Book News

from our favourite local book shop, The Book Case

Sunday, 6 June 2010

TOP TEN: May's bestsellers at The Book Case

1. Things I Wish I'd Known - Linda Green (£6.99). Successful Todmorden-based author Linda Green signed her new novel for customers at The Book Case. Set partly in Todmorden, it's about a woman realising how far her present life is removed from her teenage dreams. Warm and funny with a dark edge.

2. Lacuna - Barbara Kingsolver (£7.99). Chunky new novel from the author of The Poisonwood Bible about a man torn between the warm heart of Mexico and the cold embrace of 1950s McCarthyite America. Making himself useful in the household of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo and Trotsky, he inadvertently casts his lot with art and revolution.

3. Hebden Bridge: a short history of the area - Peter Thomas (£5.99). Back near the top is Peter Thomas's account of the history of our area. A Royd Press publication.

4. Last Voyage of the Olivebank - Len Townend, ed. Elvin Carter (£9.99). Len Townend's diary of one of the last Great Grain Races on the tall ships of the 1930s, with wonderful black and white photos. Len Townend lived locally and still has family in the area.

5. The People's Manifesto by Mark Thomas (£4.99). Inspiring to downright hilarious ideas for sorting out the country's political chaos and taking back power for the people. It's kept selling post-Election so can it be that the new government doesn't have everyone's unquestioned support? For shame!

6. The Ted Hughes Trail in Crimsworth Dean - the Elmet Trust, Donald Crossley, Nick Wilding & Lesley Alston (£2.50)
This colour illustrated booklet with sketchmap takes you on a circular walk from Midgehole visiting places significant in some of Ted Hughes' poems, many of them from Elmet. (Which is still inexplicably unavailable.)

7. Ultimate Truck Sticker Book (£3.99). Lots of trucks to identify and place, with a bit of info about each.

8. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (£8.99). The Booker-winning and bestselling story of Thomas Cromwell - political genius, briber, charmer and bully - as Henry VIII's pursuit of Anne Boleyn shakes the kingdom. The audio version is our current CD of the Month and Hilary Mantel is attending the Hebden Bridge Arts Festival.

9. The Children's Book - A.S. Byatt (£7.99). This novel about a famous Edwardian writer and her children (based on E Nesbit) holds its place at No 9.

10. Brooklyn - Colm Toibin (£7.99). Costa-winning novel about a girl emigrating from Ireland to New York in the 1950s.

NEWS

Local Interest

Yorkshire in Watercolour - Les Packham, £14.99 paperback, £19.99 hardback
From the Pennines to the coast, over the North Yorkshire Moors and through the Wolds to the industrial south of the region, this book encompasses everything to please lovers of this remarkable county, portraying the Yorkshire landscape through the eyes of one of the county's most versatile and best known watercolourists. There's an exhibition of the paintings in Huddersfield and we'll be hosting a signing session at The Book Case on Saturday 26th June, 11.00am-12 noon.

Halifax - John A Hargreaves
Dr Hargreaves' definitive hardback illustrated book on the town is now £10.00.

Local Authors

Ted Hughes and Nature: "Terror and Exultation" - Keith Sagar, £9.50
Keith Sagar takes discussion of Hughes' relationship with nature onto a deeper level by relating it to paganism and Christianity, myth, Greek tragedy, Shakespeare, and the whole tradition of nature poetry in English. He traces Hughes' painful journey from terror in the face of nature in his first three collections, through the transitional works from Crow to Cave Birds, to the transformation in Moortown and Remains of Elmet, culminating in the exultation of River.

Happy Holiday, Hammy the Wonder Hamster! - Poppy Harris, £4.99
From a local author, another of the popular books about Hammy the very special hamster. Hammy is very excited about his first trip to the seaside and he can't wait to dig lots of hamster tunnels deep down in the sand! But it's far too easy to lose a little hamster on a very big beach and Bethany isn't the only person who wants to find Hammy.

Leg before Wicket by Colin Goodwin, £6.99
From a Burnley-based author, a first novel about dodgy goings-on involving a local cricket club and property deals, in the style of Tom Sharpe.

Walking in Purbeck - Andrew Bibby, £6.95
From the local author and journalist, a second edition of this guide to 15 circular walks in this lovely area in Dorset.

Local Events

Hebden Bridge Arts Festival

What a line-up! (With particular reference to dodgy Tudor goings-on.) And what a great Festival picture! As well as our stock at the shop, most books will be available from the Festival Box Office from 12 June, as well as at the actual events.

Monday 28 June: John Morrison presents his inimitable Milltown series at aj's Restaurant, Hebden Bridge, 8pm-9.30pm. We stock John's Milltown series, and also some of his splendid photographic books

Tuesday 29 June: Martin Parr talks about his time at Albert Street Workshop and his photos of everyday life in the Upper Calder Valley at Hebden Bridge Picture House, 8pm-9.30pm. We're stocking Val Williams' book which includes these early black and white photos. There'll be an exhibition of them at the Festival Box Office during the Festival.

Wednesday 30 June: Louis de Bernieres and Mavis Cheek talk about their work at St Michael's Hall, Mytholmroyd, 8pm-9.30pm. We're stocking a selection of their books, including the most recent - de Berniere's Notwithstanding and Mavis Cheek's Amenable Women (about Anne of Cleves) and Truth to Tell.

Friday 2 July: Hilary Mantel talks about her work at Hebden Bridge Picture House, 8pm-9.30pm. We stock most of her books, including the phenomal Wolf Hall about Thomas Cromwell.

Saturday 3 July: Long Nose Puppets present Penguin at Little Theatre, Hebden Bridge, 11.00-11.45am. We're stocking the book Penguin by Polly Dunbar.

Sunday 4 July: Going the Distance: Novel Writing Workshops with Anna Chilvers at Hebden Bridge Library, 10am-12.30pm, 2.00-4.30pm. We stock Anna's successful novel Falling through Clouds.

Monday 5 July: Alison Weir and Suzannah Dunn: In Search of Henry's Women at Little Theatre, Hebden Bridge, 8pm-10pm. Two historical novelists (Alison Weir is also a popular historian) renowned for their work about the Tudors discuss Henry VIII's hapless wives. We're stocking the Tudor ones (as well as others we have in stock).

Sunday 11 July: Trinidadian poet, artist and cook John Lyons returns to Hebden Bridge for a Cook Up in the Trades Club Kitchen, Hebden Bridge Trades Club, 12.30-2pm. Janet Oosthuysen will be supplying a 3-course meal from John's Trinidadian recipes - and we have Cook-Up in a Trini Kitchen and his latest poetry book No Apples in Eden in stock.

Sunday 4 July - Sunday 15 August: Paula Rego Recent Prints Exhibition at Artsmill, Wed-Sun., 11am-5pm.

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED BOOKS

We highlight every month books we think are of particular interest: from adult fiction and non-fiction, a children's book and a CD.

Adult fiction: Troubles by J G Farrell (£7.99). In 1919 Major Brendan Archer travels to the Majestic Hotel in Ireland and the fiancee he acquired on a rash afternoon's leave three years ago. 'Lost Booker' winner and the first of Farrell's memorable and entertaining Empire Trilogy.

Adult non-fiction: Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay (£14.99 at The Book Case). In this revelatory and redemptive book, with characteristic generosity and humour, Jackie Kay tells her own story. 'I was adopted by warm-spirited Scottish communists. When people ask me if I've ever found my "real" Mum and Dad, it is them I think of.'

Children's book: The Museum Book by Jan Mark and Richard Holland (£6.99). From the late lamented Jan Mark and a talented new artist, a brilliant and thought-provoking book for children about visiting museums.

CD: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, read by Dan Stevens (£15.99). The best-selling and riveting fictional account of the life of Thomas Cromwell during Henry VIII's long-drawn-out divorce of Catherine of Aragon and marriage to Anne Boleyn. Six CDs.

See Book News 7 (1 April 2010)
See Book News 6 (2 March 2010)
See Book News 5 (4 Jan 2010)
See Book News 4 (3rd Dec 09)
See Book News 3 (3rd Nov 09)
See Book News 2 (10th Oct 09)
See Book News 1 (2nd Oct 09)

See more at The Book Case

Or on HebWeb books