Review: "The Dead Father's Club" by Matt Haig

Matt Haig’s wonderful take on Hamlet-meets-Patrick Ness’ A Monster Calls is an absolute delight to read – but be prepared to have your heart melted and broken and deliciously/masochistically destroyed in a variety of ways. It’s the tale of a young boy, son to a pub landlord who dies under suspicious circumstances, an anxious little chap struggling with the loss of his father while having to navigate the tricky seas of a dodgy uncle honing in on his mother and the inheritance… if that wasn’t enough, he speaks to the ghost of his father who demands revenge and thinks up plots to stop the union of Dodgy Uncle and Mum. It’s an incredible burden to place on a kid’s shoulders, and of course young Philip feels overwhelmed, but his sense of duty, love for his father and fear for his mother leave him little choice than to follow suit. In his young mind, it’d be betrayal to go against his parents’ will, but even more so, to deny his father’s last wish. More so, to have to save his father from a fate worse than death.

It’s an intense contradictory mix of the inner world of a grieving child, of loyalty, of bravery, of grief and of weights a child’s shoulder shouldn’t carry. Even the least maternal soul may well go all protective and parental on the young protagonist. And the twist in the outcome is just as unexpected as life’s turns itself.

Review: "The Last Family in England" by Matt Haig

Matt Haig has solidified himself among my go-to authors, especially when I need a dose of the profound, of something that affirms life without forgetting to validate its struggles.

There aren’t really any books so far I have read by him that disappointed me, although with How to Stop Time he has set himself a benchmark of genius that will be hard to beat.

The Last Family in England he wrote, as he said, after his breakdown – writing, I fully agree, is an incredible therapeutic tool – and he clearly poured the intensity of is experience at the time into this. It’s now being re-released, with a gorgeous new cover to match the design of his previous masterpiece.

It’s an unusual story, to be sure, narrated by the family dog, Prince, a Labrador, who is utterly devoted to his family. I adored the background story of a code of ethics, practiced by Labradors, but ignored for the sake of self-gratification by other breeds, to the point of ridicule.

Prince’s family is in trouble. It’s an accelerating clusterf**k of considerable proportions affecting and involving all family members, to the point of tragedy and utter heartbreak (without being soppy, oh I love how Matt Haig does it)… and poor Prince has tasked himself to what he considers his duty – keeping the family together and happy, consulting his mentor, another Lab, who patiently instructs him in all ways the code entails. But difficulties keep coming, and they even come from places Prince never expected.

I thought it a perfect parable on religion, on its function, appeal and failings – how you can follow instructions to the letter with the best intentions without being guaranteed a desired outcome… and how to come to terms with not having all the answers, with life not going your way, but that doing your best, even if it’s not enough, is sufficient.

While that sounds utterly depressing, it is actually liberating. Your heart will ache after reading this, but feel fuller and wiser, and perhaps even a little bit more prepared for it.

Lots of Pupper Love,

Patty

Review: A Very British Christmas

The Home Office should scrap the  Life in the UK test as proof someone is perfectly integrated and anglicised. Nothing will prove more that you're a Brit than reading this book and both feeling caught out and crying with laughter (and recognition). If the Very British Problems volumes and Twitter account already nail the unique quirks of Englishness, A Very British Christmas is the ultimate culmination of our nation's glorious weirdness summarised between two covers, like a strange limited edition Christmas sandwich from Boots. I was crying. With laughter, hysteria and the certain knowledge that I've been so Britified, I'll never feel at home in another nation on earth.

Toodle Pip and Merry Christmas, old chaps!

Patty x

Review: Ken Follett's "Column of Fire"

Few novels have so totally and utterly gripped and consumed me as Pillars of the Earth has. Only few novels I return to read and re-read again, and Pillars is one of those I consistently and passionately recommend to pretty much readers of any genre because the storytelling, tension, characters and atmosphere are universally beyond compare. Pillars converted me to historical fiction, Pillars is one of the few books that gives me an itch to write myself. There is a reason this book has a cult following, we weren’t kidding, y’all. In my nigh 12 years as a bookseller, I have made countless people sit down to just read the first page, most of whom would quickly become so absorbed they would be rendered unresponsive to hell fires and high waters. I have never had a customer come back to me and tell me they hated it. In fact, many told me they consequently became Folletteers. (That’s a term now. I retain all rights and royalties. But when the Kool-Aid comes out, I had nothing to do with it, just saying…)

Now there’s a build-up! But then, it’s preaching to the choir, because I assume most people reading this review have been gagging for this sequel anyway. I myself have been hyperventilating since I saw Follett’s Instagram pictures of doing research into Elizabethan England and put two and two together many moons ago.

But there’s the dilemma. With the massive gaps between the three books (Pillars was released in 1989), each of them had plenty of time to work themselves up onto an unrivalled Olympian pedestal, putting more pressure onto the follow-up. I love World without End, but had to read it a couple of times to succumb to Pillars Polygamy.  And the key was to accept WWE as a book in its own right, not one attempting to be its literary mother. (Parenting analogies, see! We’ve come to that. There goes Larkin’s “your children are not your children”.)

The same goes for A Column of Fire. Face it. It is not Pillars of the Earth. It’s set over 400 years later, so it couldn’t be. All the original characters are long dead, though I was glad to see Prior Philip got a decent tomb out of it, even though it gets abused as a hiding place for Elizabethan teenage canoodling. But the red-haired Jack Jackson gene is still going strong. The female leads are still feisty. Kingsbridge Cathedral is still standing in all its glory, even though the Puritans have some beef with its riches and idolatry and might have clobbered some saint statues (how dare you touch Jack’s fine handiwork!). The monastery is falling apart though, thanks a lot, King Henry VIII.

Kingsbridge has expanded, but is still torn by polarised families and its usual villains and heroes, that being exacerbated by the outright war between Catholics and Protestants, which thwarts, in true Follettesque Romeo & Juliet fashion, the romantic relationship between protagonists Ned Willard and Margery Fitzgerald. But the cathedral is no longer a focal point in the story, and Kingsbridge, despite being a returning setting, is no longer the centre of the story. A large part is set in France and the bitter, murderous feuds between Catholics and Huguenots, and the focus is on Elizabeth I and her network of spies trying to stay in power while Catholics scheme left, right and centre to get rid of her; Mary Stuart lingers in various prisons trying to communicate with the outside world, and generally everyone is constantly under threat of being either a heretic or a traitor, depending on where the fickle winds of power blow.

Kingsbridge characters play key roles in this epic battle, and oh do they play them well. The heroes are as deliciously human, flawed and tormented as the villains are delightfully Waleran/Lady Reganesque, with their trademark sadistic psychopathy. A group of characters you’ll grow to love embody the larger conflicts they inhabit in cinematic storytelling, bringing this turmoiled era home to you like a missile. It’s a cracking historical epic which you will just devour (it took me less than two weeks) and thoroughly enjoy once you manage to let go of the idea that this is not attempting to be a rehash of Pillars. And you’ll probably grow to love it even more once you re-read it.

Follett truly has outdone himself once again.  I bow to thee, master.

With Elizabethan curtsies,

Patty

Review: Under a Watchful Eye by Adam Nevill

Adam Nevill is unpredictable. Unpredictable but never boring. He plays ball in all horror subgenres, and he plays it hard, merciless and oh so delightfully f***ed up. And his prose is so stylish he makes the likes of James Herbert look positively infantile.

I’ve read Under a Watchful Eye twice (so far), simply because the horror in it is in places of such an uncanny, eerie dreamlike quality that stays with you less in what you saw but more how it made you feel, the way you wake from a nightmare, shaken and scattered by it all day but only able to remember snippets - probably just the tip of the iceberg wreaking havoc in your subconscious now. Which makes the book utterly re-readable, leaving you to discover new bits each time you touch base with it again.

You wouldn’t think a picturesque Devon seaside town would give you the heebie-jeebies as much as a dilapidated house rented out by a psycho live-in landlord in a poor part of Birmingham. But fear not – when successful writer Seb spots an oddly floating figure staring at him from a distance, one that looks unpleasantly familiar to someone he had escaped decades ago, the sunny beachfront soon turns into a creepy negative like the intro from Tales from the Darkside.

The figure keeps popping up in his path, out of thin air and coming closer and closer, just to disappear again, making Seb question his sanity. Until it appears in his drive, the disturbing figure of his uni housemate Ewan, a man so filthy and unkempt, Nevill’s description practically makes you gag, with no redeeming features whatsoever. He’s far from a hobo with a heart of gold – he displays delusions of grandeur and psychopathic traits and plants himself into Seb’s classy house like a human tick. You might wonder why Seb just doesn’t chuck him out – but once you’re exposed to the threat and mind-twisting manipulation he endures, you feel as trapped as him. 

And not just that. With Ewan, things appear in the house. Things from another Arthur-Machenesque plane that followed him there and start stalking Seb, as well. Things so unspeakably horrible, images Nevill plants into your head like demonic seeds that will sickeningly blossom before your inner eye just as you turn off the lights. Lost creatures, barely human, in a nightmarish fog. Condemned spirits and souls lost in a hellish dimension after dabbling in a cult practicing astral projection. A cult that soon starts stalking Seb, as well. And Seb’s life begins to crumble as he desperately tries to find out what Ewan has let loose on him, that he needs to get involved with that cult in order to find a way to free himself of the demonic forces in his life, just to get entangled deeper and deeper, with no hope of any human forces to rescue him.

By the way, those who read Nevill’s privately published short story collection “Some will not sleep” (another absolutely unmissable, by the way) will recognise the characters from an equally fascinating and gag-inducing short story called “Yellow Teeth” – to me, one of the most disturbing one in the lot, and that’s a walk in the park compared to UWE - ; its title featuring as the name of a novel Seb produces in UWE after his harrowing experiences with Ewan and his ghastly entourage.

I swallowed this book in two sittings, leaving my eyes dry and my flesh creeping. The imagery is as haunting as scenes from recent paranormal films: put visions of Silent Hill together with the various Furthers and Upside Downs, flavoured with the spirit of Arthur Machen and Aleister Crowley, you’re getting there. Nevill induces that cosmic horror in you that he’s become famous for. That sense of spiralling out of control, with no reprieve and escape. Seb’s terror will infect your own bones and not let go. Word of advice: plan in a few recovery periods with Disney films to get through this experience with your sanity intact.

Highly recommended, easily the best horror of this year.

Review: Bastardography by Simon Jay

I'm not usually a fan of autobiographies. It takes skill to write something as personal as that without producing either self-aggrandising tripe or sensationalist misery memoirs. But once in a while one comes along that stops you dead in your tracks. And this is one of them.
I plowed through it in less than a day; I was hooked from page 1.

Obviously I would be somewhat biased. Some of you may remember Simon as a bookseller in our shop in the second half of 2012. A fine bookseller indeed he was, but the talent doesn't end there. He's been a writer and actor since childhood, always thinking up tales, plays, always performing - and doing it well. As long as I have known him - which is nigh 9 years now - he has been frantically, feverishly producing, creating, making things, a productivity that I envied much, compared to my own sluggish endeavours, but took equal inspiration from. Last year he took his Donald Trump satire show Trumpageddon to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it sold out continuously through its month-long run, with reviews featured in the Scotsman and Guardian. Not too shabby, eh?

What I only gradually became aware of over the years (and only fully so after reading his book) was that his frenzied productivity served a bigger purpose than just being a creative outlet. Many creative people will tell you that it's a way of exorcising their demons - for Simon it literally became a lifesaver. 

Considering that Simon Jay has lived through incredibly dark and painful moments and struggled with serious mental distress, this book could have easily become self-indulgent – a “Not with the scissors, Daddy” type of book, as he describes it.
Instead, it is a candid, intelligent, self-deprecating (in a good way) and at the same time darkly hilarious account of his struggle with depression, anxiety and Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms, exacerbated by realising early on that he is gay while growing up in an entirely homophobic, bullying environment. It makes a harrowing read more often than not, but then he’ll throw in a bizarrely funny or wry comment or description that will reduce you to mad (and not entirely guilt-free) cackles, which reminded me much of the writing of Caitlin Moran, Jeanette Winterson and Augusten Burroughs.

"Bastardography" is not just a heartbreaking meditation on the experience of mental illness but also an acerbic commentary on society’s prevailing homophobic attitudes, dished out mindlessly without a thought for the psychological damage it causes. At the same time it is liberating and downright inspiring to see how Simon relentlessly fought his illness by channelling it creatively – into writing, acting, theatre and any tool possible – and finally found, and continues to find redemption through it. 

It reads as if Quentin Crisp had written “Girl, Interrupted”, roughed up by Shane Meadows’ grit, and pitch black surreal humour massaged into the scrapes. 

I've known Simon for years, but his book opened up a whole new level of him. I knew of things that happened, but not the extent of it, and reading it left me shaken, devastated, but with a new level of admiration for him. You don't need to know him personally to adore this book - his wit, his quirky and at times even surreal charm, his strength and warmth and honesty will win you over. "Bastardography" has, to me, been a balm, an acknowledgement and encouragement, and helped me to accept and continue to deal with my own mental illness, rather than being consumed by it,  in a constructive way. 

With bookish love,

Patty

Simon in 2012 at a book event in our store. 

Simon as Donald Trump at the Edinburgh Fringe 2016

Review: The Recovery Letters

The Recovery Letters fell into my lap just at the right time. Coming out of a personal crisis, these letters have been a lifesaver for me - written by people who have been through the same mind-bending horror of depression, but who got through it and who have got the clear mind and experience talking sense to me when my own head is too clouded with despair to think straight. Validating, compassionate, personal, heartfelt - along with Matt Haig's Reasons to Stay Alive, this is a balm and a must-read title for sufferers. 

Dip in and out of it or read it from cover to cover, and mark your favourite letters to be ready for the next onslaught.

Sweet, delicious Prozac in book form.

Out 21/7/17.

Wishing you well and happy,

Patty x

Review: Matt Haig's "How to Stop Time"

Tom Hazard doesn’t age. Or rather, he ages very slowly. Born in the middle ages, his mother is suspected of witchcraft to keep her son young forever. But rather than magic, it’s a condition – the opposite to Progeria, the rapid-aging disease.

 Sounds great, doesn’t it? Having all the time in the world to do whatever you want. Time is a commodity that becomes more precious with every day we live, with every day we’re moving closer to death.

And surely Tom makes use of that. He is well-travelled, and he is a master of countless musical instruments, a skill that, at some point, earns him a job alongside Shakespeare himself. But there is a downside to his existence. Be it the ages of witch hunts and superstition or the ages of science and experimentation, Tom needs to keep a low profile at all times to remain safe. He is forced to move on and start a new life every few years to evade suspicions; the weight of life, of more life experience humans are meant to carry weighs him down. And worse, he is condemned to outlive everyone he loves. Falling in love can have fatal consequences, something he is warned against and yet cannot avoid. Unable to retain closeness to other human beings leaves him desperately lonely and empty. Only the drive to find his lost daughter, struck with the same condition, keeps him going and searching for her through the continents and centuries. Until a secret society offers him help… which, however, comes at a price that might be too high.

 And here I pause, trying to put into words how much this book has touched me. What can I say – I adore Matt Haig anyway, but he has completely outdone himself. How to Stop Time is MAGNIFICENT. Easily his best novel so far, and definitely one of the best books of the year!

It’s not just an amazing premise and story in itself, it’s also deeply philosophical.
Matt Haig, like no other, puts his finger on the human condition and wraps it in a tale you’ll be unable to forget. It’s about the burdens of humanity and of being human, and of too much of it. It’s about history going in cycles, and the futility of existence and yet finding meaning in it all; about the imprisonment of love and the impossibility of retaining it, yet having only fleeting meaning without it. I found myself highlighting passages because they struck me as utterly profound or resonated with me so much I felt myself hum like a tuning fork. Haig writes it so well you can easily believe his protagonist has lived for centuries, because Tom Hazard is so complex, yet so simple, his character shaped by having to bear the cross of several lifetimes, and Haig's wisdom and insight into human nature is practically uncanny.

 If you read only one book this year, make it this one. Hermann Hesse has found a new rival.

With Booky Love,

Patty 

Our dear friend, former bookseller and now actor and writer Simon Jay, permitted us to post his review of the brilliant Straight Jacket on our blog.


"Matthew Todd's book had been on the periphery of my mind since it's publication earlier in the year. I'd wanted to read it as soon as it came out, but something stopped me. I was afraid of opening its pages and confirming what I already knew about myself: that is the huge amount of baggage that is thrust upon a gay child. Todd gives names to that baggage, 'shame' and 'trauma'. It's obvious, even though I was born in 1987, that society's sneering and ignorant attitude towards being different was so palpable. It brought a whole condition of being back to me, especially those feelings of body image, inadequacy and loneliness. I haven't had any personal experience of the drug and alcohol addictions or living with HIV which is described in the book. BUT reading about it has taught me so much about members of my gay brotherhood that I only feel more compassion, more understanding, more love and most of all more RESPECT for them, that to do battle both internally and externally everyday deserves support and our humanity. I feel educated by this book, which lays out not only the patterns of self-destructive behaviour of a new generation, but also sound ideas to build a stronger, healthier and more cohesive community. Todd's book is a call to arms to love ourselves (and each other) for who we are and tto make the world a better place. I thank him for this timely book and advise everyone to read it!!"


Simon Jay can currently be seen in his 5 star Donald Trump satire Trumpageddon at King's Head Theatre in London.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - MIDNIGHT OPENING

Wizards, witches, muggles and squibs! The time has come to welcome in the publishing event of the year - the official release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!

Grab your lanterns and join us at Hogwaterstones in the midst of the witching hour, for a very special MIDNIGHT OPENING, from 23:30 to 00:30 on Saturday July 30th! Collect your own pre-ordered copy of the Cursed Child, and take part in our Harry Potter Quiz for the chance to win magical prizes!

We reopen at 10am, as the fun continues throughout Sunday, so don your robes and grab your brooms for our costume competition - plus a chance to have your photo taken in our Ministry of Magic-endorsed wizarding Wanted Poster. Sadly, we don't have room for a game of Quidditch, but we've got the next best thing - a chance to make your very own Golden Snitch to take home with you. And - for one night only - the Dark Lord returns, for a special round of Pin The Nose On Voldemort!

It promises to be a night and day to remember, so grab your owls and come and join in the magic!

Winner of the Book Review Competition

We're proud to present the winner of our Book Review Competition:
Rosie Mullins, from year 7 at Woodgreen School!

Rosie delivered a detailed and coherent review which had the right amount of plot information to whet the reader's appetite, but without giving the story away, she talked about special features she enjoyed, and she gave it a well-reasoned age rating, which, interestingly, is lower than what most of us adults would have it estimated at, suggesting a whole new debate as to whether we're underestimating/ overprotecting our children? (Mind, this here bookseller had read James Herbert and Stephen King by age 12 and is perfectly fine.*) Well done, Rosie, and keep that passion for books burning!
  
"Gone by Michael Grant is a book that follows the lives of Sam, his friends and his enemies; they are stuck in a dome that has fallen over their home town of Perdido Beach and everyone over the age of 15 has POOFED (disappeared). However, people begin to take sides, food runs out, and eventually water too runs out, but also, lots of people begin to develop strange, but interesting powers… The stranded children find themselves exposed to the threat of conflict, danger and death, as the idea of living in a world without adults quickly becomes a sudden reality. With no phones or televisions working either, the town soon becomes a prison for these 'survivors', and with no way to get help, time is running out for each remaining individual: the day you turn fifteen is the day you disappear, just like everyone else. The children of the dome fight for survival until not very many people are left in the scary Fays (the name of the dome). But, there is a way out and Sam and the others try to find out!
     This thrilling book series has something for everyone: it’s a book of mystery, comedy, romance, horror, suspense, sadness and it makes you feel so many other feelings. In my opinion, Gone and the other books, all the way to the final book, Light, are highly dark even for the young adult audience which they are aimed at. Grant is successful in writing scenes of death, mutilation, and moral dilemmas form the basis of the plot in each book in very graphic detail. There are so many reasons why I love this book, and you would too if you read it.
      Firstly, unlike many other books, each chapter begins with an amount of hours/mins that are counting down to a big moment at the end of the book (but you don’t know what that is, unless you carry on reading, and you can guess). Furthermore, a second reason why I love this series is that each chapter ends with a cliff hanger, hooking you on making you want to read the next chapter.
      How does series make me feel? The way the book is written makes you feel like you are in the dome with them. For example one of my favourite characters, Astrid, makes you feel happy, annoyed, sad and worried for her all at the same time. Each one of these characters in this fantastic book has a unique personality, which is studied in has layers of meaning and understanding. Astrid is known as ‘Astrid the genius’, she is Sam’s girlfriend, and most respect her, but, she is strong minded and can fight if she needs to. Another favourite of mine is Sam, he is looked up to and everyone expects him to lead the fays. He is one of the ones who has a special power – he can shoot killer beams of light from his hands, which can burn through metal and strong walls.
      Was it easy to read? This book is quite easy to read once you have begun, you just need to remember the names of people and that’s easy to do. Grant tells everyone’s side of the story, so you may have more than one point of view, which makes the book more interesting. Once you begin, and get into it, you don’t want to put it down.
     Who would I recommend this book to? Well, as this book is very violent and contains many other inappropriate things to younger children; furthermore it is quite gory, gruesome and graphic, I would say at least 11+. Additionally, as this book has equal boy characters to girls, it doesn’t matter what gender you are – it would be enjoyed by both. However I think that the people who enjoy this book most are readers who like sci-fi books (such as: The Hunger Games, ranging to Stephen King admirers). Frighteningly gripping Gone, and the successive novels in the series, will not fail to delight most readers.
Once I had read Gone, I felt as if I had lived through the Fays with the surviving characters. I was pleased with the way it ended, it made you feel satisfied with the book. This book will be enjoyed by all who read it, and all of the 6 books were great, each ending on a cliff hanger – which leads onto the next thrilling book. I found that this book was so well woven together all the way though. Gone by Michael Grant is a book for all!"
(*friends/family/shrink might disagree)

Book Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Reviewed by Hannah Train, age 12, Wood Green School

 

I loved Looking for Alaska for several reasons. Firstly, the general idea of the story. The meaning and fine line between living, loving and dying, and how it affects the people and things around you. Secondly, I also loved the layers of meaning around the main characters life and death (Alaska) and how it affected her friends in college, close or distant. Thirdly, I like that you could interpret the book in different ways from someone else, as it could leave a different message to different people. Such as Alaska’s quote: ‘How will we ever get out of the labyrinth of suffering.’

Looking for Alaska made me feel the pain of losing someone you loved and not knowing what happened and why. You can really feel the pain and confusion when they find out Alaska had died. You can distinguish the personality of the different characters by how they reacted to the news and it really shows how they cope with this loss. The book was generally easy to read, but I would not choose to read a book because the print is too small and I don’t chose books because it’s too hard or easy. But I would say this book is for 12+ as the whole plot is quite mature.

I enjoyed lots of parts of the book, firstly, it really made me think very deeply about living and dying and the mysteries of life. It really made me think how Alaska died, was it an accident or was it suicide? Secondly, it also left me guessing and wondering after the book was finished. Thirdly, some of the things Alaska said were really meaningful and had several layers of meaning behind it. This book will stay with me forever.

Book Review: Shadow by Michael Morpurgo

Review by : Chloe Louise Lewis, age 8, Witney Community Primary School

I am reviewing my favourite book: Shadow. It's written by Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by Christian Birmingham. It’s about a boy called Aman and his mother who escape from Afghanistan and come to England. On their way to England they find a springer spaniel. Aman decides to call her Shadow. She leads them to England. Sadly they got caught by the police and were taken to a detention centre. Aman tells Matt [his best friend] the story of how he and his mother got taken to the detention centre in the first place. Matt and his grandpa and all his other friends and family try to get Aman and his mother out of the detention centre. Unfortunately it started to rain and some of Matt’s family went home. His aunty and uncle aunty Mina and uncle Mir came from London. They travelled all this way and it didn’t work. Matt and his grandpa soon found out that Aman and his mother had left to go to the airport in the early hours of the morning. Then a rainbow came out. Matt felt that he had hope still left in him. The officers behind the gates told Matt, Grandpa and everyone else who was still there to go home that they would never come back again. Then out of nowhere came a black car. To Matt’s surprise Aman and his mother were waving to Matt and his grandpa and all the other friends and family who were there. The car stopped and out stepped a young girl about 9 years old she had shadow on the lead and she helped a tall looking man in an army uniform out of the car. Aman ran over to shadow and flung his arms around her neck.

 

I loved that on every chapter there’s a clear and interesting title that made me want to read on. The book made me feel excited to read the next part to the story. I think that the fun bits were that Shadow lead Aman and his mother to England. It made me feel adventurous and happy. It was easy to read because the words were big and bold and were spaced out so it was clear to see.

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Review by Ella Shadbolt, 12, Woodgreen School


"I feel like someone breathed new air into my lungs. I am not Abnegation. I am not dauntless. I am Divergent.”

Imagine living in a fractured society, where at only sixteen you are forced to make a choice. A choice that will change your life. Do you leave your family, friends, everyone and everything you love and care about? Or do you stay? And what happens if you don’t fit in?

Veronica Roth’s Divergent, the first novel in the compelling dystopian series, follows Beatrice, better known at Tris, as she is forced to make this decision, always knowing she will never be part of this broken civilisation.

The story follows her as she takes a giant leap to a whole new life in Dauntless- the faction known for bravery. With secrets to hide, mysteries to uncover, and skills to learn, Tris struggles to overcome her fears and enemies. Through this she seeks to discover those she can trust. But can she leave behind the past and battle on through the future…

Divergent is extremely thought-provoking, questioning how can we suppress a young personality in order to try and keep a simple society. The human race is so unique and complicated that everyone is a combination of emotions and talents; debating the right to be different and the hostility that is forced upon the unique.

As you read each page of this marvellous creation, I can guarantee you that everyone will be gripped. Whether you enjoy adventure and action, or prefer a romantic tale, Divergent will grab you with its many cliff hangers.

Divergent is an unforgettable read that will ensure you read the second book 'Insurgent' without pausing for breath in between. So venture into this unfolding world and see where your future lies within the walls of this amazing book...

Book Review: How many socks make a pair?

Review by Harriet Howard, age 12,

Woodgreen School

The book I choose to review is How many socks make a pair by RobEastaway. I really loved this book because of the excitement and amazement it gave me. It reveals to me a surprising yet beautiful world of maths. It’s astounding how much everyday maths we never think about and how totally accessible it is to all of us. The book made me feel like I’d been totally oblivious to the maths around me every day. For example, How many socks make a pair? , the answer isn’t two because if you take 2 socks out of your drawer you aren’t guaranteed to get a pair (if you have more than one type of socks). If you have N types of socks then you need to take out N+1 socks to guarantee a pair. To me, this is something that I hadn’t come across before reading this book, and it’s fascinating. From this book I have learned that maths isn’t boring but in fact crucial to our everyday lives. In addition, I’ve learned lots of stunning maths that I never knew before; when you multiply 1089 you actually form palindromes, 1×1089=1089, 9×1089=9801 and 2×1089=2178, 8×1089=8712 and so on . . . . . this is incredible. Also, this book is totally accessible to anyone no matter what your maths skills are because of its such easy to apply facts. I enjoyed all of this book and each of the individual facts had its own charm. From this book I have learnt lots of snippets of information and how much everyday maths there actually is around us. I really recommend this book to everyone.

First Contender for the Book Illustration Competition

 

That said, we did not want to pass up  the opportunity to celebrate the close contender for the Illustration winner, Jasmine Peach-Toon, age 11, from Woodgreen School.

It needed no introduction to see that this is a scene from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women - specifically described as the four girls discussing what they are going to do for Christmas.

You can tell why it was hard to make a decision, as Jasmine's drawing reflects incredible talent that she simply must continue to nourish.

Winner of the Book Illustration Competition

It was genuinely difficult to decide between the entries as they were all full of creativity and insane talent, but the submission we finally settled on by vote to carry the victory wreath is by Immy Holt, age 12, from Henry Box School, for its playful charm. Congratulations, Immy, and keep up the good work!!

Calais - An open letter to Witney

Dear Witney... dear anyone who might read this blog,


after yesterday's and ongoing events at the Calais Refugee Camp, I felt the strong need to write this, because 140 characters on Twitter cannot convey the pain, sadness, frustration, anger and helplessness I have felt following the disastrous "eviction" of the Jungle. A euphemism if there ever was one. I'm sure many of you feel the same, wanting to do something and feeling your hands tied by so many things: commitment to family and work, money, etc etc. Believe me, I myself felt like shutting shop and driving down there to help and express my solidarity, and I am sure my colleagues felt the same, but I have an obligation to our company and you, our customers.

This is why we wanted to help in any way we could.
Waterstones as a company made - I say that as a freethinking individual, not a "company drone" - a decision I admired, to raise a million pounds with the Books for Syria campaign. And all our heartfelt thanks go out to every one of you who bought the books donated by authors and publishers and dropped change into our collection box (which alone came to over £100!).

But we have also offered to be a drop-off point for donations, as you may have seen on the poster in the window, and over the last few months Witney folks generously donated items desperately needed in the camps: sleeping bags, warm coats, blankets, shoes, you name it.

This is something close to our heart not just because we want to do something to help those who have nothing left but the skin on their backs and, if they're lucky, their families. It is also because it has grown out of the fantastic community spirit in Witney, which I have never encountered anywhere else, and which has made me feel at home here ever since I moved here nearly 7 years ago.
Working in this store, you do see a lot of the same faces, and you get to know the people and stories behind them. It's one of my favourite parts of the job. I have met so many fantastic folks and it's awesome to see them in the street and smile and say hello.

Some of you will recall the community meeting that was held in the Como Lounge in September, where a local couple talked about their trip to the Jungle to drop off donations. I recognised many of your faces there and felt something I had never felt before: community pride. So many Witney folks came and asked how they could help the refugees. Even the council got involved.
Since then, a massive group has grown in Witney, out of just 3 or 4 people who started a Facebook page and asked friends to help and donate items Calais desperately needed, to channel them on to bigger, more organised grassroots groups like Calais Action to take to the camp. The response was overwhelming and the group grew and grew, and took on a life of its own. This was all YOU! This was evidence of the big heart that beats in Witney.
Some may be suspicious of a randomly created group collecting donations, but I know every single one of the creators and admins personally and guarantee you they are the kindest and most generous people you will ever meet.

Recently, a bunch of them decided to take trips down to the Jungle to drop off donations - items YOU dropped off in our store and elsewhere - and help out on site, and I am hoping they will soon be able to post stories of their experiences on here as well.
One of them you may even know yourself - Yasmin Mo, daughter of legendary Henry Mo, owner of the town's best sandwich bar Sandwich de Witney. Yasmin used to work for us as a children's bookseller a while back and was nothing but a delight. Always laughing, smiling, great with kids. She was always engaged in humanitarian and environmental matters and just a golden soul through and through. I am so proud of her engagement in this. She has also been updating us a lot on what is going on down in the Jungle, and all the stories filtering back were inspirational, beautiful and heartbreaking.

We all became so personally involved with the lives in Calais, the current events just broke our hearts. These volunteers have build a network, and communicate with each other, and many of them have been sending live updates from the Jungle "eviction" which shocked us.
The media has vilified the refugees' response, depicting them as violent and destructive, and of course, I would not be surprised if any of you now have second thoughts about helping.

But from what we could garner from those volunteers, the picture has been massively distorted. And in the end, rubber bullets and tear gas has still been shot at children - children who have known nothing but trauma in their short lives. I won't go too much into it, as the picture is too complex to be addressed in one blog post, other than to ask you to take media representations with a pinch of salt - and PLEASE don't let it turn off your heart and humanity. This isn't a political issue, it is a humanitarian one.

A recurring question that popped up whenever donations were dropped off was: "Is it too late? Do you still need those? Has the convoy left yet?"

It is never too late to help. And the humanitarian crisis we have is not going away. Yes, they still need help. Cars are still going there with donations. People are still going there to help, to stand in solidarity. The Witney Refugee Action Group on Facebook is an open group anyone can join.

Our little shop may have a brand name on our door, but we are part of your community, it is filled and run by human beings with lives, hearts and opinions who are members of this community and care for it, and I wanted to express this on our behalf.

Thank you Witney!

Lots of love,

Patty 

When Featherbones took flight

"That's what it means to be mad. To be stripped of meaning, stripped so bare you feel like the skin's been torn from your back and you're just bones. Bare bones and nerves, stuck out in the cold, where it stings, it burns like nothing you've felt before." 

FEATHERBONES

Well, we were definitely mad with joy on a horrifically drenched Saturday in February when the delightful Thomas Brown from Madley Park, Witney, and former Woodgreen School student, joined us to present us his latest baby, novel number 2, Featherbones. 

The initial reading was a fine sample, but to truly appreciate the prose, the rhythm of the tale and the blurring of reality and Felix's delusions, you really need to read the whole thing! (hint hint) 

After, Thomas revealed to us about his inspirations for the novel, which include the amazing artist Kate MccGwire and her creepy yet beautiful feathery sculptures, author Poppy Z. Brite, Clive Barker and Marilynne Robinson's watery imagery from Housekeeping.

The shop was absolutely packed, both with

people and a happy buzz. 
Many thanks to all who came and made this day as wonderful as it was. And thank you to our own bookseller Matt! for climping lofty heights to get some good photos. 
We totally sold out, but fear not, more are to come.

- Love, Patty 

Book Launch of Thomas Brown's Featherbones

One of the greater pleasures of running a bookshop is to receive the honour of hosting a book launch. It doesn't happen very often, which makes the times when it does happen all the sweeter. 
    Launching a book is a little bit like the baptism of a baby. I wouldn't call it a birth - it would take away from the labour of love, pain, frustration, elation, white heat frenzy followed by staring helplessly at a blank screen, unable to form a single sentence, until suddenly that sentence is ready to be born and bursts out of you, and this happens about a million times where you take all these images and moments and scenes and weave them into a tapestry of narration, in which the aim is to never let the reader see your technique but to create the illusion of an alternate reality so seamlessly that characters become alive and sceneries burst with a life of their own. 

Most writers can quite possibly relate to that type of birth - it can take months, even years. But all the pains will be forgotten as soon as you hold your baby in your arms. Letting go of a book is often like letting your kid go out into the world, perhaps never completely happy or comfortable with it, but there it goes. 

Hosting a book launch is like having a party: to welcome the kid, to celebrate the efforts of its parent, to appreciate the beauty of the finished work and marvel at the complexity of its creation. 

So we at Waterstones Witney are delighted to invite everyone to the baptism of Featherbones, the wonderful brain child of Witney author Thomas Brown.

Please join us on Saturday, 13th February, from 1-3 pm, for a reading, a Q&A session, signing and general merriment with snacks, cake and drinks.

If you ever wanted to chat to an author about writing, his inspiration and his way to getting published, now is the opportunity. 
Plus, a party at a bookshop? Come on! It doesn't get better than this! 

Some of you may remember the launch of Mr Brown's first book Lynnwood, back in June 2013, which was a wonderful experience for everyone involved. Mr Brown's dark tale of the primal appetites of a small New Forest village was since shortlisted for the People's Book Prize.

His second novel again deals with the darker side of the human soul. It is an intricately woven tale of a young man's slow mental unravelling as he tries to come to terms with not just a traumatic incident in his childhood, but the very nature of his being. At times, the story is hard to take, as the bleakness and loneliness of the protagonist infiltrates your heart like a cold fog - unlike in other tales, his struggle is not romanticised or sentimentalised, despite the stunning beauty of the prose. 
Leaving the reader defenseless in Felix's increasingly unhinged mind, it begins to blur the lines between nightmare and waking, between reality and delusion, employing all the senses... all the while Felix's ordinary life continues.
Featherbones, with it's mythological elements and intense symbolism mixed into a bleak reality, reminded me much of Patrick Ness' A Monster Calls or Stephen King's Rose Madder - but just as if Susan Hill or Angela Carter had written it. 

We do hope you'll be able to join us. 

Lots of love, 

Patty