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As the earth spins past the final hours of 2015 and into the new year I’ve been thinking about bookish New Year’s Resolutions. Here’s what I hope will be part of making 2016 an exciting and stimulating story-filled year:
(1) Finally visiting The Ministry of Stories in London. The Ministry of Stories is a local writing and mentoring centre in east London, where anyone aged eight to 18 can come and discover their own gift for writing. It is hidden behind Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, London’s oldest supplier of goods for the Living, Dead and Undead.
(2) Learning more about the work of Grimm and Co – where children and young people are encouraged to let their imaginations run wild and engage in new and exciting ways of writing such as song-writing, film and fiction. Rotherham based Grimm and Co is disguised as an apothecary supplying sorcery services & unnatural products to magical beings, and is supported by The Ministry of Stories.
(3) Talking with the folk at Storybarn (caldiessb) to learn more about their plans to create an interactive story centre where children can explore, share and discover the pleasure & imagination that comes from books.
(4) Using some of the ideas from visiting these inspiring places to run a FUN PALACE in October… I was so happy that in 2015 I finally managed to meet Matt Finch in person and he’s been my inspiration behind dreaming of a fun palace. Unfortunately he’ll be in Australia in October but if any of YOU are in the West Midlands (or willing to visit!) and would like to do something a bit crazy with me and stories and kids in October…. get in touch!
Scarthin Books (right), interior picture from Astley Book Barn (left)
(6) Continuing to read books which will change my life. Of the 41 originally listed, I’ve so far read 8. My favourite so far has been The Phantom Tollbooth (I just love the playfulness of it) though The Miseducation of Cameron Post also took my breath away. Brilliantly written, and likely a book I wouldn’t have found without asking Letterbox Library for their suggestion.
What are your bookish resolutions for 2016?
4 Comments on 6 bookish New Year’s resolutions, last added: 12/31/2015
What a fabulous list of things to do. Just shows there is lots going on you just need to find it. Good luck and look forward to hearing all about these finds:-)
Anne said, on 12/31/2015 1:29:00 AM
Oh! Such a magical list!
So, my bookish resolutions of the year:
1- I want to put my career in a more bookish way (if this sentence is correct). As we don’t have any of these fabulous places devoted to reading and stories in France, one of my resolution will be to create one. Perhaps not the kind you talked about, I must find my way to do it.
2- Read as much books reviewed by the English bloggers is like as I can. I discovered so much thanks to all of you during this year.
I wish you a wonderful new year, Zoe, and hope 2016 will be the best bookish year you wished!
Zoe said, on 12/31/2015 1:53:00 AM
Thanks Jayne Yes, lots going on, and I want to complement all my reading with a bit of more active, community doing too – that’s been behind some of my choices above.
Zoe said, on 12/31/2015 1:54:00 AM
Ah, thank you Anne. Great to read your resolutions and good luck with them. I look forward to hearing how they develop. In case you don’t already know it this is perhaps my favourite children’s book blog http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/
In support of Independent Bookshop Week, a campaign run by the Booksellers Association that supports independent bookstores, we asked the Oxford University Press UK office what their favorite independent bookstores were.
Recently on ABBA I posted about Book Festivals - and how they are going from strength to strength. It's not been so easy for bookshops. Discounting in supermarkets, the decline of the high street, and the growth of online retailing have all made it much, much harder for bookshops to compete.
Last month, a national celebration of bookshops - Books Are My Bag - brought authors and bookshops together to try and do something about this. Across the country, there were all kinds of festivities to help make the public more aware of the importance of local bookshops.
Here in Leeds, my fellow children's author Alison Brown (the author/illustrator of picture books Mighty Mo and Eddie and Dog) had the idea we should be part of this, and so on Saturday 11 November I was chuffed to be part of <i>Books for Bags</i> at Radish, the fantastic bookshop close to us in the high street in Chapel Allerton.
Me, Alison and Lisa at Radish
Radish is a great shop and the atmosphere, the selection of books, and the recommendations by knowledgeable staff provide something you cannot find online.
Bookshops are vital - part of the infrastructure of a reading culture. Bookshop staff read the books they sell, can make recommendations, and know the kind of things their customers enjoy.
Many books have taken off not because of a mass marketing campaign by publishers, but because of grassroots recommendations and a slow spreading of word of mouth...often originating with the independent bookshops.
We need to support them. It really is a matter of Use Them - or Lose Them.
I just wish I'd had more time to browse the fantastic children's selection on the day. Never mind. The joy of local bookshop is you can pop in any time.
Emma's new series for 8+, Wild Thing, is about the naughtiest little sister ever. Out now from Scholastic. "Hilarious and heart-warming" The Scotsman
Wolfie is published by Strident. Sometimes a Girl’s Best Friend is…a Wolf. "A real cracker of a book" Armadillo "Funny, clever and satisfying...thoroughly recommended" Books for Keeps
When I was thirteen, something quite amazing happened.
Prior to this, I had been scribbling ideas at home. I had even sent a children's story - Muddles the Mouse - to Penguin, typed on a second hand rusty typewriter, to which I'd received a glowing letter and several paperback books. But my inspiration was drying up. I was young and no longer felt inspired by either books or my writing.
But then I found a bookshop - World's End. This was an age when I was first allowed to trek to town by myself or with friends and it was during this time that we discovered the shop, tucked away in the back streets. It was an unassuming building, hardly the most exciting thing to see - but when we wandered in, we found the thrill of books overpowering.
To be honest, it was pretty intimidating. The back of shop was full of comics and graphic novels. Teenage boys filled the aisles, leafing through the boxes and glaring at us skinny, nervous girls as we slipped in.
I remember rows of new shiny books, stacks of crime journals which pricked my curiosity. And then - on a bottom shelf, in the far corner - was a shelf marked TEEN.
We crouched down and pulled out some battered second-hand gems - the majority of them American. My eyes darted across the text. Christopher Pike, Lois Duncan, Lois Lowry.
My first purchase was Christopher Pike - Gimme a Kiss. This book kept me up at night. It was pacy, thrilling, daring. I never looked back.
Every week I would be in that shop, ignoring the boys at the back - just leafing through my new inspiration. Some days I could afford to buy, others I would just plan my next purchase. I particularly grew to love Pan Horizon books and gained an impressive collection. The owners got used to seeing me, as I took away another book encased in a crisp paper bag. Inside my head was buzzing with ideas. I knew now that I wanted to write just like these authors.
It was a sad day when the shop finally closed in the late 90's, but of course by then the teen market was expanding rapidly. Things were changing. But I missed my backstreet shop, the smell of old books, the rough carpet against my legs as I sat reading, the gentle bell as the door was opened.
And I'll never forget it.
Perhaps even stranger - I ended up marrying one of those intimating teens that lurked at the back - so at least we can reminisce together.
0 Comments on World's End - Eve Ainsworth as of 11/10/2014 1:19:00 AM
There have been many bookshops marking all the pages of my life from childhood onwards. There was Mr Oxley's in Alresford, there was the first ever Hammicks, there were all the bookshops of Hay, there was James Thin in Edinburgh, the Libreria Aqua in Venice - each has a special place in my heart. But the one I love most is in Paris.
Shakespeare and Company sits across from the Seine, on a street slightly aslant from the Quai St Michel, and I loved it the moment I first walked into it in 1981. In those days (and probably still), you could work there for a bed in one of the book-lined upstairs rooms.
I did for a while, and it was a place of companionship, laughter, and above all, a shared love of books. It is, quite literally, a treasure trove, a mish-mash of the new, the secondhand and the simply arcane and archaic. I went back there today with my children, and they were immediately lured in and entranced by the smell of dusty paper, the feeling that the perfect book must be just around the next corner, or just out of reach up that wooden ladder.
For all that it is much more of a tourist destination nowadays, the old magic is still there. It has that indefinable Narnia feel which makes you believe that somewhere in there is a door or doors to another world. There are, of course, because that's what books are - but surely somewhere there's a tiny key, or a bookspine to rub which will take you somewhere else entirely.
Every writer who visits Paris has been there - and it is a great honour to be asked to read in the little upstairs room with the sofas and the book nook with a tiny desk and endless fluttering pieces of paper, covered in scribbled dreams. Some of those writers are even featured on the wallpaper...
There is a wonderful children's and YA section, where I was happy to see many of my lovely author friends featured (though sadly not me), and an invitingly padded alcove just perfect for a child to curl up on and read one of the pile of picture books which leans against the wall.
If you go to Paris, do try to make time to go there - and may you be as transported with delight as I have always been...(and take note of my favourite quote above)!
Earlier this month, I was Author in Residence at Waterstones in Truro as part of World Book Day. It was a fab, fab day where I think most of us came away smiling.
I’m a strong believer in telling people when they’ve done something well, so I thought I’d share what was so good about it. That way, if you are a bookshop person or a library person or even, in fact, an author, you can wave this blog in someone’s face and say, ‘Look! Earrings! Tea! Showcards!’
Eh?
Read on. All will become clear.
1. Showcards.
I didn’t actually know showcards had been organised until a friend of mine who happened to have been in the shop posted a photo on twitter. Which made me very happy.
2. Books.
You might also notice that as well as the showcard itself, the shop had also bought in a large selection of all my books – in plenty of time for the event. It was in fact the first time I’d seen all my books together like this, and made me feel very proud and ‘Gosh, look, I wrote all of those books’-ish.
3. Tea.
It is always advisable to greet your author with the words ‘Can I get you a cup of tea?’ When this is then followed up by said cup of tea arriving as if by magic in plenty of time for the author to have a few sips before the event, that's even better. (And very nice Earl Grey it was, too.)
4. Radio Interviews.
Local BBC Radio host Tiffany Truscott happened to be in the shop and noticed the showcard a week or so before my event. She invited me onto her programme at the end of my stint in the bookshop.
We talked about World Book Day and about my books and about movies and mermaids. Which made me very happy.
5. Book jackets being turned into earrings.
I had been told in advance that the shop folk would be dressed up for World Book Day. What I hadn’t been told was that the librarian from one of the schools was going to make an outfit that included earrings she had made in the design of my book covers!!!!! That was a first for me, and made me very happy indeed.
6. Amazing librarians.
The above librarian actually deserves two mentions on this list for what she did for her children that day. Her school is in an area of high deprivation, where many of the children don’t have any books at home. For some teachers, that would mean that they would want to warn me that we wouldn't get many book sales on the day. Which would have been fine. But not for this particular librarian. Instead, she went to her Parent Teacher Association and asked if they could buy one of my books for EVERY SINGLE CHILD in the class. They said yes. So all the children from that school went away with a signed book. Happy children; happy bookshop; happy author; wonderful librarian.
7. Two words: Chocolate. Tiffin.
No pic to go with this one unfortunately as I was too busy eating it to photograph it. (Look up ‘Chocolate Tiffin Triangle from Costa Coffee’ in Google images and you’ll see what I’m talking about.) But just so you know, when it comes to lunch, the words, ‘Go up to Costa, order a sandwich and a cake and put it on the Waterstones’ bill’ will do very nicely.
And there you have it. How to make an author happy in seven easy steps.
Please note, if you can't do all of these, just skip to the chocolate and we'll be fine.
With huge thanks to Isobel and everyone at Waterstones Truro, and to Karen and all the librarians and teachers who came along. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!
The written word has always played its part in the spreading of revolutionary ideas and in the recording of historical events. Until the Internet, this was done principally by the bookshops of the world, nowhere more so than across the countries of Asia and the Middle East, where the humble corner bookshop sells not just books, but newspapers, magazines, stationery, and all manner of things to keep its daily customers up to date.
Often such stores have been places for the local intelligentsia to hang out, gossip, and ruminate on the events of the day, be they local or international. No wonder then that such places also attract the unwanted attention of government intrusion and censorship.
All the great centres of bookselling I have enjoyed working with have their stories and family histories to tell. Recounted during long pleasurable evenings over dinner, booksellers eager to record their own role in history and the ups and downs of their businesses.
Delhi, in particular Ansari Road and Connaught Place, teems with books and book people, the Hindu family bookshops that settled there after the terrible events of Partition, when the most exciting book capital in the world, Lahore, was ripped apart.
To go from one to the other was a joy, one day selling to the Indians and the next to the Pakistani families whose forebears used to have stores beside those now in Delhi.
In Lebanon, booksellers found a way to sell books as the city around them literally fell in pieces; Antranik Helvadjian somehow came to London and Frankfurt, with cash in hand, to pay his bills and ship new titles. Many publishers still have a sentimental side and such people continue to be honoured and supported.
One country’s book trade which has not fully recovered from a Revolution is Iran, where the complete reversal by those events of everything it had known and its ongoing sense of isolation from the world has prevented the import of books and news from returning and thriving — a huge pity for its people, whose history with books is one of the world’s oldest.
During the Gulf War the booksellers in Kuwait kept their heads down and survived, while in Turkey the ups and downs of both the military and the Turkish currency have seen stores thrive, then barely survive, but they continue because it’s all they know.
I come then to Egypt, centre of Arabic publishing, the home of AUC Press for over fifty years, and a haven for readers and bookshops for hundreds of years. From the backstreets of Islamic Cairo to the glorious riverside in Luxor, intelligent and brilliant family booksellers have greeted the millions who live in or travel to the country.
Today they sit mostly waiting, surviving and finding ways to keep the sales ticking over and to pay their faithful staff. They watch the turmoil that surrounds them, hoping it will settle soon, for they know that the draw of Egypt is indeed eternal and things will come back. They know that because they, or their father, or indeed their father’s father (ask Fahdy Greiss at the Anglo-Egyptian Bookshop) saw it all before. Revolutions, wars, and terrorism mean it’s never certain what is round the corner here, but this is one trade that won’t be beaten by them.
The AUC Press has several stores, the biggest and most famous on the corner of Tahrir Square itself. Some days we are busy, some days we are closed, some days no one visits, but we know they will again. The thirst for knowledge is undiminished here. Most people are not directly involved in the events you see and read of. They just want a normal life; they wish to study and move forward. When that time returns the bookshops of Egypt will still be waiting.
Trevor Naylor is the Sales, Marketing, and Distribution Director at The American University in Cairo Press, Egypt. Oxford University Press is proud to distribute AUC Press titles in North and South America.
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Image credit: Alexandria, Egypt – November 21, 2010: Young Egyptians relax and work on a book themed bench, outside the famous Library of Alexandria. (c) 1001nights via iStockphoto.
Who doesn't love moseying around bookshops? Perusing shelves packed with books, resting your weary limbs in the nearest and squishiest armchair, then leaving laden down with beautiful tomes to pore over when you get home. We're getting misty eyed at the thought of it.
Anyway, if you didn't know, today is July 4th. To many, it's Independence Day. To us, it's INDEPENDENT'S DAY (admire the subtlety of what we've done there folks. To read more about Independent Booksellers Week, head here.) We've taken a moment to praise the independent bookshop, and below are three examples of our favourites.
If you have a suggestion or would like to contribute to the blog, please tweet us or comment below. Tell us about your favourites, we want to hear about bookshops in farflung places, tiny bookshops that few people know about, or simply a bookshop you love to while away the hours in, wherever it may be.
After walking down Gloucester Road, I can’t imagine a sight more
welcome than the dusty blue of the Slightly Foxed awning. If Gloucester Road is
a cultural desert (and it is), then the Slightly Foxed Bookshop is an oasis.
Slightly Foxed published the first issue of their quarterly
literary magazine in 2003, and in 2009 they took over the Gloucester Road
bookshop. It’s an extension of the sensibilities of the magazine – they stock
an eclectic selection of new releases, and all manner of second hand books. It
feels as though they might operate nightclub style one in, one out policy –
there aren’t shelves full of the latest bestsellers, but there’s one each of
the new Pulp the Classics editions, and they sit in the window above Caitlin
Moran, a James Bond novel, and Mark Mason’s Walk
the Lines. Sure, it’s a motley crew, but one that completely makes sense.
It reads like the rest of the collection; intelligent, witty, and clearly
curated by people who love the books they stock. There’s a shelf full of
Slightly Foxed hardbacks – searingly bright wibbalin encases some great
writing. And with only 2000 of each title printed, they’re collectable as well
as covetable.
And downstairs! Oh, downstairs. If you’re a self-indulgent
Penguin employee (and I definitely am) it’s well worth sitting at the bottom of
the steps and looking through all the Penguin Paperbacks. Beyond that – as if
you could need more – there are shelves and shelves of second hand and antique
books – art books, biographies, travel and food writing. It’s all there, and
it’s an abundance of quality and quantity.
I spent about half an hour at Slightly Foxed, just browsing.
It was only when I left that I realised that the two people who worked there
hadn’t interrupted once – I don’t think they cared at all whether we bought anything;
they were just pleased to see people paying their books so much attention.
Slightly Foxed pitch their magazine as ‘the real reader’s
quarterly’. The Slightly Foxed Bookshop is the real reader’s bookshop.
I only recently discovered Book & Kitchen whilst
wandering around the streets just off Portobello Road one weekend. I have just
moved into a new flat there and was trying to scope out the charms of the local
area – not exactly challenging in Notting Hill, you’ll agree (yep, I’m already
a smug West Londoner).
The store has a strange but balanced composite of
aesthetics; bright contemporary colours and modishly upholstered armchairs share
space with a fully functioning vintage typewriter and record player whose
needle wobbles and crackles over an old vinyl.
The spirit and energy is immediately evident, not only from
the décor, but the staff as well. Book & Kitchen’s owner and front of
house, Muna Khogali, is super friendly and passionate about what she’s doing
and could no doubt hand sell every book in the store with her enthusiasm. Plus
she’ll also make you a coffee and a slice of cake downstairs! When was the last
time that happened when you were browsing in [name redacted for legal reasons].
That’s the ‘kitchen’ bit in the name by the way, just in case, you know, you
were thinking they also sold splash backs and graphite worktops.
What I like most is that the books are allowed to showcase
themselves. There are no shouty sales promotions or merchandising that makes
you immediately aware of the publishers (yes, I fully realise the hypocrisy
here). It is assumed that you know what you are looking for, and if not, you
are given as much time as you need to discover something new. 31
All Saints Rd, W11. Be about
it.
A little like Joe (see above), when I first moved to the part of London I now call home, I spent (and still spend) an inordinate amount of time wandering about the place, often lost. It was on one of these adventures that I stumbled across Pages of Hackney. Attractive exterior: check. Local notices in the window: check. Wonderful assortment of books, old and new, plus small dog: check. It is a proper book shop.
If, like me, you're interested in London's history, especially the local stuff, there is so much to sink your teeth into. The history books are right in front of you when you go in, and you can find pretty much everything there. I recently bought a great little book on Blake's London by Iain Sinclair, and a copy of Craig Taylor's brilliant Londoners for a friend. There are lots of more obscure titles too, but I won't bore you with them all, you'll have to go and check the selection out yourself.
Finally, get thee to the basement (a treasure trove of vast proportions) and hats off if you can resist the lure of classic Penguin books and vintage Marvel comics. They run great events in there too. Before I descend into even more hyperbole, here's why Pages gets my vote:
1. It smells right. New and old book smell = nice.
2. It's quiet, calming and no-one bothers you if you just want to get your head down and browse (but people are friendly and suitably informed if you fancy a chat).
3. Did I mention Merlin the dog?
By Natalie Williams, Digital Marketing Executive | @natalie_rw
It would be remiss to talk about independent bookshops without mentioning the Paris institution that is Shakespeare and Company. Here's a post on our On the Strand blog from last year that you may find interesting.
Finally, for our London followers, here's a handy map to the great and good of London's independent bookstores. Enjoy, and happy Independents Day! #independentsday
Saturday August the 11th is National Bookshop Day in Australia. This is an annual event to celebrate bookshops and their role in our communities.
National Bookshop Day has a Facebook page and just looking at all the wonderful events planned around the country makes me smile.
I have worked for numerous bookshops in my career, all of which I have absolutely loved and been passionate about. Katie and I met working in a bookshop – Borders in 1998, when we set up and worked in their first store in Australia at South Yarra.
When we go on family holidays one of the things I need to do is find the local bookshop – just to have a look. My partner always says to me – “But, you work in a bookshop! Why do you want to visit others?” But why would I not? I love the product passionately, I might see something I didn’t know existed and I can have a chat with the store owners about lovely books new and old.
I have used the Book Depository, I have used Amazon and I have used Australian book websites too – they all have their place of course. But none of those sites can replace the beauty of browsing a bookshop or picking up a gorgeously designed hardcover or asking incredibly knowledgeable and well read staff for recommendations.
That is the thing about our Australian bookstores; we have amazing staff who are so totally passionate about what they do. Bookselling is a retail like no other. You don’t just hand someone a dress and say try this on for size, bookselling is about getting the right book into the right hands. Children’s bookselling in particular is an art and of such great importance for the future of reading in our country.
Over the past couple of years there has been a huge resurgence in people buying handmade and artisan in craft and clothing and food – let’s support our local bookshops like we do those other products.
Are you visiting a bookshop this Saturday? What are your favourite bookshops? We’d love you to share your thoughts and loves with us.
* Katie did a series of posts about children’s bookshops around the world that you can re-read here *
0 Comments on National Bookshop Day as of 1/1/1900
Melinda said, on 8/9/2012 3:13:00 AM
Great post, Lou, and I love, love, love Hill of Content’s Cat Rabbit window!
Katie said, on 8/9/2012 3:24:00 AM
Beautifully said Lou. We will be visiting Stoneman’s Bookshop in Castlemaine.
Jackie said, on 8/9/2012 3:38:00 AM
You are great advocates for the humble bookshop.
You’ve featured many of my favourite bookshops. I also love Three Four Knock on the Door and Enchanted by Books.
Leesa Lambert said, on 8/9/2012 7:29:00 AM
What a great post Lou! Just when we thought we couldn’t more excited about National Bookshop Day you write this! Awesome explosion!!! And thanks so much for popping in the pic of our Degraves St shop window – that cloth bound classics is a favourite!
lisa said, on 8/9/2012 10:05:00 PM
love the topic, love peeking in the windows of all those great little finds. well done Lou. my favourite independent bookshop in Melbourne is not the prettiest but the staff are awesome, and their range is great, particularly when choosing children’s books as presents for tricky middle to older readers. http://www.womo.com.au/reviews/Books-In-Print-Malvern/
Happy National bookshop day!
Andrea said, on 8/11/2012 6:58:00 AM
My favourite bookshop … is actually a library; our local library in London. Recently opened by our local council a short bus side away. Incredible architecture that feels a bit like the Guggenheim museum in NYC; 4 stories of books that kids can walk along without any stairs…. and right down at the end of the ramp in the middle of the space is the kids reading area. Fab space.
‘It was nice, but it was all quite brief,’ said Mary James, owner of The Aldeburgh Bookshop [another personal favourite of mine - H] as the torch travelled along the Suffolk coast on Day 48. Mary thought that it ‘all went well’, although she pointed out the rain had put some people off. ‘Three thousand people were expected to turn up for the torch, but I don’t think there were that many there.’
The Aldeburgh Bookshop had entered into the spirit of the relay: ‘We had Olympics-themed books in the window, and when the torch passed we closed the shop door and all stood outside clapping.
Union Jacks on the Crag Path in Aldeburgh [Photo: http://www.eadt.co.uk]
‘One of the torchbearers was a young girl with cancer who is normally in a wheelchair. I heard that she had stood up and walked for her bit. This happened after it has passed the shop so I didn’t see it, but I heard that everyone was very moved.’
The torch travels through Aldeburgh [Photo: http://www.eadt.co.uk]
0 Comments on Olympic Bookshop Hop - Day 48 - Norwich to Ipswich as of 1/1/1900
Day 45 and the torch arrived at 4.30pm in Market Harborough – Beverley Wilkins, manager of Quinns Bookshop, didn’t rush to shut up the shop early and see the torch: ‘It was raining on the parade, I was already cold and I didn’t want to stand around getting wet.’
According to Beverley the event hadn’t been ‘overly publicised’, and she hasn’t had much feedback about it from customers. But despite this and the rain, a lot of people turned up and the other staff in the shop reported that the atmosphere was really exciting and that everyone enjoyed themselves.
The assistant to manager Debbie James at The Bookshop in Kibworth also didn’t fancy standing around in the rain and preferred to stay inside the cosy shop, which meant that Debbie was able to pop out and see the torch.
‘It was a really great turnout. The village population lined the A6 – the main road from Market Harborough to Kibworth and Leicester – and judging by the number of cars parked, a lot of people must have travelled in from the nearby villages.
The torch travels through Kibworth [Photo: Harborough Mail]
‘First the sponsors vans arrived with music blaring and various girls dancing on top. Then at 5.03pm, a girl appeared running with the torch. I thought she’d run all the way from Market Harborough and was so impressed that I cheered her on madly, but then my boyfriend told me that he’d seen her jump out of a van half a mile down the road!’
Although Debbie thought that the shop would be quiet while the torch was in town, she had experienced a really busy week. ‘It was Independent Booksellers Week and the Booksellers Association and Indie Bound had done a great job of promoting it. On Saturday it was like Christmas Eve in the shop. We had also done a bit of marketing through social networking.’
Sue Davies, The Reading Shop, Oadby didn’t see the torch come through Oadby as she was at Abbey Park in Leicester, where her son, a swimmer for the city, was taking part in the Olympic torch parade.
Sue Davies with her family - (Note: other soft drinks are available!)
Abbey Park was the scene of the torch’s evening festivities. ‘There were shows of singing and dancing. The cauldron was lit and the flame rested overnight, before leaving the National Space Centre and being taken by Gary Lineker on towards the next town,’ says Sue.
0 Comments on Olympic Bookshop Hop, Day 45 - Leicester to Peterborough as of 1/1/1900
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In Cockermouth the arrival of the torch coincided with the town’s midsummer festival. A picnic had been planned to celebrate it, but due to the poor weather it took place in the church and 200 people turned up.
Despite the rain, the torch relay was a success, according to Catherine Hetherington at the New Bookshop. ‘There were local school children singing, and a fair and lots of charity stalls.’
The torchbearer, Mike Park, who heads the Cockermouth Mountain Rescue team, is well known to everyone, including Catherine, who had a good view of the event from outside of her shop: ‘It’s amazing how commercial it all is,’ she said.
Catherine also felt that her shop benefited. ‘Afterwards the shop was full and we stayed open late. Every table was taken. Some customers bought books, but most were there for coffee and cake.’
Janet at Bookends in Keswick (sister shop to Bookeneds in Carlisle) reported that, ‘It was not a good day in terms of the weather. The schools had organised an athletics event to celebrate the arrival of the torch, and all the children were to be dressed in different colours and to stand in circles to form an aerial picture of the Olympic rings, but it was all cancelled because the weather forecast was poor.
‘It did rain in the morning, but by the afternoon, when the torch passed through, the weather had improved, and a LOT of people turned up – hundreds, in fact thousands – far more than I expected.
The torch in Keswick [Photo: www.keswick.org]
‘I left the shop to pick up my grandchildren from school at 3.20pm and the people had already started to line up, although it was an hour before the torch was due. You couldn’t move on the pavement.
‘The shop was quiet when the torch passed by – everyone was outside on the street. The staff all stood on the shop steps, which are slightly raised above pavement level, so we had good view above everyone’s heads.
‘The shop ha
0 Comments on Olympic Bookshop Hop - Days 34 & 35 - Carlisle to Bowness to Blackpool as of 1/1/1900
It's Day 28 and we're in my old stomping ground of the north-eastwhere the torch travelled along some of the most beautiful (and under-rated!) coast in the British Isles.
Mary Manley of the beautiful Barter Books in Alnwick (one of my personal favourite bookshops of all time), said she saw very little of the Olympic torch whilst it was lit, but she did manage to catch up with it, and torchbearer Dick Moules, after it had been extinguished.
‘It was an awful day in Alnwick. It was pouring with rain and very few people turned up at the market place. There a few stalls there, but we were very unlucky. It was a real damp squib. The torchbearer Dick, a local charity fundraiser, appeared in the market place and we all cheered as he passed on his way out of the town and on towards Hisburn.’
Mary had been invited by the BBC to attend a celebratory breakfast at a local cafe. It took her a while to find out where the breakfast was taking place so she didn’t quite make the 6.30am start.
‘I was about three hours late, but I did finally manage to meet up with some of the BBC and local council staff, including Councillor Neil Bradbury MP, Steve Stewart, chief executive of Northumberland County Council, Philip Roberts, regional head of the BBC in the North East etc.’
The highlight of course was when Dick arrived and Mary was photographed with his extinguished torch.
Mary, Dick Moules and Matthew from the BBC
After the breakfast, Mary returned to the shop, which had arranged a relay race for local schools. It was promoted as part of ‘The Festival of Alnwick’. (‘We weren’t allowed to use the word “Olympics”!’)
‘Because of the awful weather, only two schools showed up: Duchess’s High School and Lindesfarne Middle School. Four boys’ teams and four girls’ teams took part in the 500m race and all wore t-shirts bearing the words: ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’. This maxim has been close to the hearts of the owners of Barter Books ever since they found an old World War Two poster bearing these words at the bottom of a box of donated books.
‘We pinned it on the wall, where it has attracted a huge amount of interest.’
One of a series of guest blogs by booksellers who work with children’s authors in different ways. These guest blogs are designed to show life behind the scenes of a crucial but neglected relationship – the one between a writer and a bookseller. These days, such relationships are more intense and more important, as increasing numbers of authors go on the road to promote and sell children’s books – a goal shared by the booksellers who will contribute to this series.
Tamara’s first book, Amazing Esme, is just out with Hodder & Stoughton.
My own first author event – as an author – passed recently in a blur. I have yet to recall a word I said, as all that passed through my head for the entire session was, repeatedly, ‘It’s just an hour of my life. If I’m still alive at the end of it, how bad can it be?’
I had taken all the necessary precautions and a few extra ones. I had guaranteed myself a full and willing audience: it was an hour out of lessons and school. I would have to be really bad to stop those advantages winning the children over. I had learnt how to use prezi.com and I’d created what I thought was a really impressive presentation. I had rehearsed, collected props, remembered a few golden rules from my four years of teacher training and seven years in the classroom. And then I had gone one step further and enlisted the help of one of the best children’s entertainers in town, Gilbert Giggles.
A little over the top perhaps, but having been in the fortunate position of being a children’s bookshop owner, one who had organised and seen numerous fantastic author events, I of all people knew that the stakes were high. I had observed giant bogies being bounced around auditoriums, been fascinated by virtual tours of exotic places, been entertained by re enactments of bloody battles, seen fake sick in a bag and watched countless teachers climb into wigs and giant pairs of knickers.
I have also, perhaps just as importantly, seen some terrifyingly dull events, the kind where you mourn desperately for the hour of your life that you’ve just had stolen from you, the kind where you daydream of piercing your own ear drums with a couple of HB pencils and you start wondering why the children haven’t realised that they’ve got the advantage in terms of numbers, and, if they got organised, they could overthrow the dull event that’s torturing them. Having resisted the urge to rally the children to arms, on the basis that it would be unprofessional, I resigned myself to using the time to work out how to avoid falling into the same trap.
At Tales on Moon Lane, author events are a vital part of what we do. Done well, they offer a rare kind of symbiotic magic where all involved parties come away happier people. They genuinely offer children an open door into literature by opening the book for them, showing them the way in and enough of the workings to create questions. They make the possibilities tangible and offer the idea that the hard work (that reading is for many children) might just offer them a genuine return of pleasure and interest.
For a generation of children, many of whom arrive at school without having ever owned a book, this experience isn’t just an escape from death by phonics. It is essential.
At the shop we also have a cosy little room at the back where we run a small after-school book club for especially keen readers. These lucky children are often addressed by the authors of the books they are reading. And we have been known to supply cupcakes with book illustratio
27 Comments on BOOKSELLER SUNDAYS - Gamekeeper turned Poacher, by Tamara Macfarlane of Tales on Moon Lane, last added: 10/4/2011
Tamara, thanks for your last paragraph about matching the author with the needs & wishes of the school.
Personally, I'm never sure if, for example, giant bogeys do actually aid a love of reading or undestanding of book though they make for a memorable and often highly praised event. Perhaps it's the sense of true "playfulness" that an author reveals in the session is the magic ingredient, whatever the quantity of props or lack of silly knickers?
Both Penny and I were up early because of our respective cats, so it's nice to have your post to read in the rain and the gloom. (A day when you can understand a cat not being keen on peeing outside.) The best events, like the best books, come in all shapes and sizes, but the passion for the story stays the same.
Very interesting. Writers going to schools and talking to children often feel great pressure to be funny, to be rewarded with great gales of laughter, but I can't help thinking that the best events are often much quieter, focusing on the more difficult and introverted pleasures of books. If children want to giggle, they can just turn on the telly, but how often do they hear from someone about the realities of writing a book, telling a story, following a character through page after page, wondering where he or she is going to lead you?
This is brilliant, Tamara - and wonderful that you have insights into and experience of so many spheres. You've kicked Bookseller Sundays off to a great start. I've never heard of prezi.com, so off to have a look at it. Always looking to improve my author events!
Absolutely. For me, the whole idea of an author visit is to get all the children in the class/audience - including the disruptive one and the so-called 'poor readers' - to enjoy themselves and realise that stories are fun (and happen to come packaged in books). It's invigorating and exhausting in about equal amounts!
I'm another bookseller turned writer, Tamara. Is there a word to describe that particular morphing of careers? I'm sure there are lots of us about. My experiences as bookshop host to authors, and as an author speaker, suggest that either the quiet, thoughtful, but really interesting, approach, or the all bells and whistles laugh-out-loud kind of approach can work equally well, if done wholeheartedly and by an author who clearly likes their audience. Badly done, one style leads to yawns, the other to cringe - not sure which is worse!
Have just lost a long comment. Trying again! First of all, thanks for a very interesting post, Tamara and good luck with your book. Second...I'll try and make this shorter...events work best when organized in such a way, and usually by wonderful booksellers like Sonia Benster and Sue Steele and Andrew Cant that the children and the books are in the same room together. I try very hard NOT to say: buy my books. I hope very much that no bookseller has ever been driven to contemplate self-mutilation while I've been speaking...and thanks to Josh for his comment. All I do is talk to the children and let them ask tons and tons of questions and answer them. There is no vomit or bogies involved at all. I try and wear earrings and scarves etc that the girls at least can look at if they're bored...that's as far as I'm prepared to go with dressing up! Enjoy all your own events, Tamara! That's half the secret, I reckon. If you''re having fun, the audience generally is too.
Wonderfully interesting post, Tamara - thank you. I'm beginning to suspect those of us who write for adults could learn from all this too.
I don't think it's ever patronising to bring props or costumes or anything that makes the past seem more real, because those things excite me personally - except possibly the big knickers. But I do love swords, I love handling genuine artefacts from my period, I love sharing them, and I agree 100% with Adele that if the writer's enjoying herself then the audience are more likely to do the same.
Of course if I get arrested at my next event for arriving in giant knickers and threatening the audience with a 6' rapier then I am going to blame YOU.
Lovely to hear from you. Tales on Moon lane is legendary in my neck of the woods. Thank you also for your part in organising the Southwark Reading Festival. I think you have highlighted the need to clairfy just what is expected from both sides from an author visit. Sometimes I work with a dancer and sometimes its a much quieter affair.
Like you, Tamara, I don’t see any natural synergy between writing and performing. They seem worlds apart. Even the RSC couldn’t train me to enjoy the stage. When I first started out with eventing, it was a terrible shock, and I was moved to whine about it on ABBA here.(http://awfullybigblogadventure.blogspot.com/2009/11/golem-michelle-lovric.html in case the hyperlink doesnt work.)
But now that I am much more aware of what the booksellers (not to mention publishers, publicity people and agents) put into these things, that two-year-old ABBA piece seems ungrateful to me. As you rightly point out, the children also put something valuable into it: they give us their attention, and that deserves repayment. I’m with you, Adele, I don’t ever try to sell the books. Instead I talk about the parallel world I inhabited when I wrote it. Any child can visit that world during an event, even if they are not a reader or cannot afford a book. I have seen a children’s event where the well-known author sold her books very hard, and it was quite distasteful.
Like Adele... also lost my comment a moment ago. Blogger playing up. Thank you Tamara for highlight thta perverse thing of being a writer and a performer. And like Josh I think the best moments for me have been when I've lowered my voice and being able to engage in a much more mysterious and magical way. But we all have our good days and our bad days... that never again experience! Of course having a session in a wonderful bookshop helps. Good luck with the book Tamara.
A timely and very useful post for me - thank you, Tamara - as I'm about to embark, in just a couple of days, on what seems to me right now a terrifying schedule of events! I am hugely grateful that I've got the chance to do them - I've done very few before, and those have been spread over 25 years, so I've never really got into my stride. But I must say I'm intimidated both by the stories of other authors' riotously entertaining events (oh, how I envy people who are naturally funny!) and also by my very strong desire to deliver something that's as good as possible... something to capture the attention of those reluctant readers, to make all the children feel that meeting an author is something special & intriguing... not to mention my terror of being a total & utter flop. My events range from primary school audiences to sixth-formers, so I'm needing to prepare several different approaches. This article is immensely helpful, as are the comments. Adele, re your scarves & earrings, I remember the wonderful artist and author Sarah Garland telling me years ago when she turned up to an event in some fantastic stripy tights that at least they would give the kids something to look at! (But she didn't need them; she could draw wonderful spontaneous pictures of their teachers... Oh how I envy that skill too!)
Thanks for this very interesting post. I agree with the comments above that it's important not to merely entertain the children. A good thing to do is learn to run simple creative writing workshops for children, and base your visit around that - they will get more real pleasure and lasting value out of making up their own poem or story than out of a stand-up act. Children like to *do* things, if you can get them doing, thinking, making, they won't get bored. And if they do get bored? Well, I started writing because I was bored in a school lesson... and look where it got me :)
Very interesting post, Tamara. I'm sure your event was great and that you captured Amazing Esme's sense of fun! Agree with Leila that sometimes it's good to get children writing themselves but workshops can be hard to organise without teaching experience and knowhow. I found it often depends how I feel on the day, and timing is crucial too. I once had one poor class for 1 1/2 hours - nightmare for both parties!
Lovely to hear about author events by someone who has stood on both sides of the events. I think that this is something we are all thinking about improving all the time because ultimately we want the children to enjoy being with us and for that enjoyment to be mutual. Many thanks for starting off this wonderful series for us on ABBA.
What a great article - though it puts fear in my veins, too. You're right, when budgets are so tight, schools who pay for author visits deserve to get value for money. I guess the bottom line is that they want the children to be inspired to read more. Performance, though, as we all know, makes demands that are not necessarily compatible with writing. I am sure none of us sets out to be boring or cringe-makingly over-the-top but it is sometimes difficult to gauge the audience beforehand. There are some great natural performers be they funny or serious or both: others of us, really have to work at it. I think Josh is right about the potential effectiveness of the quiet events. One of the most enjoyable author events I've been to had Justin Stomper being a pirate followed by Dianne Hofmeyr talking about Egypt with accompanying slides, music and artefacts. But I've also seen Michael Morpurgo simply read his book and that was magical, too. Good luck with the events, Tamara.
Stomper's good Linda. That day Justin was truly 'stomping out'his pirate lyrics. He does his presentations with such swashbuckling style and sweeps the audience along.
And you, Dianne, got us all in the mood with your wonderfully evocative music - a technique which I always intended to copy but never quite got around to...
I was lucky enough to persuade Ann Jungman to come to my son't school last year to address the whole school and staff, plus many grandparents and parents. She kept the whole hall enraptured, first by the quality of her prose, when she read out one of her stories, second by telling us about her life as a writer - managing to inform and entertain everyone from reception to the oldest grandparent. No props or stand-up, just someone who was honest, interesting and a good writer. I think a background in teaching helps as well!
A great post - and very interesting to hear the other side of it, too. I was once with Alexander Gordon Smith, who came equipped with props and jokes, and had a few hundred secondary school kids eating out of his hands. I had to follow him, which, as a complete newbie then, was one of the most terrifying experiences I've ever had! Best of luck with your book!
It's wonderful to hear the perspective of the bookseller on events - I agree it is a privilege to address our readers so directly, although sometimes a terrifying one!
My own aim is to make the event fun and entertaining, while conveying a couple of more serious points - about the lasting joys of reading, or that everyone, however bad at spelling, can tell stories - which they can take away with them. Also not to break my ankle jumping off a platform, as almost happened at a schools' event last week!
Barbara Mitchelhill said, on 10/3/2011 9:25:00 AM
Thanks for the post, Tamara. I hope you enjoy your school visits. love talking to children,reading to them and showing them the artifacts I've lugged all the way from the station. My aim is for the children to have fun and to become more interested in reading. Also for the teachers to go away with lots of ideas for follow-up activities. I find that the biggest thrill for many children is to meet a real live author and to find out how books are made. Such an adventure. Wishing you good luck with the book.
Barbara Mitchelhill said, on 10/3/2011 9:25:00 AM
Thanks for the post, Tamara. I hope you enjoy your school visits. love talking to children,reading to them and showing them the artifacts I've lugged all the way from the station. My aim is for the children to have fun and to become more interested in reading. Also for the teachers to go away with lots of ideas for follow-up activities. I find that the biggest thrill for many children is to meet a real live author and to find out how books are made. Such an adventure. Wishing you good luck with the book.
Fascinating post, and very reassuring comments too - reassuring in that they demonstrate the variety of styles that work. (And you do know when it works, don't you? That sense of rapt stillness when you're reading ...)
What is likely to lead to a very dark teatime of the soul is when you turn up for an event and there's no-one there - which can happen when the organiser is new to the game. You really feel for the organiser - but you're secretly convinced that it's really your fault because you're just not interesting enough!
School events for me have ranged from the inspiring (amazing kids and schools) to the downright disheartening (unengaged teachers). I'm not sure they are ever 'value for money' in the sense of generating enough sales immediately (unless the books go on the bill) so I do them to be in touch with my readers and encourage a sense of fun and adventure in reading. Reflecting on this, I probably in the end get more back than I give even though I always come home feeling totally exhausted and filled with respect for teachers. Also, if reports that the reading habit is dying are to be believed, we should be out there planting the seeds in the new generation.
Surprising numbers of children have eaten dog food.
This was the unexpected finding of my first bookshop signing. Determined to have plenty of interesting things for kids to do (and to avoid ending up behind a table bleating “Please buy my book!”) I had compiled a quiz on childhood misdoings. A sort of survey, if you like. As the heroine of my book, Martha, is a real “little stinker” I thought it would be fun to find out how many other little stinkers there are out there. So I compiled a list and handed it out.
Well, it turned out they were a pretty well-behaved bunch in Waterstone’s. However much they enjoyed reading about naughty characters, and chuckling at their exploits (they were good enough to chuckle loudly at Martha’s) they scored low on the naughtiness index. A more polite, obedient, considerate bunch I have seldom met. Maybe this is a sign that reading books makes for a well-behaved child? (And is yet one more reason to reverse those library cuts?)
Except when it came to eating dog food. Then it was a different story.
A little girl came up to me. Did cat food count, she wanted to know?
Certainly, I replied.
Include cat food, and everyone seemed to have tucked into their pet’s dinner, one time or another. One parent revealed that the family cat could only be fed when her son was elsewhere; another waxed nostalgic about the childhood joys of nibbling Whiskas.
Hmm. I grew up with a family dog – and somehow I never once felt like sharing his supper.
Anyhow, it certainly broke the ice, and the signing went with a swing. There were ups and downs, of course. I had brought too few colouring sheets. A friend of mine went dashing onto the street in search of photocopiers: thank you, Thomas Cook, who gallantly responded to his plea and ran off extra copies! Thank you everyone who did so much to help in different ways.
So here you go (be honest now):
Have you ever flushed your sister’s homework down the toilet?
Have you sneaked food from fridge, cupboard or biscuit tin?
Have you ever tried to sell your brother?
Have you eaten dog food?
Have you ever made a cake from dog food and served it to your family?
I’m glad to reveal that nobody said “Yes” to the last one. It wasn’t one of Martha’s misdeeds either. It was my sister.
Your event sounds like great fun. I was the shy quiet girl at school but I was always best friends with the naughty daredevils (still am). I never exactly sold my brother - it was more like an extreme swap!!
I ate cat food. I decided the cat was more interesting than my baby brother so I would be a cat, thank you. I ate his food, I balanced on dangerous ledges he walked along (with some ill effects) and tried to go in and out through the cat flap.
Some years ago I worked in Child Protection. Met a woman who, as a child, had looked after the family from the age of 11 - and was abused by her father. She regularly made him stews of dog food, the only way she could think of to get back at him.
They were pink. And intended for a corgi. So I don't think it really counts. Besides, I only ate 3. And I didn't even touch the green ones. I mean, that would be totally disgusting.
We have a small-dog flap, and grandson Max loves using it, though at almost 4 he's getting a bit big for it. I ate dog chocs when I was a kid, when there was nothing more interesting in the cupboard. I can still remember the way they didn't melt properly, but lay claggily against my tongue. It was the only time I ate them. I've never been a great one for any kind of tinned meat, so dog-food wouldn't appeal. And I loathe offal. My bruv and I 'stole' (my parents' word) food from the larder, raisins, and so on, and were regularly called to account, with great severity. I always told my own kids they were welcome to help themselves if they were hungry, especially when they'd just come home from school. They have both turned into extremely slim adults.
Me and my sister tried dog choc drops once when we were desperate for a chocolate fix. Taste of nothing although smell good. Otherwise we led boringly blameless lives. I do stilll occasionally try the wippitties biscuits to see what they're like. And I have a really good recipe for peanut butter oatie doggy crunchies that taste much better than the usual commercial jobbies ... feel free to pop round for coffee and cookies if you're in the area and want to relive a misspent yoof ...
Neat idea for a book signing. I think you were wise to have yes/no questions - open-ended on something like "what's the most revolting thing you've ever eaten?" could have been just a little bit too much info...
By the way, How To Make Bad Children Good is an excellent book! I have just finished reading my copy of it and it cheered a weary evening. Book soon to be on on its way to seven-year old Daisy.
Bookshops appeared to have been largely unaffected by the rioting that swept across London and other cities last night, causing tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage.
As London shopowners began the clean-up this morning, spokespeople for both Waterstone's and W H Smith said they were unaware of any damage to their store portfolio. Both retailers' management were meeting this morning to discuss the violence, which was largely targeted at electronics retailers.
Last Saturday I had a great time. I was able to sit through three sessions by illustrator Lynne Chapman. I've always really enjoyed the energy and colour in her work, and have a special fondness for the books she's done with SAS writer friends such as Julia Jarman and Damian Harvey.
So it was an almost total pleasure seeing Lynne working with children small and big and hear her talk to adults about her work.
Almost total. Because I'd also been involved with setting up the day.
It was a useful reminder of the work behind such events. The visitor - Lynne - and the date were easy choices once I'd made sure to avoid Wimbledon finals weekend. There was all the publicity - local press, radio, and flyers and display materials for the library. There was arranging the times on the day, the travel and the pick-up.
There'd also been several long meetings and emails about the venue with the other organisations involved and the people who'd be there - or not be there - to help and when, and small emergencies. All important stuff.
I mustn't forget the collecting of materials for the workshop, the lunch for Lynne, the evalustion forms & photo permissions, the books for the booksales (not forgetting the float), the refreshments and so on. There has been more and there is still more to do to finish the event off completely.
The day was joyous, and I didn't mind a bit (though may have muttered darkly at times) but it did consume so much of my time.
No sympathy needed here for me, though.
I just want to raise a huge huge cheer of thanks for all the people, especially librarians, teachers, festival arrangers and bookshop owners who so often do all this work for US!
By the way, if you are interested in illustration, look up Lynne's website and the images on her amazing blog, An Illustrator's Life For Me!
A Boy Called M.O.U.S.E out in paperback this August www.pennydolan.com
4 Comments on Raising a Cheer : Penny Dolan, last added: 6/30/2011
Yes, I agree. There are lots of unsung heroes at literary events. We authors are very quick to be pained when something goes wrong, but so many things go right, invisibly.
I've been amazed at the support that is offered at litfests.
Hear, hear, Penny. Am thinking of Julie, the librarian who organised the event I went to last week. She didn't need to do it, and it must have been a lot of work.
Absolutely! There are amazing people who work very hard to make events happen and run smoothly - they are often unsung heroes. When it all goes well they make it look as if it was so easy but it usually only works because behind the scenes they are continually checking, and sorting out problems before they become huge.
Doubly exhausting when you are organising events and taking part yourself.I often find it easier to promote friends than speak up for myself. Am planning on putting together an event to celebrate the publication of '100 Silent Films' by Bryony Dixon.
Needless to say, we love a good children’s bookshop here at We Heart Books. And since overseas travel is more of a dream than a realistic proposition for me at the moment, I’ve been pondering a round-the-world trip of the world’s greatest children’s bookshops… Wouldn’t that be decadent and cool?!
Here’s your chance to help compile a list of the best children’s bookshops in the world. Nominate your favourite children’s bookshops anywhere in the world… and spread the word if you know others who might like to have a say too…
How to take part… In the comments of this post, nominate a bookshop to be included on the itinerary of a world tour of the most amazing children’s bookshops. Include the address and website, and a short description or review of it – your reasons for the nomination. If you know of a good child-friendly cafe or restaurant nearby, feel free to mention that too, and we’ll include it on the itinerary, all this travelling is going to be hungry work…
Guidelines…
Any nominations taken, but we’ll lean towards specialist children’s bookshops, rather than generalist stores. It needs to be worth going out of your way for. Children’s bookshops attached to museums are OK too, as long as they stock a wide range of children’s books and fulfill the above. You don’t need to have actually been to the shop either (I haven’t been to any of the ones below…)
To chart the book tour, I’ve started a Google My Maps – pop over and take a look. I’ll be adding to it as we receive nominations and when we’ve finished we’ll have a Google Map charting an itinerary for a tour of the Greatest Children’s Bookshops in the world!
Billed as the children’s bookshop of all bookshops, this shop has been called the real life (and bigger) version of ‘The Shop Around the Corner’ from the movie ‘You’ve Got Mail’. It’s known for its amazing range of children’s books, as well as a unique selection of rare and collectible signed and first editions. Check out the post from Vintage Kids Books My Kid Loves when they visited. You can read more about it here and here.
Love Books ! - La Soupe de l’Espace said, on 5/15/2010 7:24:00 AM
[...] cliquant par ici, vous verrez que notre soupière passe les frontières Waouhhhhhh ! Merci à we heart books et [...]
Nice Niche « Harlot's Web said, on 5/16/2010 12:32:00 AM
[...] favourite part of We Heart Books is their world tour of children’s bookstores, which includes some incredible bookshops like this one in [...]
Cathy Francis said, on 5/16/2010 1:49:00 AM
Dear Katie and Lou,
I’m one of the owners of The Flying Dragon Bookshop and came across your website from 7-imp. It is a wonderful idea to have a world tour of children’s bookshops. I can’t go past bookstores when I’m on holidays and they are one of the first things I research in the places I visit.
We are located in Toronto, Canada, in a lovely neighborhood called ‘Leaside’. It is a wonderful place to spend a day of your holidays. There are great restaurants on the street; Riz for Pan Asian Fare, ‘Amaya’ for a taste of Indian, and for a morning coffee and pastry, ‘Rahier’ is a must. After a visit to the bookshop I recommend going to ‘Hollywood Gelato’ for the best gelato in town. But don’t forget ‘The Chocolate Messenger’ for a gingerbread man dipped in Swiss chocolate.
The area has more than culinary stops, a must for mystery lovers is ‘The Sleuth of Baker Street’. ‘Moms to be and More’ is a shop that has everything a baby could dream of.
We specialize in children’s books but we have a fine selection of adult fare. We believe in growing with our customers. From baby baskets to great teen reads to a lovingly handpicked adult selection, we enjoy forming a personal connections with our customers, seeing them through those transitional ages with great books. We know our customers personally and by reading preference, and are ready with the perfect book waiting for them in the wings.
If you would like to find out more about us visit our new blog. We have also started a twitter list for bookstore tourism at –
Good luck with your ‘World Tour’ and if you ever make it to Toronto stop in for tea!
All the Best,
Cathy Francis
P.S. Some other fine Canadian bookstores are Mabel’s Fables in Toronto, Woozles in Halifax, and Kidsbooks Vancouver.
Jessica said, on 5/17/2010 2:22:00 PM
I would love to do this as well!! I work in a bookstore, but we cater to all ages. I will do some research on the best kids bookstores in California. Check out this blog for some possible ideas, http://www.bookstorepeople.com/
Holly said, on 5/17/2010 3:54:00 PM
What a great idea! I nominate Vancouver’s Kidsbooks, a fabulous kids’ bookstore with a great selection, knowledgeable staff, and comfy red chairs.
Love this idea, I’ll check back when I’m looking for stores to visit!
Sara O'Leary said, on 5/18/2010 4:39:00 AM
Favourite children’s bookshops? Ooh, good question. Kidsbooks in Vancouver (as noted by Holly above) is perfectly wonderful. When we lived there, my son attended some fantastic events – a performance by Eoin Colfer, reading by the fantastic Philip Ardagh and a memorable midnight Harry Potter party. http://www.kidsbooks.ca/default.aspx?AdID=75
In Toronto, I love the children’s bookshop Ella Minnow – partly for the name, of course, and partly because when they hosted an event for my first book we arrived to find the store had been painted the same colour as our cover. Now that’s attention to detail. http://www.ellaminnow.ca/
There’s a picture here of illustrator Julie Morstad and I in front of Ella Minnow (along with soon-to-be Ida!) where you can see the clever use of that robin’s egg blue. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2134/1602483958_f9994bfe71.jpg?v=0
Closer to home (my current home, anyhow) is Benjamin’s Books in Saint John, New Brunswick. Owner Mary Ann Gallagher brings an irresistible mix of knowledge and enthusiasm to children’s books and the store is a little gem. http://www.benjaminsbooks.nb.ca/
I only know the Primrose Hill Branch which is just beautiful. I do have a photo or two somewhere on my camera. This is the type of bookshop you dream of as a child – and it is very close to the most beautiful cupcake shop ever!!!! http://www.primrosebakery.org.uk/
Don’t tell anyone I work with but I don’t actually buy that many books. I used to, when I worked in Waterstone’s, as I a) was constantly surrounded by lots I wanted, b) had a staff discount, and, most crucially of all, c) couldn’t get them for free like I can often do now.
When I do buy books, though, I like to try and do it from an independent. Yes, it’s more expensive as you usually pay full price but I find the experience quite edifying, mainly for the fact that it feels like everyone else in the transaction is getting maximum benefit: writer, publisher and, of course and perhaps most importantly, the bookseller. But to a few people I’ve told this to, including many friends, it seems a confusing choice: apart from
feeling like a good egg/self-important, what do I get out of it? Call me starry-eyed but nothing less than a lovely, life-affirming experience, an experience typified by two brilliant independent bookshops in Bath: Topping & Co and Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights. I visited them both with Nick Hornby recently, who read at Topping, and they both manage to be utterly charming yet completely different. Topping does fantastic events and the shop is full-to-bursting with signed first editions; they think of themselves as being a ‘year-round literary festival’ and Nick’s event, in the shop itself, was gloriously old-fashioned: people peering out from behind bookshelves, crammed into corners and surrounded by books of all kinds. Between listening to Nick read I found myself browsing the shelves and making mental notes of books I wanted.
Mr B’s takes the idea of browsing and shopping in comfort to a whole new level for bookshops. They have a ‘reading booth’, within which are a comfy armchair, some biscuits and a ledge to hold your cup of tea. You shut the door and just sit there and read. Imagine! A man apparently shut his dog in there recently and couldn’t get it out, so I guess it’s not quite fool-proof. But they have also started what I think is a brilliant initiative. It’s called a Reading Spa: for £55 a person gets an hour of undivided attention from one of their extremely nice and knowledgeable booksellers. You sit and have tea and cake and talk about what you like, what you don’t like; they talk about what’s come out recently, what’s selling well. Based on this, they then go away and come back with a pile of books. £40 of that £55 goes towards these books, plus of course any extra you want to spend. So far they’re doing at least one a week and one chap spent an extra £400 a couple of weeks ago.
Great independents don’t exist everywhere, of course, and you can’t always get to one, but if you do happen to have one near you, I urge you to go in and have a browse. It’s the best atmosphere for book-buying, in my opinion.
Do you have a favourite independent bookshop? Why don’t you write them a little puff-piece in the comments below and provide a link to their website? They’ll thank you for it, and you’ll sleep well because of it.
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We took a lovely trip to the beach this weekend and enjoyed the sunshine while it lasted, walking along the pier, spotting whales, running in the park and buying too many gorgeous things at Lorne Beach Books!
Ned really enjoyed having the three of us sitting in the sun on Saturday afternoon and reading one of his favorites Imagine by Alison Lester.
Did you get to hear her speak at the festival at Aireys?? I was hoping to get there but it didn’t happen.
‘Isabella’s bed’ and ‘My Farm’ are hot off the shelves in this house. Oh and ‘When Frank was Four’ and ‘Clive eats Alligators’ of course!
My mum has just got back from a month in the USA and Canada - and she took the opportunity to visit some bookshops wherever she went. Lucky us! She wrote this post for We Heart Books towards the end of her time there…
Rivendell Books, Montpelier, Vermont
For those who don’t know me, I should confess that I am a self-confessed ‘collect-a-holic’ so it has been a delight to have something to search for whilst here in North America and it should be no surprise that I have been looking for bookshops - and irresistible children‘s books! But what can I say? … It has not been such an easy quest. The ‘real’ bookshop seems to be a disappearing entity.
Our first stop was New York which provided an excellent serve of cultural enrichment, however, in spite of the recession, alas, no specials in the museum and gallery shops which are magnets that draw me to them before I even look at their collections! Those of MOMA and the Met proved no exception. The fact that we already have large numbers of books which encourage art appreciation in children was no reason not to carefully shift through their shelves for more treasures. I have added three more titles including one for children about the work of Austrian architect, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, whose wonderful museum in Vienna I visited last year.
Outside FAO Schwartz, New York (with Curious George wooden toy in hand)
But, my most pressing quest was to find a Curious George soft toy and game to augment Rowan’s next birthday present, the collector’s edition of Curious George stories by Margaret and HA Rey. I couldn’t believe that neither America’s largest toy store, FAO Swartz in New York nor Borders in Boston could produce a single cuddly Curious George. The kind lady in Borders was somewhat despondent about the level of sales of any children’s books and said special toys like the one I was after were only brought in for Christmas.
However, not all was lost as I found a cloth-bound and cased copy of Dr Seuss’ Oh The Places You’ll Go. This was purchased for daughter Clare - about to graduate from Harvard Masters of Public Health. From the relatively large numbers of this book in stock, I gather it is commonly given as a parental gift at commencement (graduation). A bit corny but … well heck!
The Curious George Store, Harvard
As for Curious George, he did turn up - in Harvard Square of all places, where there is a bookshop named after him. An hour or more later, the cases were well stocked with children’s books and the next book stop, a few days later, at Rivendell Books in Montpelier, Vermont was for a look only. But it had a great feel - I really like bookshops that are peppered with interesting comfortable chairs which encourage lingering.
Interior of Jade W Bookshop, Halifax
Katie was encouraged to send a list of desirable authors/illustrators and this guided my selections at Dustjacket and The Jade W in Halifax and as a result, there are now two large boxes of books on their way back to Melbourne; some are second-hand, others new and most are from US and Canadian publishers, ones I don’t think make the usual bookshop shelves in Australia. I am still not sure which of these are gifts for Katie and Rowan and which will join the library at Nanou’s, but I am sure you’ll be hearing more about at least some of them.
Some titles were too precious to trust to the boxes…
The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey is an adults’ ABC which starts: A is for AMY who fell down the stairs;
B is for BASIL assaulted by bears;
C is for CLARA who wasted away;
D is for DESMOND thrown out of a sleigh. Great detailed black and white fine line illustrations.
My Little Hen by Alice and Martin Provensen, which I love for its illustrations alone.
Renee at Dustjacket and Sydney at The Jade W were both incredibly helpful and both obviously love books. Whether it be the idiosyncratic filing system at Dustjacket or the more orderly library arrangement at The Jade W, both provided wonderful book experiences … and there were so many titles that had to be left behind for someone else to discover and love.
Thanks Mum for this post and all the treasures you brought back - look forward to sharing them in future Borrowed and Thrifted posts…
3 Comments on A US bookshop tour…, last added: 7/17/2009
This post is fantastic - it brought back memories of being in Boston when I couldn’t resist going in to the exact Curious George Bookshop pictured in the post! I bought some Lovely Winnie the Pooh figurines (which I have hidden from my very rough destructive children - they are way too nice for them!!) and I also bought some Babar gift tags and other gorgeous book inspired cards. It was a lovely place to find amongst the big more academic bookshops of the area (MIT, Harvard and Boston U all within cooee). Katie and Lou - I just love your blog!!
Book Chook said, on 7/16/2009 4:35:00 AM
Thanks for this vicarious trip to US book stores. Wonderful!
Carm said, on 7/17/2009 6:45:00 AM
On your next tour of American bookstores, be sure to visit Wild Rumpus in Linden Hills (a Minneapolis, MN neighborhood). It’s a phenomenal children’s bookstore. A wonderland. Truly.
At the last minute, I made it back again this year. I didn’t bump into any We Heart Books readers this year… but did meet a new kindred spirit over a few bins of picture books.
The weather was beautiful and the atmosphere very lovely. This year, I made an early stop at the CFA ‘nothing over $5′ hall, in a new venue at the town’s Bottle Museum. With kids’ books priced at 6 for $1, you could hardly go wrong. And it was nice for Rowan to be able to pick out whatever took his fancy and hardly be able to refuse… The books had been donated from local school libraries so they were mostly very worn and damaged. But I picked up a few gems - and will post on some of them shortly.
To balance out my thiftiness, I then went on and indulged in a handful of picture books at $6-$10 each… All in beautiful condition though, and the stall owners are apparently opening a bookshop in Northcote here in Melbourne in June - called Brown & Bunting. It should be a good source of secondhand books in fine condition.
1 Comments on Going Back to Booktown, last added: 5/6/2009
I have to confess I don't do a lot of book signings. It's at least two hours drive to my nearest book shop, and so the opportunity only arises when I travel to present at a festival or such.
Still, I know many children's writers DO do book signings, with varying degrees of success. This week author Simon Rose, in his blog Simon Says has an interesting piece full of tips for successful book
0 Comments on Hot link: Tips for Book Signings as of 10/19/2008 7:59:00 AM
This just came in, and I thought it deserved a long reply...
Hello Mr. Gaiman: As a bookseller, I am a bit surprised by your recent comment about free books and the HarperCollins download. When you say, "the problem isn't that books are given away or that people read books they haven't paid for. The problem is that the majority of people don't read for pleasure," you seem to miss the point that all of us booksellers are hoping to sell your book to READERS as well as non-readers. Our situation improves as more non-readers become readers, but we can't survive when the readers go elsewhere. I am not at all against free literature--I firmly believe that the more people read the more people read--but somehow, if we independents are to survive, we need to be included somewhere in the formula. I also believe that we independents have no RIGHT to exist, that our time may have passed or be passing, but it would be nice if we could survive; I believe we can--and do--serve a very important purpose.Thanks. I don't sense that you have anything against booksellers--I do want to let you know how your comment might be interpreted by some. Don Muller Old Harbor Books 201 Lincoln Street Sitka, Alaska 99835
Hi Don,
I don't see this as either they get it for free or they come and buy it from you. I see it as Where do you get the people who come in and buy the books that keep you in business from?
The books you sell have "pass-along" rates. They get bought by one person. Then they get passed along to other people. The other people find an author they like, or they don't.
When they do, some of them may come in to your book store and buy some paperback backlist titles, or buy the book they read and liked so that they can read it again. You want this to happen.
Just as a bookseller who regards a library as the enemy, because people can go there and read -- for free! -- what he sells, is missing that the library is creating a pool of people who like and take pleasure in books, will be his customer base, and are out there spreading the word about authors and books they like to other people, some of whom will simply go out and buy it.
If readers find (for free -- in a library, or on-line, or by borrowing from a friend, or on a window-sill) an author they really like, and that author has a nice spanking new hardback coming out, they are quite likely to come in to your shop and buy the nice spanking new hardback. You want that to happen. You really want that to happen a lot, because you'll make more in profit on each of the nice spanking new hardbacks than you will on the paperbacks (or, probably, on anything else in the shop).
I don't believe that anybody out there who can afford a copy of American Gods is going to not buy it (or another of my books) because it's available out there on line for nothing. (Not at this point, anyway.) I think it's a lot more likely that some of the people who read it will find an author they like, and buy more books. Which is good news for people who run bookshops.
I think it's very likely that someone who reads American Gods online and likes it may decide, come the 30th of September, to go out to your shop or somewhere else like it and plonk down their $17.99 for The Graveyard Book in hardcover.
I don't see it as taking money from the pockets of booksellers.
(To steal a metaphor from Cory Doctorow, it's dandelion seeds rather than mammals. A mammal produces a few offspring that take a lot of resources. A dandelion produces an awful lot of seeds because the cost in resources to the dandelion is small, but those that sprout, sprout.)
Then again, I do not always understand the ways of booksellers.
Old Harbor Books looks marvellous -- http://litsite.alaska.edu/akbooksellers/oldharbor.html -- and looks like somewhere that's involved in creating readers and a reading community. My local bookshop (now deceased) was physically arranged so that finding a book and then buying it was harder than walking around around the shop and going back out again; the bookseller mostly sat at the cash register in the middle of the shop playing online chess, and he tended to be unhelpful, vaguely grumpy and to treat people who wanted to buy things as nuisances (he was nice to me, because I was me, but still); he didn't stock paperback bestsellers because "people could always go to Wal-Mart for those" and when the she shop closed its doors the final time they put up a note on the door saying that it was Amazon.com that had driven them out of business, when it manifestly wasn't -- it seemed to me that they didn't work to entice people into the bookshop (which is what those paperback bestsellers were for), and didn't give them a pleasant experience when they were there...
But I digress...
Anyway (it probably bears reiterating) this is an experiment. Harper Collins are going to be looking at the figures over the next month and longer. If sales of American Gods crash in bookshops -- or if sales of all my other books crash -- they won't be doing it again. If American Gods sells more, if my other titles sell more, on actual Bookscan sales, then I think we'll all agree that you and your fellow booksellers will be selling more books, and will thus have nothing to worry about.
Remember, publishers aren't making their money from free downloads or from free online books. Like you (and like me), they make their money from books sold.
What we all want to do is sell more books. To readers, to non-readers, to people who thought they didn't like that sort of thing.
Also, there are also a lot of posts coming in like this:
No question - just wanted to let you know, after getting your "American Gods" online for free and reading about 200 pages, I had to go out and buy the book. Great read!
which may make you feel a little better....
...
Dear Neil You should be able to listen again on the BBC website. all the radio programmes have a seven day period of grace and you can hear them again. If I remember rightly, I thnk I caught the Lovecraft show this way. The Beeb are also doing their shows throught the iplayer (not yet Mac compatbale). I watched the Worlds of Fantasy series about child heroes, only two days to go. Two more in the series and I think worth watching. Kind regards Philip
Not Desert Island Discs or Pick of the Week though.
Mr. Gaiman - Congratulations on finishing "The Graveyard Book." Can't wait to add it to my collection. I have two questions, that are both tied together.
1) You grew up in England, but have moved to the US. How difficult / time consuming was the process (paperwork, etc.) at the time, and what prompted your decision to move here?
2) If someone wanted to reverse that, and move from the US to England, any suggestions on what websites would be good to start researching?I know you are a busy man, but I thank you for any advice you could provide.
1) Fairly time consuming, not that difficult. I think the fact that we had two kids made it fairly obvious that I hadn't married my wife to get to America, and the fact that I earned the majority of my income from DC Comics (at the time) meant that it wasn't like I was about to become a drain on the US economy. I still wonder why I had to get the X-Ray of my lungs and bring it to the US in my handbaggage, and still remember fondly the lady at the US embassy who called me back and told me, quietly, that I'd left originals with her when I should have given her the copies, and when I thanked her told me to shut up because if it was known that she'd been helpful she could be fired.
2) It's nice to think that I could do more than you with a quick Google, but I don't think I can. http://www.uk-yankee.com/ looks like it might be a fine place to start looking though.
...
Mr. Gaiman,
Since your love of libraries has been well documented on your blog I'm sure I'm not the first to alert you to the marvelous www.deweydonationsystem.org (tagline: helping books find libraries since 2003). Their efforts this year are aimed at the Children's Institute in Los Angeles which helps out abused children in a myriad of ways both large and small and the Rockhouse Foundation in Jamaica which serves impoverished children in Negril. The Dewey Donation System (which I'm not affiliated with except as a donor)is a grassroots campaign run simply for the love of books and with the sure knowlege that books change lives. As a librarian and veritable eater of books (yours and many, many, many others), I know that much is true.Thanks for your time and thanks for your much-loved books, Stephanie Betts
Today I want to share some statistics gathered at the WA SCWBI Conference which give pause for thought – or perhaps just leave one better informed. (I can’t resist reporting not just the statistics but also my reaction to them) .
1. There are 3000 books published in the world each day.
I wrote this down, circled it, and then sat and wondered if I’d heard right. So, today, I did some googling,
0 Comments on Some Statistics as of 1/1/1900
Sherryl said, on 2/24/2008 2:29:00 PM
Thanks for those, Sally. It's true - and is enough to depress anybody.But at the SCBWI conference in Sydney (just finished) there was a whole session on voice and why a publisher will pick up a book and say "Wow" - what it showed is how subjective it is. Yes, you have to be writing well, but also find that editor who responds to your voice, style and story idea. That means perseverance!
What a fabulous list of things to do. Just shows there is lots going on you just need to find it. Good luck and look forward to hearing all about these finds:-)
Oh! Such a magical list!
So, my bookish resolutions of the year:
1- I want to put my career in a more bookish way (if this sentence is correct). As we don’t have any of these fabulous places devoted to reading and stories in France, one of my resolution will be to create one. Perhaps not the kind you talked about, I must find my way to do it.
2- Read as much books reviewed by the English bloggers is like as I can. I discovered so much thanks to all of you during this year.
I wish you a wonderful new year, Zoe, and hope 2016 will be the best bookish year you wished!
Thanks Jayne Yes, lots going on, and I want to complement all my reading with a bit of more active, community doing too – that’s been behind some of my choices above.
Ah, thank you Anne. Great to read your resolutions and good luck with them. I look forward to hearing how they develop. In case you don’t already know it this is perhaps my favourite children’s book blog http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/