Haruki Murakami Midnight Opening

 Monday August 11th 7.30pm-midnight

A Very Special Evening celebrating Haruki Murakami's New Novel.

+With very special guests+

£32 Including Book (early bird price) BUY TICKETS HERE. 

£20 Without Book BUY TICKETS HERE.

 

The new novel by Haruki Murakami is being published in the UK in August.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, which has already topped the charts in Germany, Spain andHolland, will be published in the UK on August 12^th. The book sold one million copies in its first week on sale in Japanlast April,

 

 

" Tsukuru Tazaki had four best friends at school. By chance all of their names contained a colour. The two boys were called Akamatsu, meaning 'red pine', and Oumi, 'blue sea', while the girls' names were Shirane, 'white root', and Kurono, 'black field'.

Tazaki was the only last name with no colour in it. One day Tsukuru Tazaki's friends announced that they didn't want to see him, or talk to him, ever again. Since that day Tsukuru has been floating through life, unable to form intimate connections with anyone.

But then he meets Sara, who tells him that the time has come to find out what happened all those years ago."

 

 

The book is strictly embargoed. It will only be available to buy from midnight on August 11/12^th.  We love Murakami at the Big Green Bookshop and so we're holding a special night to celebrate, culminating in the book being available to take home at midnight.

 

We have secured copies of the very special first edition of the book, which will include  

specially designed stickers. 

 

If you can't make it for the evening, but would like a copy of the first edition with the stickers they are available HERE (FREE P+P). 

 

The evening will run as follows;

 

7.30pm Doors open. Guests can enjoy a drink and a browse (sake will be available, as well as wine, beer and soft drinks).

  

7.45pm Stuart Evers presents "The Murakami Lectures".

 

 

Stuart is the author of the short story collection "Ten Stories about Smoking" which won the London Award. His latest novel "If This is Home" is published by Picador.

 

A huge Murakami fan (Stuart introduced me to the great man's work when we worked together in the '90s), Stuart will present "The Murakami Lectures" a light hearted homage to the great man. 

 

 

 

8.15pm Dinner.

Traditional Japanese food will be served, by specialist local caterers. The menu will include; 

• Futomaki  (thick sushi rolls).
• Temaki (hand rolled sushi cones).
• Miso Soup (a traditional Japanese soup, consisting of a stock called Dashi, in which is mixed Miso paste. Other ingredients change seasonally).
• Gyoza (traditional meat or vegetable dumplings usually eaten with a dipping sauce).

9.00pm Evie Wyld  

Our second special guest is the brilliant Evie Wyld whose latest novel "All The Birds Singing" has become a multi award winner, having won The Encore Award (ahead of Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton) a Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize and just a couple of weeks ago winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award.

 

She'll be reading an exclusive extract from "Colorless Tsukuru...", to whet your appetites

 

 

9.30pm "When Scott met Haruki"

Scott Pack, author, Friday Project publisher and blogger (Me and My Big Mouth), has met the illusive Haruki Murakami on four occasions. Scott will tell us stories (and there are some fabulous ones) from these meetings. 

 

10.00pm Film - I Hired a Contract Killer

We'll be showing a film by Aki Kaurismäki, Murakami's favouirte film director, the dark comedy "I Hired a Contract Killer".

 

 

After fifteen years' service, Henri Boulanger is made redundant from his job. Shocked, he attempts suicide, but can't go through with it, so he hires a contract killer in a seedy bar to murder him at some unspecified time in the future. But almost immediately he meets and falls in love with Margaret, a flower-seller, which makes Henri realise that his life has some meaning after all. But when he goes back to the bar to cancel the contract, he finds it has been demolished - and there's no way he can get in touch with the killer...

 

At midnight, we will then be able to give each guest a copy of the book, which they can take home. 

What an epic night this promises to be. 

 

Book tickets early, as these evenings have proved incredibly popular in the past and have sold out very quickly. 

The "help us pay our rent" 3 for 2 Promotion.

In a promotion we're calling "Please help us pay our rent this month", we're offering 3 for 2 on all books and toys whilst England are in the World Cup England began their bid to win the World Cup on Saturday June 14th, when they faced Italy. The tournament will end on Sunday July 13th. Will England still be there, despite their first result? Manager Roy Hodgson inexplicably failed to name a single player from Bristol City in his squad but despite this the Big Green Bookshop will be giving the team its full support. And for as long as England are still in with a chance to win the competition, we will be offering     on all books and toys at both our shops. Yes, you heard right. The 3 for 2 applies to all books and toys we have in store (not special orders), the cheapest book is free and can't be used on vouchers and tokens. The earliest England can go out of the tournament is Thursday 19th June (but that would involve some very unlikely results), but there's a chance that England could still be there in a month's time!   So, if you were intending to buy a couple of books to read over the Summer, we'd really appreciate it if you made the most of this rather excellent opportunity.  ALSO.   There are still half a dozen tickets left for punk legend Viv Albertine's visit to the bookshop next Tuesday June 24th. More details of this can be found HERE As ever, there's a whole load of stuff going on in the bookshop over the next few weeks, and today I shall be adding at least half a dozen new events that we're involved in onto the website. So keep checking in (details of our Comedy Night on June 27th have just been added). Hope you have a lovely week and thanks for your amazing support. We wouldn't be here without our amazing customers. Simon, Tim, Katie and Carmel.

Viv Albertine - June 24th

Tuesday June 24^th 7.00pm

Viv Albertine in Conversation with Dorian Lynskey.

Tickets - £18 (with book included) BUY HERE

£7 (entrance only) BUY HERE 

 

What an incredible evening.

 

One of punks pioneers, Viv Albertine is one of a handful of people who changed music, and the discourse around it, forever.

 

After forming The Flowers of Romance with Sid Vicious in 1976, Viv found fame with The Slits and made musical history as one of the first generation of punk bands.

 In her new book Clothes….Music….Boys…. Viv tells the story of what it was like to be a girl at the height of punk: the sex, the drugs, the guys, the tours, the hard lessons learnt and those not considered. From Madonna to Lady Gaga, fashion to feminims, Viv Albertine has influenced a range of exceptional artists. Here, before and beyond the break-up of The Slits in 1982, is the full story of a life lived unscripted, with foolishness, bravery and great emotional honesty.

 

Viv wil be talking to Dorian Lynskey, music writer for the Guardian and Observer as well as magazines including Q, GQ and Mojo. Dorian is the author of 33 Revolutions Per Minute; a History of Protest Songs.

 

There will be a chance to ask Viv questions and she'll be happy to sign copies of her book.

 

Tickets for the evening are sure to go very fast, so please book early.

 

If you cannot make the event but would like a signed copy of the book posted (FREE P+P in the UK) you can purchase it HERE. 

 

Comedy - June 27th

Friday 27th June - 8.00pm – 11.00pm

Working Title Comedy Night with Nat Tapley's Margaret Thatcher Seance & Nish Kumar

£5 – BUY TICKETS HERE

Our comedy night goes from strength to strength, and remains at the budget busting  price of just five pounds (bring your own refreshments).

 

Appearing this month;

 

Nish Kumar

Nish is half of sketch duo the Gentlemen of Leisure, who made his Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2012. Early this year he performed at the Soho Theatre with his solo show "Who is Nish Kumar", which was described as follows…

 

 ‘This superb hour marks an astute solo debut…. he appears to have every trick in the book at his disposal.’

 

‘What an assured debut this is from Nish Kumar. A calling card which proves beyond doubt that he is already a skilled comic, preloaded with an hour of polished, gimmick-free stand-up guaranteed to do the job.’

 

We're thrilled he's going to be performing for us at the Big Green Bookshop.

 

Nathaniel Tapley

Nathaniel marked the anniversary of Margaret Thatcher's death by holding a séance at London's Leicester Square Theatre. Now he'll be performing this again for us at the Bookshop.

Nathaniel is best known as his alter ego Sir Ian Bowler MP but he'll be performing the séance as medium Melmoth Darkleigh.

 

Nathaniel explains "There will be a gigantic ouija board to answer the question Belgra-yes? or Belgra-no? Milk will vanish in front of the audience's eyes. Mrs Thatcher will pass on messages to the audience’s deceased pets. And we will discover the true circumstances of her death."

 

Your host for the evening is the marvellous Chris Brosnahan.

 

We would suggest that if you want to come along, you should buy tickets beforehand as it's likely to be VERY popular.

We hope you can make it. 

The Great Literary Talent Hunt

Saturday July 19th - 5pm-8pm

The Great Literary Talent Hunt – Laura West & Marigold Atkey from David Higham Associates

£10 – BUY TICKETS HERE

The Great Literary Talent Hunt continues, and we're once again delighted to offer budding authors a chance for a professional one on one consultation with a top literary agent. This time we’re thrilled to have Laura West and Marigold Atkey from David Higham Associates

 

 

How to take part:
1) To book a 10 minute slot you must purchase a ticket.
Tickets cost just £10 available HERE, or by contacting the Big Green Bookshop in person or via the phone (020 8881 6767).
2) Once you’ve purchased a ticket, you will need to submit an example of your work  (Laura and Marigold have suggested the forst three chapters of your book) and a plot outline. This will be read by the agents in advance of the session. Details of where to send this will be passed to you once you've bought a ticket.

Also, once your ticket is purchased you will be allocated a slot with either Laura or Marigold. They will have read your submission beforehand so that on the day you meet them they’ll be able to offer advice and guidance on what steps you should take in order to turn your writing dream into a reality.

 

Laura West

Laura is currently building a list of fiction and non-fiction with a strong interest in children’s books, young adult fiction, graphic novels, thrillers and cookery books.  *If anyone out there has a kids book set in space she’d love to see it!*  Laura is the agent for film critic Charlie Lyne, Coco Moodysson, the Swedish comic artist whose biographical Never Goodnight was adapted for the big screen as ‘We Are The Best’, illustrator Peter Utton and some new picture book illustrators and children’s writers too.  At David Higham Associates Laura works with Veronique Baxter and looks after, amongst others, Michael Morpurgo, Jenny Valentine, Edward Hogan and Sally Butcher.  Laura is also the Digital Manager at David Higham and in this capacity works with a wide-range of authors from across the agency including Rachel Abbott, the bestselling Kindle Author.

 

Marigold Atkey

Marigold is interested in literary fiction and women’s fiction.  She represents a growing clutch of novelists including the stand-up Liam Williams, while on the non-fiction side is the agent for Tilly, author of the bestselling ‘Love at First Stitch’, and has just sold ‘Confessions of a Tinderella’ to Random House.  In non-fiction, what links all her interests are those books written with a clear voice and sense of identity, be the book a cookbook, a memoir or a nature journal.  She works with Anthony Goff and Andrew Gordon at David Higham Associates so looks after, amongst others, J.M.Coetzee, Stephen Fry, Owen Jones and Jenn Ashworth.  Away from the DHA list, her dream authors are Jon McGregor, Robert Macfarlane and David Nicholls.

 

Understandably, these events sell out REALLY quickly, so get in quick.
GOOD LUCK

Calling All Literary Agents

Over the last few months, we've been hosting a few evenings in the shop that we've been calling;

The Great Literary Talent Hunt 

Essentially, this offers budding authors the chance to have a 10 minute one-to-one consultation with a top literary agent. Those people attending are required to send us a 1500 word extract of their work and a synopsis of their novel which the agents read beforehand so the agents can give feedback. 

So far, it's been a hugely positive thing for both the agents (who have discovered some great untapped talent) and also for the authors, who are getting the best possible feedback they can get. 

The evenings last for about 3 hours and in that time the agent will get to see around 15 people. 

Some of the agents we've had so far have included Cathryn Summerhayes from William Morris, Hellie Ogden and Jessie Butterill from Janklow & Nesbit Agency and Ella Khan and Bryony Woods from The DKW Literary Agency. 

These events have proved phenomenally successful and we'd like to make them a more regular thing in the Bookshop, perhaps hosting one a month with different agents getting involved. So, if you're a Literary Agent, specialising in any genre or type of book, please get in touch. You never know, you might discover the next literary superstar.

Tel; 020 8881 6767

Email; enquiries@biggreenbookshop.com

Tweet me; @biggreenbooks

Peirene Experience - Wednesday 11th June

Wednesday 11 June 2014 – 7.00pm-9.00pm

Peirene Experience; Hanne Ørstavik.

Tickets £3 (includes refreshments) - BUY TICKETS HERE. 

Redeemable against any book purchase from Big Green Bookshop on the evening.

This is the second of Peirene's "Coming of Age" series of events at the bookshop. 

Peirene specializes in contemporary European novellas in English translation. All their books are best-sellers and/or award winners in their own countries. They only publish books of less than 200 pages that can be read in the same time it takes to watch a DVD

This month we are delighted to welcome Hanne Ørstavik.

 

Hanne is one of the most admired authors in Norwegian contemporary literature. She has published several acclaimed novel and has received many literary prizes, including the Dobloug prize for her entire literary output as well as the Brage prize, Norway's most prestigious award. Ørstavik’s novels have been translated into 18 languages but never, until now, into English.

 

We will be celebrating the publication of her newly translated book, The Blue Room.

 

It’s a novel about a mother-daughter relationship that will send a chill down your spine. Johanne is a young woman in her twenties who lives with her mother. When she falls in love with Ivar, she finally feels ready to leave home.
The couple plan a trip to America. But the morning of her departure, Johanne wakes up to find the door locked. Can she overcome her fears? Will she shout for help? Will she climb out of her fourth floor window?

 

This is a brilliant and important book.

Hanne will be reading from and discussing the book and will answer any questions you may have. 

These are very special evenings and we urge you to come along. 

Tickets are just £3, redeemable on ANY book at the shop on the night.

See you there. 

Mount London - June 5th

June 5th - 7.00pm - 9.00pm

Mount London: Ascents in a Vertical City

Early June sees the publication of Mount London, a very special book indeed.

 

Did you know that an invisible mountain is rising above the streets of the capital - and, at over 1,400 metres, it is Britain's highest peak? This ingenious new book is an account of the ascent of Mount London by a hardened team of writers, poets and urban cartographers, each one scaling a smaller mountain within the city - from Crystal Palace (112m) to Primrose Hill (78m) - until the accumulative climb exceeds the height of Ben Nevis. The essays and stories in Mount London unpeel London's history, geography and psychogeography, reimagining the city as mountainous terrain and exploring what it's like to move through the urban landscape. Ascents of London's natural peaks are offset by expeditions to the artificial mountains of the city - the Shard (306m), the chimneys of Battersea Power Station (103m) - and the search for 'ghost hills' in the back streets of Whitechapel and Finsbury. With contributions by Helen Mort, Joe Dunthorne, Sarah Butler, Inua Ellams, Bradley Garrett and many more, Mount London is a unique and visionary record of the vertical city.

 

You wil have a chance to  meet Katy Evans-Bush, Gareth Rees and Tom Chivers, three of the contributors here on June 5^th as they read from and discuss the book. 

  

Published by Penned in the Margins, a very exciting new publisher, and priced at just £10 (£12.99 usually), on the night, this is going to be a brilliant evening.

 

It's FREE, but please let us know if you plan to come along, so we can make sure everyone gets in

Jasper Fforde - June 9th.

Monday June 9^th – 7.00pm-9.00pm

An Evening with Jasper Fforde.

£3 BUY TICKETS HERE

We are thrilled to welcome bestselling author Jasper Fforde to the bookshop for a very special evening of book related fun.

Jasper Fforde spent twenty years in the film business before debuting on the New York Times Bestseller list with 'The Eyre Affair' in 2001. Since then he has written another six novels featuring his Literary Detective heroine Thursday Next, the latest in the series, 'The Woman Who Died a Lot' published last year.

Fforde's writing is an eclectic mix of genres, which might be described as a joyful blend of Comedy-SF-thriller-Crime-Satire. He freely admits that he fascinated not just by books themselves, but by the way we read and what we read, and his reinvigoration of tired genres have won him many enthusiastic supporters across the world.

 

Amongst Fforde's output are police procedurals featuring nursery rhyme characters, a series for Young Adults about Magic and Dragons set in a shabby world of failing magical powers, and 'Shades of Grey' a post-apocalyptic dystopia set three world orders into the future, where social hierarchy is based on the colours you can see.

 

Jasper’s only in London for a very short visit and it’s great he’s coming to the Bookshop. It should be a real treat.

Tickets, priced just £3 are available HERE and Jasper’s books will be available on the night at a discounted price.

 

This will sell out VERY quickly, so please make sure you buy tickets early. 

#biggreenbookcart

 The Big Green Bookshop is delighted to introduce a new and easier way of buying books from us on Twitter.

It's called;

#biggreenbookcart

and it works like this;

See someone post something about a book you're interested in on Twitter?  Simply tweet the details of the book with the hashtag #biggreenbookcart and this will automatically picked up by our dedicated team here at Big Green HQ. 

We'll tweet you back cost of the book and availability and then it's up to you how to proceed. Here are a few reasons why you might like to buy the books from us;

• Postage is Free in the UK.
• We can take national book tokens online. 
• You can talk to us if you need to.
• You'll get this sticker on your parcel. 

So, no more switching apps, typing passwords or trying to remember items you saw on Twitter. 

We've actually been selling books on Twitter for years, but thought this might make it a bit easier. 
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