Do revolutions start in Bookshops?
They are certainly places which encourage conversation and the sharing of opinions and ideas. In some countries bookshops are treated with suspicion by governments wary of what thoughts and ideas are being shared with ‘the people’, but mostly bookshops are melting pots of variety, mirrors of the communities in which they are found. Since the pandemic restrictions were lifted a few weeks ago, the shop has been much busier than we expected – at times the hustle & bustle is more like a merchant bank’s trading floor than the calm gentleness of the book shop. What is clear is that there is a lot of stuff to be discussed, most of it just unfettered joy at being out and about and able to chat with folk you may not have seen for a while, some of it is the sharing of opinions and frustrations formulated over the last eighteen months or so. These are strange times and after a year and a half of doing as we’ve been told, freedom from the restrictions of a pandemic is generating as many questions as it is providing answers. What is clear is the place we find ourselves now need not be the same place we left at the beginning of 2020 – but what can this new place be like? Well, it can be anything we choose – enough people coming together with common dreams and ideals can travel anywhere, perhaps this is the time for a quiet, gentle and thoughtful revolution.
Like the ‘disappeared booksellers’ of Hong Kong, freedom through literature can land authors in hot water too – the Turkish journalist, broadcaster and author Ece Temelkuran has found herself having to live outside of her homeland, her work sufficiently uncomfortable for some that she is exiled in Croatia. Her book ‘Together’ is a call to action – a manifesto for gentle and thoughtful change, but most importantly brought about through friendship. Ece has sent us some postcards from her adopted home, Zagreb in Croatia – each copy of her book comes with a hand-signed postcard, each with a little joyful message from Ece.
There is a distinct sporting nature to our Coles Signed Editions this week – we are now taking Pre-Orders for forthcoming books from Frankie Dettori, Phil ‘Tuffers’ Tufnell and Olympic Gold Medalist Adam Peaty – new titles which have arrived this week include Macabees musician Felix White’s ode to Cricket, the sport he loves; Antony Penrose sets the exposure on the life of his famous photographer mother, Lee Miller; travel writing is always a joy to read when it’s written by Tim Moore – in ‘Vuelta Skelter’ he completes his cycling trilogy of the Grand Tours, this time the Vuelta a Espana; photographer, and former competition cyclist Camille J McMillan rides in with a limited edition of his fabulous book ‘Circus’ – a look behind the scenes of professional bike racing; Elif Shafak returns with another belter in ‘The Island of Missing Trees’; Robin Stevens brings a collection of short stories in ‘Once Upon a Crime’; we have Signed Paperback novels from Ruth Jones and Alex Pavesi and Phillip Schofield’s memoir, ‘Life’s What You Make It’ is now available as a Coles Signed Paperback Edition. In other revolutionary times, Marie Antoinette may or may not have coined the phrase ‘Let them eat cake’ – if she had, then it could have been Jane Dunn’s ‘Jane’s Patisserie’ she was referencing. And finally, the Signed Editions of Richard Marx’s ‘Stories to Tell’ have started shipping – for Coles customers a few days ahead of official publication.
The Most Gentle Revolution by Nikita Gill
There are still versions of you that remember
a soft childhood filled with caring for everything
that the grown ups around you simply ignored.
The baby bird with a broken wing you healed,
the thirsty plants you always gave water to
the lonely and sad children you befriended.
We learn when we are young how to be kind,
we are so certain back then that we are here to help
each other through sorrow and through sadness too.
But when we grow up we forget the magic
that lies within each act of kindness, that it has
the facility to build true hope the way revolutions do.
Kindness was always your superpower.
And your gentle heart can still change the world
if only you believe you can and truly want to.
You can find more poetry from Nikita Gill on the Coles website HERE
