The bookshop as a kaleidoscope, a shake and a twist and the view is different.
The speed of change can be quite dramatic sometimes – one moment the river Cherwell is lazily snaking through the valley which carries its name, gravity carrying it along to a meeting with the beautiful Thames at Oxford, the next it can be a raging torrent, transformed into an angry blanket smothering the valley with flood water. For as long as I can remember, the Cherwell has spilled its banks in Winter and covered the sounding countryside with a rich silt – come the Spring these meadows will have a lush richness and will be full of vibrant life.
The cycles of the seasons and the changes they bring are part of the variety which makes a life rich. Like a river, the bookshop is a constant – gently moving along its defined course, the bookshelves like trees on the riverbank, slowly changing as the year evolves, buds and leaves coming and going just as the books themselves do. From time to time, like the shake and twist of a kaleidoscope, the view becomes different and although the shop itself looks familiar – something has changed. It might be a table which has been beautifully re-dressed with a selection of books for Valentines Day, it might be a selection of new greetings cards or gifts, it might be a pile of a best seller which has come out of nowhere.
The bookshop as a kaleidoscope, a shake and a twist and the view is different.
It’s currently pelting it down with rain as I write this, and there’s nothing more I’d like to do than sit down under a cosy blanket with a good book and a cup of tea! So, if you’re short of any reads we can pop some in the post for you in no time; and if you’re lacking inspiration, then look no further…
Our two top picks of the week are different, but equally unique. Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney is a crime novel, centered around thirteen-year-old Ava Bonney, who possesses an unusual intellect far beyond her years. As Detective Seth Delahaye takes charge of a perplexing case, Ava refuses to sit idle. Determined and resourceful, she embarks on a daring quest to unveil the truth behind the string of chilling deaths plaguing her community. Our other top pick of the week is Hug Me by Simona Ciraolo – this book practically leapt off the shelf at me. The illustrations are so sweet, and quite different to other children’s books that are in circulation at the moment. This is the story of a cactus trying to get a much-needed hug, whilst being careful not prick anyone!
Our fiction picks of the week include I’m New Here by Ian Russell-Hsieh, the story of a Taiwanese-British photographer losing his grip on reality on a trip to Taipei – this is a masterclass in unreliable narration; Salman Rushdie’s Victory City is out in paperback, an epic novel about a young girl who’s divine encounter with a goddess forces her to create a new civilisation; Rebecca K Reilly’s Greta & Valdin is the tale of two siblings trying to navigate their queerness in everyday life – this novel is an exploration of love, family and karaoke, the generational reverberations of colonialism will make you laugh and cry in equal measure; we also have Doomed Romances, an anthology of macabre love, featuring authors such as Mary Shelley, Wilkie Collins, and Angela Carter.
This week’s tantalising new non-fiction include, The Counterfeit Countess by Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa, which centres around Janina Mehlberg, who rescued more than 10,000 Poles imprisoned by their country’s Nazi occupiers. Whilst Nuts and Bolts by Roma Agrawal is a popular science book about the fascinating inventions of small objects that change our lives everyday without us even recognising them.
This week we’ve had an influx of new children’s books. The Djinn’s Apple by Djamila Morani is a young adult murder mystery set in the golden age of Baghdad. Feather by MG Leonard is the latest installment in The Twitchers series for 9-12 year-olds; on a school trip to the Royal Swan Natural History Museum, Ava finds herself at the centre of a heist: hundreds of invaluable bird of paradise skins from the Alfred Wallace Collection have been stolen! Can she solve the case? Jamie Oliver’s first childrens book, Billy and the Giant Adventure, is now in paperback. For ages 9-12, this is the story of Billy and his friends who magically find a portal to a magical realm…And lastly, for very young children, One Goose, Two Moose by Kael Tudor and Nicola Slater, is a brilliantly funny picture book which perfectly captures the chaos of queueing up, and features a fun counting element too.
As always, if there’s something you need help with, or a book you need ordering, please call or email us!
From Amber
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The full newsletter with links to books – including this week’s Signed Editions – can be found HERE
