A few years back I had an idea that seemed as though it could be quite nice, a small personal project that I can do in my down time from work, something that may be fun and give me something to do on the darker evenings. I’ve always had a pile of little projects floating …
2020
2020 Round Up and 2021 Plans
Indie Bookshop Newsletter #5 Welcome to the first of the new irregular newsletter for the Independent Bookshops blog and project. In 2021 I’m planning to return to the format where the newsletter will include offers, signed bookplates, and other things of interest to independent bookshops and that is why it will be irregular and of …
Panenka
After such a great debut I was really looking forward to reading Rónán’s follow up and was lucky enough to get sent a copy from Bluemoose Books to read and review. During a year where we are all just feeling raw, as though our nerve endings feel exposed to the world there is a great …
Cogito Books, Hexham
Today we have been blogging about Indie Bookshops for a year and it’s appropriate that the Browse a Bookshop feature is for a bookshop I’ve only visited three times but have loved every time I’ve been in, Cogito Books in Hexham is a short detour from my usual route up to Edinburgh and is always …
Bookish Writing Competition.
Do you love books? Do you love bookshops? Do you love reading? Do you want to win enough Book Buddy Bear pins for your whole class (35 enamel pins)? If so, why not enter this writing competition. We want to see 750 words, fact or fiction, about books, bookshops, libraries, and/or reading. It can be …
The Last Spell Breather
I picked The Last Spell Breather up in a pack of proofs from OUP Childrens that had been in the staff room for a while. Wow! From the first page this was a non-stop adventure with an intriguingly original magical system, cracking cast of characters, and a pace that pulled you through to the last …
Questions for Bookshops
As part of the development of the individual posts for each bookshop on the list I will be sending out the questions that I asked on the ‘Browse A Bookshop’ feature to all bookshops on the list. I’m going to rehash the pages of the bookshops who’ve already responded to fit into the new format …
Lovecraft Country
“Soon to be an HBO Series!” Got to love those printed stickers on books. Now that the gripe is out of the way 😉 Lovecraft Country was low on the cosmic horror side of the Lovecraftian mythos, but high on the adventure and thrills. Matt Ruff sets his series of adventures in mid-50s USA, where …
UCLAN Publishing
Based in Preston, Lancashire, UCLAN Publishing can be contacted at: c/o Greenbank Hub, Greenbank Building, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 2HE Website: www.uclanpublishing.com Facebook: @publishinguclan Instagram: @uclan_publishing Twitter: @uclanpublishing Welcome to UCLan Publishing and a very different approach to publishing books! We are a trade, independent publisher based in Preston, Lancashire. We have …
Questions for Publishers
The ‘Publisher Profile’ feature is kicking off once again, there are already a few publishers who were part of this earlier and I’ll be updating and expanding their info first. Each post will have contact information, some blurb, images, contact details, website, etc. I’ll be using public information for this, but if you want to …
The Little Grey Girl
The Little Grey Girl is the second in Celine Kiernan’s Wild Magic Trilogy and, if anything, is scarier than the first. Again I was hooked from page one, following this new adventure of Mup and her family in Witches Borough. The evil witch has departed but what has been left behind? While Mum is trying …
The Stripey Badger, Grassington
This month’s featured bookshop is a lovely little bookshop in North Yorkshire, near Skipton. It also has a cafe attached which looks so comfortable and tasty. So if you’re ever near Harrogate or Skipton this would always be worth a visit. 7 The Square, Grassington, Skipton BD23 5AQ Tel: 01756 753583 Website: www.thestripeybadger.co.uk Twitter: @stripeybadgers …