ve been looking round the shop at the books we have in stock trying to pick out particular titles to mention. With so many different subjects and interests it’s nearly impossible. We’ll just have to go for a random choice and hope that there is something to interest you or spark off that idea for a present. Some non-fiction… Lost Crafts: Rediscovering Traditional Skills by Una McGovern (£14.99 pbk) – in this era of financial crisis everyone’s looking to find tried and tested ways of doing things and this is a very useful guide to just that. Lost London by Philip Davies (£29.99 hbk) – this is a beautiful collection of old photographs of bygone London; buildings and spaces that don’t exist anymore or have faded into the background of history. A Gambling Man: Charles II and the Restoration by Jenny Uglow (£25.00 hbk) The much admired biographer turns her attention to this most colourful of characters during the first ten years of his reign. The Making of Modern Britain by Andrew Marr (£25.00 hbk) – Tying in with the recent TV series Marr explores the social history of Britain in the 20th century with his usual flair for detail. Life Stories by David Attenborough (£20.00 hbk) - Another wonderful book by an indispensable British institution, beautifully illustrated. Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5 by Christopher Andrew (£30.00) - This unprecedented publication lifts the lid on one of the world’s most secretive organisations – a fascinating read. Hops and Glory by Pete Brown (£14.99 hbk) – An unexpected bestseller in our shop. Humorous travel writing and beer - what more could you want? Halfway to Hollywood: Diaries 1980 to 1988 by Michael Palin (£20.00 hbk) - The hugely likeable Palin manages to make his forays in film, television and writing seem effortlessly hilarious. Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch Vol 1 (£30.00 hbk) – Over 400 recipes inspired by Nigel Slater’s vegetable patch – A beautifully designed book Venice by Peter Ackroyd (£25 hbk) - We loved Ackroyd’s London: The Biography, so much so that a few years ago, we had staff and customers reading it aloud over 24 hours! Now Ackroyd has done it again, with a warts and all portrait of this most beautiful and beguiling of cities. I Know How To Cook by Ginette Mathiot (£24.95 hbk) - Could this be as indispensable to the British as it is to the French? Some fiction……. Stieg Larsson - The Swedish crime writer that everyone’s talking about. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo & The Girl Who Played With Fire are in paperback (£7.99). The third, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is just out in hardback (£18.99). The three novels feature one of the most original heroines in modern crime fiction. Tragically the author died suddenly after delivering the final part of the trilogy to his publishers. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows (£7.99 pbk) – We loved this charming novel composed entirely in letters, set against the backdrop of the Nazi-occupied Channel Islands. A warm, funny and moving celebration of the written word. Tamara Drewe by Posy Simmonds (£12.99 pbk) - Following her previous adaptation of Madame Bovary, The Guardian’s regular cartoonist adapts Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd as a modern morality tale. Beautifully drawn and very witty. ust out is ...And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer (£18.99 hbk) the official sequel, and sixth in the series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Colfer, author of the best-selling Artemis Fowl books, brilliantly recreates Douglas Adams' hitherto inimitable style. Long-awaited by fans it's sure not to disappoint. The Man Booker Shortlist for 2009 was announced in September and was a familiar mix of new and established authors. Bookies’ favourite Hilary Mantel led the pack with Wolf Hall (£18.99 hbk), which explored the interior life of Thomas Cromwell during the Tudor years. This went on to win the prize in October. An early favourite, Sarah Waters, followed up her previously-shortlisted Nightwatch with The Little Stranger (£16.99 hbk), a 1930s set ghost story, while another heavyweight, AS Byatt, made this year’s list with The Children’s Book (£18.99 hbk). Also in the running was twice-winner JM Coetzee whose Summertime (£17.99 hbk) completed his trilogy of fictionalised memoirs. There were two newcomers: Adam Foulds’ The Quickening Maze (£12.99 hbk) took the Victorian poet John Clare as his starting point, and Simon Mawer used wartime Czechoslovakia as his setting for his novel The Glass Room (£16.99 hbk). Books Under Ten Pounds Je Ne Sais Quoi & Pardon My French by Charles Timoney (hbk, £9.99 each) Discover the hidden French in you with these hilarious guides to getting by in France. Red Sky at Night: The Book of Country Lore & Wisdom by Jane Struthers (£9.99 hbk) - Ever wondered how to predict the weather just by looking at the sky? This book is packed with instructions and lists, ancient customs and old wives tales. High Balls, Long Balls & No Balls (£6.99 pbk) - an irreverent collection of sporting gaffes including Gazza’s immortal “I never predict anything, and I never will!” Secret Life of Birds by Colin Tudge (£9.99 hbk) – Birds have always fascinated and Colin Tudge has dug up some extraordinary facts and stories to illustrate this. The Weather Book by Diana Craig (£9.99 hbk) – What would the British do without the weather to talk about? This tells you everything about the skies above us than you could ever wish to know – and more. World Without Bees by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum (£7.99 pbk)- A disturbing look at the plight of the humble bee and what a world without them would be like. Leviathan by Philip Hoare (£8.99 pbk) - Winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction, this is a wonderful book, exploring everything cetacean. Philip Hoare grew up obsessed by whales, and it shows – you’ll find yourself quickly becoming obsessed with whales too. BOOKS FOR CHILDREN For Younger Readers… Bedtime Collection: 40 Stories and Rhymes (£7.99 pbk) - This anthology has been put together by children’s book guru Wendy Cooling. Brilliant illustrations by the likes of Lauren Child, David McKee and Axel Scheffler accompany poems and stories from, among others, Michael Morpurgo, Roger McGough and Ian Whybrow. This is a very satisfying brew of good value and excellent content. Children will go on enjoying this book for a long time. Just Like Tonight by Stewart Amber and Layne Marlow (£5.99 pbk) - Following in the softly padding paw-steps as Martin Waddell’s Little Bear comes the very endearing Button. Set in a sunlit meadow full of bright new grasses and flowers, Layne Marlow’s pretty and tender illustrations make this a particularly lovely picture book. And although there are plenty of books about mums and babies this one, usefully, focuses on fatherhood. Hide Me Kipper by Mick Inkpen (£5.99 pbk) – Celebrating 18 years of one of the most successful picture book characters, this brand new story is now out in paperback. Hooray! Stick Man by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (£5.99 pbk) - The dream team do it again. And again with their new one in hardback, Tabby McTat, at £10.99. Pictures for poring over and rhyming stories for reading aloud with pleasure over and over again. Charlie & Lola Annual 2010 (£7.99 hbk) – Every toddler’s favourite terrible twosome, Charlie & Lola are as popular as ever. Their new annual is packed with stories, games and puzzles. For Older Readers… Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson (£12.99 hbk) – the story of a foundling child who joins the circus before going in search of her real mother. It’s a sort of Victorian Tracy Beaker and lots of fun! The Death-Defying Pepper Roux by Geraldine McCaughrean (£12.99 hbk) – Pepper Roux defies the prophecy that he will die on his 14th birthday and sets off on a round the world adventure to stay one step ahead of death. As exciting as it sounds! Brigands M.C. by Robert Muchamore (£12.99 hbk) – the latest in the Cherubs series is sure to be a favourite with its followers. This time Dante is on the trail of the gang who killed his family… And of course, we have all of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series in stock! And if younger gothically inclined readers haven’t already discovered Marcus Sedgwick’s eccentric and funny Raven Mysteries, they are in for a treat. Flood and Fang is now followed by Ghosts and Gadgets. Nice little hardbacks – perfect gifts at £7.99 ROALD DAHL FUNNY PRIZE This is awarded to the funniest books published each year for children and the winners were announced in November. Judges, including Bill Bailey and Michael Rosen, chose Mr Pusskins Best in Show by Sam Lloyd (£10.99 hbk) from the Six and Under category, and Grubtown Tales: Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky by Philip Ardagh (£4.99 pbk) in the 7-14 category. Other shortlisted titles included: The Great Dog Bottom Swap by Peter Bently (£11.99 hbk) Octopus Socktopus by Nick Sharratt (£6.99 pbk) Elephant Joe Is A Spaceman by David Wojtowycz (£7.99 hbk) The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg (£5.99 pbk) The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams (£6.99 pbk) and Ribblestrop by Andy Mulligan (£6.99 pbk) NOTES FROM UNDER GROUND Books signed or inscribed by their authors or illustrators can make interesting and, sometimes, unique gifts. We have a selection of such items in stock from paperbacks to the sumptuous vellum gilt of an Edwardian classic. Prices range from £10-£1200 and authors/illustrators include Edmund Dulac, George Du Maurier, Alan Bennett and Will Self.
KIRKDALE BOOKSHOP NEWSLETTER October/November 2009 The shop will be celebrating its 43rd birthday on Saturday 17th October. That's not bad going for an independent bookshop! Do call in to the shop in the afternoon of Saturday 17th October for a glass of wine - we'd love to see you. We had hoped to be celebrating this with lots of events happening on the Saturday but due to personal reasons (my mother had a stroke) we've had to postpone a few things. We were looking forward to seeing Diana Evans, author of 26a, which won the Whitbread first novel award in 2008. She was coming to to read and sign her new book, The Wonder. We very much hope she will come along some time in November.
Levi Roots was also going to be part of our celebration but he has promised to sign some copies of his new book for us. (Available soon. Please let us know if you would like one.)
We will still be having storytime as usual on Saturday morning at 10.30-11am, but Saturday 17th will be a special one for the children. Award-winning local children’s author and illustrator Jim Helmore and Karen Wall, known to many for their Stripy Horse books return to the bookshop to read from their brand new picture book, Oh No, Monster Tomato! As usual, all children 3+ are welcome - no need to book. (Free Event).
Hallowe'en Event on Friday 30th October (I originally put on the website that this would be on Saturday 31st. It has, however, been decided that Friday would be better.) I can't say I'm a great fan of Hallowe'en, but I do think that the way Sydenham does it is great. If I had young children I would jump at the chance to let the children join in, in a safe environment, knowing that I didn't have to do any "tricking and treating" later. Lots of shops in the 'High Street' display pumpkin symbols in their windows. This is the sign that the children (and their parents) can go in and ask for Hallowe'en goodies. From what I've seen in past years, the children get quite a lot! The fancy dress competition at the end can be fairly chaotic, but good fun, with some amazing costumes especially the home made rather than shop bought ones. The children certainly enjoy the event. I don't think the times are confirmed yet, but it's usually between 4pm and 5pm. (Please check times). Book Tokens I had thought I would be telling all our customers that the new ELECTRONIC BOOK-TOKENS would be launched this October........ but they have been postponed again. Perhaps it's just as well. With Christmas coming up, it could have been a bit chaotic. There's always next year. And Books...... The Man Booker Shortlist for 2009 was announced in September and was a familiar mix of new and established authors. Bookies’ favourite Hilary Mantel lead the pack with Wolf Hall (£18.99 hbk), which explored the interior life of Thomas Cromwell during the Tudor years. This went on to win the prize in October. An early favourite, Sarah Waters, followed up her previously-shortlisted Nightwatch with The Little Stranger (£16.99 hbk), a 1930s set ghost story, while another heavyweight, AS Byatt, made this year’s list with The Children’s Book (£18.99 hbk). Also in the running was twice-winner JM Coetzee whose Summertime (£17.99 hbk) completed his trilogy of fictionalised memoirs. There were two newcomers: Adam Foulds’ The Quickening Maze (£12.99 hbk) took the Victorian poet John Clare as his starting point, and Simon Mawer used wartime Czechoslovakia as his setting for his novel The Glass Room (£16.99 hbk). Reviews Halfway to Hollywood: Diaries 1980 to 1988 by Michael Palin (£20.00 hbk) Former-Python Michael Palin’s first volume of diaries was a huge bestseller a couple of years ago and this latest volume promises to be just as popular. The hugely likeable Palin manages to make his forays in film, television and writing seem effortlessly hilarious and there’s more anecdotes here than you can shake a stick at. Further volumes are in the pipeline… Tamara Drewe by Posy Simmonds (£12.99 pbk) The Guardian’s regular cartoonist Posy Simmonds is probably best known for her graphic novel adaptation of Madame Bovary (Emma Bovery). She has followed this up with the witty and highly original Tamara Drewe, itself based on Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd. This tells the story of a London columnist who returns to her West Country roots after plastic surgery and the bewitching effect she has on the local populace. Soon to be adapted for the screen starring Gemma Arterton. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (£18.99 hbk) You can hardly have escaped the hype surrounding this - Dan Brown’s follow-up to the phenomenally bestselling Da Vince Code. Expert codebreaker and Mediaevalist Prof Robert Langdon is once again called in to investigate another dastardly deed in Washington DC, this time involving Freemasons. Expect run-of-the-mill prose but a masterfully compelling and page-turning plot – if the last one was anything to go by anyway! Venice by Peter Ackroyd (£25 hbk) We loved Ackroyd’s London: The Biography, so much so that a few years ago, we had staff and customers reading it aloud over 24 hours! Now Ackroyd has done it again, with a warts and all portrait of this most beautiful and beguiling of cities, and it promises to be just as interesting. Ackroyd is the master of the quirky historical anecdote so expect to discover more about Venice’s dark past than you thought humanly possible. I Know How To Cook by Ginette Mathiot (£24.95 hbk) The indispensable French bestseller, this gives you all the cooking basics and makes a beautiful gift too. Originally published in 1932, “Je Suis Cuisiner” was the bible of French domestic cooking and Mathiot hailed as the Queen of the French kitchen. Now published in English for the first time, Phaidon have styled the cover magnificently. Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch Vol 1 by Nigel Slater (£30.00 hbk) Slater is fast becoming a British institution. His marvellous foodie’s memoir Toast delved nostalgically into his childhood but this brings us up to date, with an insight into his vegetable garden and the wonders he works with it. Full of brilliant recipes as well as an alphabeticised description of every conceivable garden vegetable this is a must have for any would be chef or amateur cook. Miracles of Life by J.G.Ballard (£7.99 pbk) Ballard was one of British fiction’s most underrated writers and in this, his posthumously published autobiography, he explores the origins of his unique style. Along with his parents, he was imprisoned aged thirteen for three years in the Lunghua concentration camp in Shanghai. The book charts his subsequent emigration to England and the beginnings of his life as a writer. A fascinating insight into an extraordinary man. My Life by Fidel Castro (£12.99 pbk) As told to Ignacio Ramonet this is the life story of the world’s longest serving Communist dictator, from his humble rural origins, through the turmoil of revolution to the enigma of present day Cuba. Candid, often controversial, always interesting, this is the closest we’re likely to get to a true understanding of this complex character and well worth the effort – it’s 736 pages long! Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama (£8.99 pbk) Our best seller last year, this is a must-read for anyone wanting to get inside the mind of the new US president. First published over ten years ago, Obama sets out to explore the complicated relationship he had with his mostly absent father, an itinerant Kenyan who left his mother with several children when very young. Astonishingly well-written, it packs a powerful emotional punch, especially when Obama visits Kenya to meet his estranged family. The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (a trilogy in 5 parts) by Douglas Adams (£6.99 each) Reissued with imaginative new covers, Adams’ comic masterpieces are still as funny as they were when first published thirty years ago. Virtually inventing the genre of spoof science-fiction, Adams combines wit, philosophy, satire and downright daftness to produce surreal gems that will surely last for millennia. If you’ve never tried them, give them a go – they’re miles better than the recent film adaptation. Just out is ...And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer (£18.99 hbk) the official sequel, and sixth in the series. Colfer, author of the best-selling Artemis Fowl books, brilliantly recreates Adams' previously-inimitable style. Long-awaited by fans it's sure not to disappoint. 26a by Diana Evans (£6.99 pbk) This was the first book by Sydenham-based author, Diana Evans, and won the Orange Prize for Best First Novel in 2007. The story of identical twins Georgia and Bessi, it’s an extraordinary tale of escape and identity, as the two girls try to forge separate lives after a childhood spent entwined in their own little world. Full of imaginative writing and quirky descriptions it’s a unique read and very touching. She has a new novel just out called The Wonder (£12.99 hbk). We are hoping that Diana will be visiting the bookshop soon. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (£7.99 pbk) A first novel by a Dominican-American writer, this is a magical book with a truly original central character. Modelling himself after Oscar Wilde (“Wao”), young Oscar dreams of escape from his humdrum life, where he remains the perennial geek amongst other, more macho, Dominican males. Through a series of bizarre and wonderful adventures, we get to see Oscar flower in the most extraordinary way. A charming and hugely entertaining read. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami (£7.99 pbk) For fans of the Japanese stylist Murakami, this is a must-read; a memoir of long-distance running, as well as a philosophical musing on the nature of life, death and writing. Murakami is best known for his startlingly surreal novels, but his non-fiction is just as compelling, full of crystal-clear prose, and always very readable. Netherland by Joseph O’Neill (£7.99 pbk) This was widely tipped to win the Booker Prize last year and it’s not surprising to see why: it’s a masterful novel, ostensibly about one man’s dream to build a state-of-the-art cricket stadium and New York, but really much, much more. It’s a hymn to friendship and the melting pot that is the world’s most dynamic city. Don’t be put off by the apparently arcane subject matter and simply enjoy. The Road Home by Rose Tremain (£7.99 pbk) This year’s Orange Prize winner, The Road Home is a portrait of an Eastern-European everyman, on a sojourn from his homeland to England, to find a better life for himself. Plunged into an underworld of bad jobs, dodgy bosses and strange landlords, he soon realises that he was better off at home and so he begins another long journey…Beautifully crafted, full of detailed description and witty dialogue, this was a worthy Orange winner, and surprisingly moving. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo & The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (£7.99 pbk) The publishing phenomenon that was Stieg Larsson burst onto the literary scene in 2007. As part of a trilogy of crime-thrillers, the first two books in the series are already in paperback and both are uniquely brilliant page-turners. Featuring one of the most original heroines in modern crime fiction, both novels combine detailed plot twists with brilliant characterisation. There’s one more volume to come in October and I, for one, can’t wait. Tragically the author died suddenly after delivering the final manuscript to his publishers, but he leaves behind a worthy memorial. Leviathan by Philip Hoare (£8.99 pbk) Winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction, this is a wonderful book, exploring everything cetacean. From the origins of Herman Melville and Moby-Dick, through the terrible history of whaling, to our present-day understanding of whales’ complex society, it’s a compendium of facts, anecdotes and bizarre digressions. Philip Hoare grew up obsessed by whales, and it shows – you’ll find yourself quickly becoming obsessed with whales too. NEW BOOKS FOR CHILDREN Babies and Toddlers. Bedtime Collection. 40 Stories and Rhymes. Orchard Books, £7.99 This anthology has been put together by children’s book guru Wendy Cooling. Brilliant illustrations by the likes of Lauren Child, David McKee and Axel Scheffler and poems and stories from, among others, Michael Morpurgo, Roger McGough and Ian Whybrow. This is a very satisfying brew of good value and excellent content. Children will go on enjoying this book for as long as the paper holds up to the rigours of chewing, sticky-fingered pointing and generally being cuddled and carried about like a favourite toy. Just Like Tonight Stewart Amber and Layne Marlow Oford University Press. £5.99 Following in the softly padding paw-steps as Martin Waddell’s Little Bear comes the very endearing Button. Set in a sunlit meadow full of bright new grasses and flowers, Layne Marlow’s pretty and tender illustrations make this a particularly lovely picture book. And although there are plenty of books about mums and babies this one, usefully, focuses on fatherhood. Hide Me Kipper. Mick Inkpen. Hodder, £5.99 Celebrating 18 years of one of the most successful picture book characters, this brand new story is now out in paperback. Hooray! Stick Man. Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Scholastic/Alison Green £5.99 The dream do it again. And again with their new one in hardback, Tabby McTat, at £10.99. Pictures for poring over and rhyming stories for reading aloud with pleasure again and again.
August/September 2009 Newsletter
n our January newsletter I confessed to being a bit scared about the year ahead. I also mentioned that we had the Arts Festival to look forward to in July! All of a sudden we are more than halfway through the year, the Festival has finished and there has been so little time to worry about credit crunches etc. We’re hurtling through the year to our 43rd birthday in October and discussions galore about next year’s Festival. The general opinion is that the first Sydenham Arts Festival was a triumph! There were more than fifty events over 10days and it proved quite a steep learning curve for the organisers. A big THANK YOU to all those who helped, took part, or went to events. It shows what a fantastic community Sydenham is. What form the festival takes next year may be up to you. We’d love to hear about your ideas or offers of help.www.sydenhamartsfestival.com Email: sydenhamartsfestival@hotmail.co.uk On the subject of Arts in Sydenham – don’t forget to book your seats for Sherlock Holmes and the Curse of the Werewolf in the Dolphin garden. After the sell-out of Jonathan’s production of Midsummer Night’s Dream last year, this spoof on Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth should prove to be just as popular. August 18th-20th and 25th-27th. Tickets £9.50 (£7.50 concession) at the bookshop or tel: 0208 778 4701.
Gallery News The Open Exhibition, consisting of work by 15 artists, continues until the end of August. This is followed by an exhibition of work by Una Joy (our customers will know her as “Joy”), opening on Saturday September 12th at 3pm. Come along for the opening if you can! The exhibition finishes at the end of October.
A FEW BOOKS FOR THE SUMMER The Road Home – by Rose Tremain. This won the Orange Prize for fiction this year and is the very timely tale of an Eastern European everyman migrating to contemporary England. Netherland – by Joseph O’Neill. This was a real surprise, a novel about cricket in New York, that actually manages to completely transcend its subject matter with a tale of loss, friendship and redemption. Barack Obama called it a ‘terrific book’. It was shortlisted for last year’s Man Booker Prize. The Believers – by Zoe Heller. From the writer of Notes on a Scandal comes this new novel of dysfunctional family life. Characters wrestle with their beliefs – religious and otherwise – in this comic, tragic and supremely entertaining read. Single Mother on the Verge – by Maria Roberts. A local author, Maria tells her own story as a single mother in Manchester. A surprisingly humorous and touching memoir about overcoming difficult relationships and finding yourself, rather than Mr Right. Signed copies available. For lovers of short stories, The Collected Stories of Lorrie Moore is just out in paperback £9.99 “Each story is a small, packed masterpiece” Roddy Doyle. A Case of Exploding Mangoes – by Mohammed Hanif. Now in paperback, this was the Booker longlisted first novel by another local author. It imagines what might really have happened when President Zia of Pakistan died in a plane crash in 1988. Both a political satire and a comic romp this makes for a great read. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows. Told in letters, this refreshing, charming and deceptively simple novel tells the story of Guernsey’s Nazi occupation. A surprisingly lovely book to curl up with during the rainy summer months! Just out- Smart new editions of Leonard Cohen’s Beautiful Losers & The Favourite Game (£8.99). The Whole Day Through by Patrick Gale (£7.99) and Love All by Elizabeth Jane Howard (£7.99). For the many fans of Carter Beats the Devil, Sunnyside, a new novel from Glen David Gold (Hardback £17.99) Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler (Hardback £17.99) Too late for the Summer but there’s a new novel coming in the Autumn from the author of Poisonwood Bible! It’s been 10 years……….
Non-Fiction Hops and Glory – by Pete Brown. Indian Pale Ale was the original of the ‘IPA’ you might see on many a beer brand today, but Pete Brown wanted to sample the real thing. This hugely entertaining book charts his journey from Burton-on-Trent to India to find it. Shepperton Babylon – by Matthew Sweet, author, broadcaster and presenter of Radio 4’s Film Programme, this fascinating book lifts the lid on British cinema, from its early silent beginnings through the glorious Ealing days to the seedier era of 70s exploitation movies. Packed full of quirky stories and anecdotes, it celebrates a world of scandal and intrigue hitherto unknown. The author lives locally. Signed copies available
A World Without Bees – by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum (£7.99). This recent non-fiction bestseller examines a terrifying new concept. Since so much of our world relies on the pollination of food crops, the threatened extinction of bees ultimately threatens us too.
Just Out - Playfair Football Annual 2009-2010 £6.99
Books by Carol Ann Duffy, our new Poet Laureate, are even more popular than ever – and do look at the beautiful new woodcut designs on the covers of Faber’s 80th anniversary poetry selections. RECENT AWARDS The Man Booker 2009 longlist has just been announced. Although the new novels by Sarah Waters -The Little Stranger (16.99) and AS Byatt - The Children (£18.99) are in the chosen thirteen books, the favourite to win is the new Hillary Mantel- Wolf Hall (18.99). There is a lot of interest in Me Cheeta by James Lever (£7.99) as it was originally marketed as a biography! The BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction has been awarded to LEVIATHAN OR, THE WHALE by Philip Hoare. (P/b £8.99). “In Hoare’s hands, whales are limitlessly strange and interesting” Sunday Times. “Descriptive prose of great beauty” Guardian. “I’m finding it unputdownable” Jonathan at the bookshop.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS Picture Paperbacks Sue Eves & Viviane Schwarz read their picture books for our Festival storytime. Sue’s The Quiet Woman and the Noisy Dog is just out in paperback at £5.99. Viviene’s book There are Cats in this Book, will be out in paperback by Christmas. Julia Donaldson’s lovely new picturebook Tabby McTatt. Hardback £10.99 The usual magic from this author. Her previous book Stick Man is just out in paperback.
Books for Younger readers A Finder’s Magic by Phillipa Pearce – still in hardback £9.99. A great birthday present for a good reader, otherwise you’ll have to wait until October for the paperback. A beautifully crafted fantastical mystery about a little boy and his dog. Prince Jake by Sue Mongredien – A brilliant new series of funny books for younger readers and great for parents to read to those who aren’t quite au fait with reading themselves. Six upwards.
Older Readers Run out of Stephenie Meyer? Try the hard boiled vampire-stricken world of Devil’s Kiss, a gritty debut novel by Sarwat Chadda –you’ll be on a roller coaster through the dark with this contemporary spin on the Knights Templar. Fans of Sally Gardner’s I, Coriander may already have pounced upon The Red Necklace (£6.99) but fans in waiting are in for a treat. Set in Paris in 1789, it’s a story that grips and gallops. The sequel The Silver Blade is in hardback at £9.99. Reaver’s Ransom by Emily Diamond won the Times Children’s Fiction Competition in 2008. It is a truly extraordinary and imaginative story, beautifully written and rewarding. Inkheart fans may find another author to follow here and there’s enough earthy sense to satisfy readers who don’t usually go for fantasy. (£6.99)
NEWS FROM UNDERGROUND Nowadays, the ancient country pursuit of fox-hunting is mired in controversy and decried, even vilified, by large sections of the community. However, there remains a considerable body of lore and literature surrounding the sport and we have a number titles in stock including nice editions of several of Surtees’ Jorrocks tales, a reprint of Nimrod’s Memoirs of the Life of John Mytton (1903) and Reminiscences of the Late Thomas Assheton Smith Esq. or, The Pursuits of an English Country Gentleman (2nd edn. 1860).
Other, more noteworthy, acquisitions over the past few months have been a very nice copy of Salvador Dali’s only novel Hidden Faces (1947), an illustrated edition of W. H. Davies’ Forty-Nine Poems, limited to 110 copies and signed by author and illustrator and Sassoon’s Satirical Poems (1926) in dust-wrapper.
CARDS · We have so many beautiful new cards - probably too many to single out any in particular. · We do have some unusual cards with seeds incorporated in the hand-made paper - these can be “planted” by the recipient. · Another good idea is a card with a 60 minute DVD inside featuring five English gardens, narrated by Richard Briers. At only £4.99 it’s a good present/card to post. · Just in – Charlie & Lola cards!
GIFTS · Look out for our new range of fantastic jigsaw puzzles, for example, exquisite Frank Lloyd Wright’s glass design and Harding’s view of Crystal Palace 1854-56. All @ £9.99 · A new range of hand-made soaps. The shop always smells lovely first thing in the morning. (I suppose it could be the cassis and fig candles!) · Pastel-coloured leather travel-card holders, bookmarks, coasters and photograph albums. · More of our fun jewellery. (Jonathan is amazed how female customers seem to stop in their tracks when they see the jewellery. He is trying to think of an equivalent gift that would stop men in their tracks but hasn’t come up with anything yet!) · Can you resist our cuddly Gromit, our Stripy Horse or our velvety Enormous Crocodile? · Our new Roald Dahl “Height Chart” makes a really good present.
KIRKDALE BOOKSHOP’S BIRTHDAY As mentioned above, Kirkdale Bookshop is 43 years old this October. (I desperately need to get to 43, as the bookshop in the film “You’ve Got Mail” closed when it was 42 years old!) We are hoping to tie in our celebrations with Black History Month in the afternoon of Saturday October 17th with author readings and signings and a Birthday Balloon Race. Please come in and ask for more details or let us have your email address.
The hugely successful Sydenham Arts Festival ran from 3rd to the 12th July and featured more than fifty events over 10 days. Click here for more details:
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