Hello, it is I, your manic lacklustre pixie bookish dream girl gremlin and I’m starting a new feature on this Substack where I send a regular update live from the bookshop.
My plan is to open the draft when I open the shop, and hit send at some point before I cash up. I won't note every transaction; you can pretend this is because there would be too many and I can know it's because there would not be enough.
These posts will remain free, with comments open so you can send me queries like ‘Can you recommend a recent crime thriller?’ and ‘What sort of unsustainable business is this, anyway?’
Today, I’m trying to pick a book for next month’s book club. The only rules for my book club are that we don’t repeat an author and that each month’s book has to (attempt to) be ‘‘completely’ different to the previous month.1 This month the groups are reading R. F. Kuang’s Yellowface so for next month I’m looking for something that isn’t… anything like that. Is anything like that? Well no and yes; I won’t accidentally stumble across another plagiarism thriller, but I need to ensure we’re reading a range of writers. What I usually do is pick a few key elements from the previous book and then try and polarize them with the next. R. F. Kuang is a well-established writer, female and Chinese-American, so perhaps I’m looking for a debut from a UK writer, or something in translation. Yellowface is a contemporary thriller so perhaps something funny or historical, maybe some subtle science fiction? It has to be accessible. Last month’s book was a hardback, so I’m looking for a paperback.
I think about asking Twitter for recommendations for an uplifting paperback, written by a man (it’s been a while since we read one of those!) but I know the only replies will begin ‘this isn’t uplifting, but…’ or ‘how about my book, which is 7000 pages long and part one of a 24 part series, and only available on Amazon’, or just ‘Lessons in Chemistry??’.
Donated two shop vouchers as raffle prizes to local charity events before we’ve even had a sale through the till. Negative takings. Positive vibes.
I’m selecting some picture books for a remote customer who wants a surprise parcel up to the value of £30. I love doing this - I select two brand new titles; Ruby Wright’s Animal Crackers and Cindy Wume’s The Gardening Dog, and one of my favourites - The Prince and the Porker by Peter Bently and David Roberts.
Helped a lady in excellent trousers pick a book for her mother - we went for The Offing by Ben Myers because I am yet to meet a person who does not like this book and even though that almost sounds like it could be an insult, it sincerely is not.
Delivery arrived and it seems more paperbacks are doing the annoying cut away front cover with a banner down the left hand side. When will I know peace?
Four customers have paid cash so far today. I was surprised every time.
Customer came to collect this excellent activity book - I had a quick flick through and decided to order one for myself/my daughter, ffs it costs me so much to work here.
A dog wearing socks walks past the shop and doesn’t come in. Disappointing.
Notable proofs that have arrived this week: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, Normal Rules Don’t Apply (Short Stories) by Kate Atkinson, and Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvill (I don’t know this writer but the proof is a ‘Limited Edition Early Manuscript Proof’ for an ‘Overnight pre-empt’ from a ‘Major New Voice’ so the publishers (Bloomsbury) really want me to notice this one. Maybe I will!?
I got sent a baseball cap and t-shirt to promote the latest novel by Brandon Taylor, which I haven’t read yet, but I love his Substack and his Twitter, so I’ll gladly wear it.
Ever seen a children’s book that feels like a Coen brothers film? Jon Klassen’s new book, The Skull,2 came in and I squealed in delight at the small hardback format.
If you’ve got a copy, make sure you take off the dust jacket. It’s easy to take Klassen’s books for granted now that he’s so prolific, like ‘oh he’s just being Jon Klassen some more’. But, as a person who sees and reads a lot of picture books, and writes pictures books, I need to say it aloud that there’s just no one doing the things he’s doing. He is always giving more darkness, challenging you to reassess what a picture book should do. Granted, this is a product of a brave and dynamic publishing team, and, honestly, I don’t know that my daughter enjoys his more recent books the same way I do, but as a person with eyes, I just want to say thank you, Jon Klassen - I love your work.
You can support my bricks and mortar bookshop by buying your books via this link, and you can support me as a writer by taking out a paid sub to this Substack. Thanks.
Harder than it sounds!
Free shipping with this title atm via this link, btw.
Gosh Katie, I’m so honoured that you selected Animal Crackers for your remote customer, and what lovely company it’s in!
Hi Katie ... I was recently inspired by this piece and did my own version of it ... but about my coffee shop ! hope you can read it :)
https://fromthewritingshed.substack.com/p/a-much-needed-tea-break