Blog 101

Simon

As the final negotiations continue to drag on, and because i've had a lttle break over Christmas, i've been able to catch up on some of the books that I've been lucky enough to get recently. As i've been in bookselling since Highway To heaven first premiered on NBC, it's been an odd experience not to be surrounded by the gorgeous little things. Despite what people tell you about bookselling being hard work, it's an honour to be able to see and read pretty much anything that you like (not on company time mind you), and I miss it badly.

So to be sent these wonderful books has been a real treat for me, and I intend to give all the books i'm sent a chance. So thanks.

There have been a couple recently that have really stood out for different reasons. One isn't published yet, but one is. The Crowded Bed by Mary Cavanagh (transita 9781905175314)


I started reading this on Sunday, and to be honest I wasn't sure if it was my kind of thing. But I was so wrong. This book is a belter. I was hooked and devoured it in 2 sittings.
From the prologue, in which we watch Joe Fortune (our 'hero') murdering his father-in-law, we're then transported back to Joe's childhood. And there begins the story of how we get to his crime. The strength of the writer lies in her ability to take us from the past to the present and back again and still hold the story together so cleverly that you just have to know what happens next. I was both delighted to get to the end and sad that i'd finished it. This book has been picked up and recommended by Mostly Books amongst others, and rightly so. This is going eye level on our Big Green Favourites bookcase from day 1.

I'd also like to thank Fusion Press for sending me a copy of From Here To Paternity, the diary of a pregnant man' bt Andrew Cullen, within 3 days of me writing that Katie and I are going to be parents for the first time. Katie got to it first, and really enjoyed it. It's a lot more realistic than Jools Oliver, I understand. I started reading it last night, so i'm up to week 11 at the moment.

I've done a guest blog for Little Brown about the different relationship we'll have with reps now that we're a little Indie bookshop. I hope it's interesting.

I'm off to a launch party tonight. Testament by Alis Hawkins will be toasted this evening in the glamourous West End of London so raise a glass to this new author. She has a very good blog as well.

And lastly today, Cult Fiction. I want to have a section in the shop, but what constitutes cult fiction. Bukowski? Tom Robbins? Murakami? or have they become to mainstream to be considered cult now. Just a thought, which i'll pick up next week.