Books are a form of glue, once the adhesion has formed, they’re stuck to you and become an extension of our characters and culture.
This is that time of year which can feel as though it’s neither one thing or the other – the void between the past and the future. It’s a time of reflection and expectation, looking backwards at the year that was, one which was full of new and exciting developments, and looking forwards to the year about to come, the blank sheet of paper bursting with opportunity. And as this little business continues along its path to who knows where, there are several things which always remain the same – there are constants in bookselling. For a start there are over 500 years of history behind the ‘modern’ printed book – Gutenberg’s Bible of 1450 is not much different in construction to a hardback book plucked from the shelves of the book shop today. Then we have the most brilliant community of customers around us – over 35 years in this town and Coles feels as though it’s part of the landscape, full of life but also a place of calm, as solid a part of Bicester as the streets and buildings which surround us. All are welcome through our doors, in fact we’re perhaps most proud of the variety of folk who cross our threshold – these books and the shelves on which they sit do not intimidate, they embrace. To work in a book shop is about more than just having a job – books are a form of glue, once the adhesion has formed, they’re stuck to you and become an extension of our characters and culture. Although we all work hard, it feels as though this is no longer a job – it’s strange and difficult to describe, but a rather beautiful way to spend the working week.
This may be our shop, but it belongs to our customers and colleagues and the writers who create and fill this space with the things we love. Thank you as always for being part of our world over the previous twelve months, we can’t wait to share the next twelve with you.
Happy New Year.
‘Poem for a New Year’ by Matt Goodfellow.
Something’s moving in,
I hear the weather in the wind,
sense the tension of a sheep-field
and the pilgrimage of fins.
Something’s not the same,
I taste the sap and feel the grain,
hear the rolling of the rowan
ringing, singing in a change.
Something’s set to start,
there’s meadow-music in the dark
and the clouds that shroud the mountain
slowly, softly start to part.
From Allie Esiri’s ‘A Poem for Every Day of the Year’
Another year has flown by and lots of reading has been done! One of the best parts of being a bookseller is chatting with other like-minded book lovers; such an array of tastes and ideas is what makes a bookshop so enchanting. Here, we have chosen our favourite reads of the year, from old to new, fantastical to informative.
As always, if there’s something you need help with, or a book you need ordering, please call or email us!
Click on any of the book covers below for more info.
A note about browsing our website – all our Coles Signed Editions end with the words ‘- Signed Edition’ after the title and author – if those words aren’t there, it’ll be an unsigned book.
The full newsletter with links to books – including this week’s Signed Editions – can be found HERE
