This Book Made Me Think of You

It is 2 January and when Matilda (Tilly) Nightingale receives a phone call from Book Lane bookshop asking her to come and collect a book that was ordered for her she is mystified as she knows that she does not have any outstanding orders. When she goes to the bookshop she is greeted by the shop owner, Alfie, who tells her that before he died, her husband, Joe, had asked Alfie to have a new book ready for Tilly to collect at the beginning of each month for twelve months.

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page traces twelve months of Tilly's life as she gradually comes to terms with the loss of her husband, helped by reading the books that he had selected for her. Although one theme of the book is dealing with grief, the novel also deals with the value of friendship and the forming of new relationships. Tilly gradually learns that other people are also grieving the loss of a loved one and not everyone knows how to be there for someone who is grieving. This does not mean that they are not thinking of their friend or family member who is attempting to readjust to a different life.

At the beginning of each chapter the author provides a list of the titles of four books on a particular theme. Titles of books are also often referred to throughout the novel as much of the action revolves around the bookshop, the value of reading and the enjoyment of reading books, plus a slice of romance. If you enjoy books and reading you should enjoy reading this book.

The Black Wolf

In the novel, The Grey Wolf, when Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team discover a plot to poison the Quebec water supply they keep much of the investigation secret in order to avoid panic in the community. Although the immediate danger now appeared to be over, the team discovers that danger still threatens their country and their work is far from over. The Black Wolf is still at large but who is he and who can the team trust in their investigation.

In The Black Wolf by Louise Penny  the threat of danger increases as Armand Gamache and his team learn what is going on and the growing threat to Canada. Conspiracy theories beginning on the Dark Web are now entering the wider internet community. A vicious campaign of misdirection is launched against Gamache putting his career and life in danger. The fear of the effects of climate change appears to be behind the threat of impending danger to Canada from their neighbouring country in the south. It is essential that the person behind the plot needs to be identified and removed.

The Black Wolf is the continuation to The Grey Wolf which should be read first though brief summaries of events in the previous book are inserted throughout the plot. The Black Wolf is a gripping story, though a little convoluted at times, with the tension growing as the end of the book approaches. Some of the premises which seem unbelievable in the book have actually occurred since the book was first written. Throughout the novel Armand Gamache and his team retreat to Three Pines where the inhabitants are supportive of their friends but remain in the background. Another excellent novel by Louise Penny.

Remainders of the Day

Remainders of the Day: More diaries from The Bookshop, Wigtown by Shaun Bythell continues the story of the life of a bookshop owner and his day to day routine. This volume covers the year from February 2016 to the beginning of February 2017 in which the author notes the day to day activities in running a bookshop and the people he encounters in the shop and online, buying or enquiring about books. Problems with Amazon also feature throughout the book.

Much of this volume describes the work involved in reviewing collections that people want to sell to the shop - unfortunately many books in these collections are books that people no longer want to read and consequently he does not need in the bookshop.

Wigtown in Scotland has many other bookshops as well as The Bookshop owned by Shaun. Books are an important part of the town including regular book festivals and book talks during the year. How the bookshop owners work together to promote this special feature of their community is described in the book.

Remainders of the Day is an amusing account of the life of a bookshop owner and his cat plus the people who visit The Bookshop.

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: true stories of the magic of reading

American author James Patterson has collected stories from booksellers and librarians, throughout North America, describing why they enjoy providing books for people to read. Finding the right book for someone to read is a challenge enjoyed by most librarians and booksellers. However recommending books to read is not a one way street. When I worked in libraries library patrons would often also recommend authors or titles to me. Reading can and should be a shared experience. 

The book is divided into five sections:

• To be a bookseller, you have to play detective
• I could talk about books forever
• I can't imagine what people do without books in their lives
• It doesn't matter what you like to read, as long as you love to read
•  Just one more chapter, please, just one more chapter
  

Stories in the book include a number of discussions on choosing books for people of different ages, interests and needs at a particular time. Promoting collections is also an important part of running a bookshop or working in a library and a range of promotional and outreach projects are described as well as arranging author talks. COVID-19 provided challenges for those operating bookshops and libraries. Censorship of collections and campaigns to ban books is also discussed. Libraries and bookshops (especially independent bookshops) are increasingly becoming community hubs. Research indicates that readers continue to enjoy reading physical books.

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians is a book that the reader can dip into at leisure to enjoy reading the observations of people who love books and reading. 

As an aside, some of the accounts refer in passing to books by Patterson while there is a long list of books he has written or co-written at the end of the book.

Impossible Creatures

Impossible creatures by Katherine Rundell received great reviews in lists of children's books published last year so I purchased copies for two of my grandchildren for Christmas. This term my eleven year old grandson and I have been sharing the reading of this book when he visits after school. There is no argument about reading - he just grabs something to eat, picks up the book and informs me that it is time to read.

Christopher is a young boy who attracts animals wherever he goes. When he visits his grandfather in the country he is told that he can go exploring but not to walk up the hill. Of course he does and immediately realises that this is a different place. 

One day he rescues a baby griffin from drowning and his world changes. When Christopher meets Mal, a young girl with a coat that enables her to fly who is looking for her griffin, he learns that she is being hunted by a man who is trying to murder her. Christopher decides to protect her and she takes him to her magical world, the Archipelago, where he meets many mythical creatures including sphinxes and dragons, centaurs and ratatoska plus a few humans including Nighthand and Irian.   

Impossible creatures is a spell binding tale of friendship, courage, bravery and love.  The glamourie that controls the mystical world of the Archipelago is fading and it is up to Mal and her friends to discover why and undo the damage that has been done.

At the front of the book is a Bestiary with descriptions and illustrations of some of the mythical creatures in the story. Katherine Rundell has produced a wonderful world of fantasy that makes you want to keep reading to find out what happens next.

The Air Raid Book Club

When Gertie Bingham and her husband, Harry, opened the Bingham Bookshop they did not envisage the impact that this venture would have on the local community. Set mainly during the Second World War, The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons shows the importance of community for survival and the role that books might play in contributing to this sense of community.

When Gertie is first asked by a friend if she will provide a home for a Jewish refugee from Germany she refuses. Gertie is still grieving over the death of Harry and is considering selling the bookshop. She does not need another responsibility. But then she changes her mind and Hedy becomes an important part of her life. 

The experiences of Gertie and her neighbours during the horrors of The Blitz and the subsequent raids cause Gertie and her friends to look for a distraction and, for them, the obvious answer is books. The monthly book club which had been a feature of the shop was transferred to the air raid shelter during times of danger. Discussing books they had read helped those in the shelter to become lost in another world for a short time before they had to face the danger caused by the German bombs.

The novel also focuses on the experiences of refugees such as Hedy whose families remain in occupied countries and also of loved ones fighting overseas in the armed forces. What is happening to them? Will they ever see them again?

The Air Raid Book Club is another welcome addition to recent novels on the experiences of families during war.

The Paris Bookseller

A number of books have been written about bookshops  and American author, Kerri Maher, has recently added to the collection by writing The Paris Bookseller, the story of Sylvia Beach and Adrienne Monnier who both operated bookshops in Paris. When Sylvia first went to Paris she regularly visited Adrienne's bookshop which not only sold books but also operated as a lending library. In 1919 Sylvia opened her own bookshop and library, with Adrienne's support, but Shakespeare and Company would only sell books wrirtten in English.

It was not long before the regular clientel to the bookshop included English speaking authors who had settled in Paris permanently or for a short time. These authors included, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald, T S Eliot and James Joyce.

When James Joyce's novel, Ulysses, was banned in the USA Sylvia decided to publish the work in Paris and then distribute the book to anyone who wanted to read it. Little did she realise what a difficult undertaking this would be as James Joyce could not be classed as an easy person to work with. However several editions of the work were successfully published before conditions regarding censorship in America relaxed slightly and ten years later an American publisher took over the publication of the book.

The Paris Bookseller is also about the relationship between Sylvia and Adrienne as well as the relationship between Sylvia and members of her family. Censorshp is also a theme of the novel showing the contrasts between the USA and France on issues such as censorship and prohibition of alcohol. The novel covers the period up to 1936. There is a section at the end of the novel where the author discusses the writing of the book. 

Many books and films describe the world of the artists in Paris at the turn of the twentieth century. The Paris Bookseller provides the reader with an entrance to the world of writers in this city in the early twentieth century.

NB Ernest Hemingway wrote an account of his time in paris in the 1920s in A moveable feast.

The Grandest Bookshop in the World

The children's book, The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Mellor was published last year. Set in Melbourne in the 1890s this is a fantasy set in Coles Book Arcade, a large bookstore established at 299 Bourke Street, Melbourne, in 1883 by E W Cole. 

The characters in this book are all members of the Cole family who are engaged in saving the book arcade from the evil Obscurosmith, Magnus Maximillan. To regain the book arcade the children must solve a series of puzzles set by the Obscurosmith and it soon becomes obvious that this magician does not believe in playing by the rules. The story is a race against time as the children seek and solve the clues left for them. Meanwhile the arcade is disintegrating around them and the bands on the rainbow are fading.

My nine year old grandson and I have been sharing the reading of this book and enjoying the magic and adventures of Pearl and Vally as they race against time to save the store and their family. 

The Grandest Bookshop in the World - information.

A number of books have been written about E W Cole and his book arcade including Under the Rainbow: the life and times of E W Cole and E W Cole: chasing the rainbow. 

A brief summary online can be found in Museum of Lost Things - Coles Book Arcade - and Timeout - The Completely True and Absolutely Bonkers Story of Coles Book Arcade.

This was one of three books on the shortlist for the CYA section of the ARA Historical Novel Prize - 2021 Historical Novel Society Australasia

Winner of the 2021 Australian Book Industry Awards - Book of the Year for Younger Children 7-12 years

The Last Bookshop

Set in Perth, Western Australia, The Last Bookshop by Emma Young explores the difficulties faced by small independent stores trying to survive in large cities. Cait Cooper is the owner of The Book Fiend, a shop selling new and second-hand books in Hay Street, Perth. Recently other small businesses in the area have been forced to close or relocate as upmarket stores selling expensive goods move into the area.

The Book Fiend is about to celebrate five years in the area when the lease for the shop is increased by 30 per cent. The suggestion is made that Cait should relocate the shop to a shopping strip in the suburbs but Cait  has built up a group of loyal customers who rely on the shop for reading material and has also invested much money into fitting out her shop. As well as working in the shop, Cait runs a mobile service taking books to older readers unable to personally visit the bookshop. One of these readers is June who used to look after Cait when she was a child. Initially she endeavours to keep the shop operating in Hay Street until reality sets in and Cait realises that the store must close.

Cait's customers often tell her how they enjoyed a book. Not surprisingly titles of books, old and new, are mentioned throughout the novel as well as references to events in the life of C S Lewis. 

This is also a book about relationships as Cait copes with hard decisions and needs to decide what she really wants in her life. Through the bookshop Cait meets James but is this a relationship she really wants? On the other hand the relationship with June is important to Cait, not just as someone who has always looked out for her but who is a real friend. Then there is Seb who worked with her in the shop when she was able to employ staff but who still called in to ensure that she was OK when times were hard.

As news of the imminent closure of The Book Fiend becomes public the power of social media is invoked by Cait's friends, customers and potential customers to attempt to save the bookshop.

As someone who loves books and bookshops I really enjoyed reading this book.

Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops

Shaun Bythell is the owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, one of many independent bookshops in the town which is known as Scotland's National Book Town. Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops is the third book in a series describing the customers and recounting the events and challenges encountered when trying to run a second hand bookshop. The challenges were even greater during 2020 with the arrival of COVID-19 and susequent restrictions.

In this short book, Shaun lists some of the characteristics of people who visit the shop or bring books that he might want to purchase, providing examples of incidents that may occur. Types of people mentioned include experts, loiterers, occultists, people with young children, travellers, craft enthusiasts, whistlers, hummers, sniffers ...

The book did answer a question that had puzzled me.On my Facebook page I receive posts from The Bookshop and one had described a visit to the shop by Phillip Serrell filming a segment for The Antiques Road Trip. No more information was provided. A few weeks ago I saw the episode where Phil had purchased an Arts and Crafts chair from the shop for £20 and it sold at auction for £200 (profits from the show go to charity). 

Question: why did Phil purchase a chair from a bookshop? The answer is revealed on pages 56-58 of the book.The chair had been donated to Shaun by a craft enthusiast so he stored it in a corner of the shop which was where Phil found it. Apparently the original owner of the chair was not concerned when she saw her chair on TV. She later told Shaun that she hoped it had found a good home.

 Other books by Shaun Bythell include The Diary of a Bookseller and Confessions of a Bookseller.

The left-handed booksellers of London

Another great book by Australian author, Garth Nix. This time the book is set in two worlds, the New and the Old, which can merge into each other when magic, good or bad, is afoot. Those guarding the borders are the booksellers of two London bookshops - the left handed booksellers have powers to detect and defend against the forces of evil while the right-handed booksellers have their own special powers. There are, of course, users of both hands with powers of their own.

In 1983 Susan Arkshaw has come to London to discover who her father is. She brings with her a few clues including an address. Visiting the house Susan encounters evil forces and magical powers for the first time. She also meets Merlin who helps her escape from the house and finds safer accommodation for her. 

Merlin and his sister, Vivian, introduce Susan to the world of the booksellers and offer to help her in her quest to locate her father. It soon becomes obvious that an evil force from the past is determined to prevent Susan from fulfilling her quest. As the danger to Susan and her friends increases it becomes obvious that someone from within the band of booksellers is working to sabotage the quest.

This is a story of a dangerous quest with plenty of suspense and magic as Susan and her allies endeavour to conquor an evil force. Throughout the book there are references to other book titles, most of which I recognised. The comment was also made that events described in some fantasy books revealed secrets that that made it more difficult for the left-handed booksellers to do their work. The story is interlaced with humour making this book a most enjoyable read.

Confessions of a bookseller

This is the second volume about Shaun Bythell's life as a second-hand bookseller in Wigtown, Scotland. It is therefore the sequel to The diary of a bookseller. Shaun Bythell also has a Facebook page, The Booshop, in which he regularly publishes updates of his experiences with customers.

Each chapter covers a month from January 2015 until the end of December. At the commencement of each chapter is a quote from Augustus Muir's book, The intimate thoughts of John Baxter, bookseller (1942) followed by the author's comments on the passage. He then includes daily sections from his diary of sales, the weather, comments made by customers, life in Wigtown plus the activities of his cat, Captain. An important part of a second-hand book shop is the need to access collections of books as possible stock for sale and this takes up much of his time. Increasingly he also (much to his disgust) has to rely on sales of books via online sellers such as Amazon.

The two volumes provide a commentary not only on the state of the book trade but also on life in a small town in Scotland. Wigtown has a variety of bookshops and book festivals and author events are featured during the year. The bookshop is a central part of the community with a number of groups regularly meeting in the building, especially in the room upstairs. This is not, therefore, just an amusing account of the experiences of someone trying to make a living selling second-hand books. It is also a record of living in a small Scottish community in 2015.

The Little Paris Bookshop

Jean Perdue owns a "literary apothecary" - a barge fitted out as a book shop moored in Paris on the River Seine. Jean has the gift of being able to share the right book for each customer and has regular customers who purchase books from him.

When Catherine moves into his apartment block, memories of a lost love are stirred up resulting in Jean and Max, an author with writer's block, sailing along rivers and canals to Provence where Jean can come to terms with the past. Along the way they meet Cuneo and Samy who join them for part of the trip.

Like, The Little Breton Bistro, this is a book about relationships plus regrets about what may have been done differently. The descriptions of the scenery they pass on the rivers and canals is realistically described providing a glimpse of life in the French countryside. The last section of the book is set in Provence where the scenery and food is vividly described.

Another enjoyable book from Nina George.

The Diary of a Bookseller

Shaun Bythell purchased The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, in November 2001. From February 2014 the author decided to keep a diary for the year about life working in a second-hand bookshop. At the beginning of each month Shaun Bythell includes a line or paragraph from Bookshop Memories written by George Orwell in 1936. He then elaborates on Orwell's comments relating them to experiences in The Bookshop.

Shaun Bythell comments (makes observations) about his staff, customers, people wanting to get rid of book collections and Kindle which he dislikes intensely. Throughout the book there are interesting observations about the current state of publishing, viability of bookshops such as his and the inroads being made via the digitisation of books. He is definitely not impressed with people who spend time in the shop examining his stock then leave without purchasing any items. He is well aware that they are going to look for a similar item online. On one occasion he also make an 'observation' about librarians.

Wigtown is renowned for its bookshops. Currently there are 14 bookshops in this small town and the owners work together as the Association of Wigtown Booksellers.  The Wigtown Book Festival is held in September each year and Shaun Bythell describes his involvement in this annual event.The Wigtown Spring Festival is also held in May. Having just read the novel, The Red Coast, where many of the characters are involved in organising the Broom Literary Festival, it was interesting to read about the work involved in organising an actual book festival.

The author is not always polite about some of the characters who enter the shop but he defends himself by saying that he is just 'making observations'. Many of the observations are amusing and this work does provide a description of the state of the book trade today. For those interested in physical books, this work is well worth reading.

Bookshop Memories in Collected Essays volume 3 by George Orwell (Adelaide University ebooks).
[Librarians will recognise and sympathise with some of Orwell's observations.]

Wigtown Book Town

The Bookshop also has a page on Facebook