CHRISTMAS AT THE BOOKSHOP

I think there is more fun in a bookshop at this time of the year than any other time.  It is wonderful being able to help customers find something, particularly when the book they came in for is either no longer in print, or it's too late to order it for Christmas.

We will be open until 5.00pm on Christmas Eve (next Thursday) and we'll open again on Sunday 27th from 10.00-2.00 for those of you who are heading to the craft market and need a late gift.  Then we'll be swanning around at home until Tuesday 29th, with the 'don't enter' sign on the front gate.

Thank you to everyone who has been through our doors over the last 12 months, you've certainly made life interesting and our business worthwhile.  From us both:

We wish you a safe and peaceful Christmas and a stunning New Year.

Thanks Jellie for this great photo.

 

 

BOOKSHOP WINDOW

We'd like to thank all those who've come into the bookshop simply to say how much they appreciate our Christmas window.  I took a couple of photos, however the reflection from the glass interfered with the clarity of what I took.  So here's my effort in case you haven't been past in the last few weeks.

If you look really hard you'll see at the bottom of this last photo a small grey dog, I hope the lady who wanted to buy him was successful in finding her own at Glenn's Sports & Gifts...!!

PRIME MINISTER'S LITERARY AWARDS FOR 2015

There's quite a lot of information coming through to us as booksellers from publishers proud that their titles have been chosen for this annual award.  Here's a link to see them all.

We were particularly pleased to see this title had won the Australian history award.

 

CASSANDRA CLARE

This author will be familiar to a number of local young people, she has presented three series of books that simply walk off the shelf.  Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices and with Holly Black, Magisterium.

Cassandra Clare returns to the world of Shadowhunters in her newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the bestselling Mortal Instruments series. The series kicks off with Lady Midnight which will arrive in stores on March 8th, 2016.

 It may seem early to let you know about this series, however I know there are a few young people in town who'd like to know........and we will pre-order.

 

READING IS NOT HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH

This little photo sent to us by a customer needs no interpretation.

Thanks Jellie.

RIDDLED WITH GILT

Whilst on the subject of books that are beautifully produced. 
Gilding is an age old art which consists of applying gold in powder or thin sheet (gold leaf) form to an object - in this case, a book's pages or even cover boards.
The gold in gold leaf has typically been mixed or alloyed with other metals such as silver or copper. But there are other options, and not all that glitters is gold.

We received a link from one of our suppliers with amazing information about gilding, if the subject interests you take a look here.

The book title is Poems and it's by W B Yeats.
 
 

AUTHOR BRIAN SELZNICK

Some of you will remember this author for his book The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  We have his latest book on the shelf now and it is The Marvels.  All of Brian's books are exquisitely produced with elaborate covers and gold edged pages.

This is a mesmerizing adventure about the power of ‘story’.  Two seemingly unrelated stories - one in words, the other in pictures come together with seamless, ingenious synergy!  We open in 1766 with a visual story: Young Billy Marvel becomes the lone survivor of a shipwreck.  Returned to London, he grows up in a theatre, where we follow the dramatic trials and triumphs of his progeny over five generations.  We cut to 1990 with a narrative story: Lost and alone, and on the brink of expulsion from yet another boarding school, Joseph impulsively runs away to search for his best friend. He finds himself swept up with an erratic man in a strange and beautiful house full of secrets-secrets that compel Joseph on a treasure hunt.

 

 

RESCUE DOGS BY CAREY AND DI EDWARDS

This feel-good book will tug on the heartstrings of dog-lovers everywhere, with 150 photos of joyous rescue dogs and tales of their happy-ever-afters, from Australian Working Dog Rescue.

Featured in these pages are Australia's classic working breeds - kelpies, cattle dogs, border collies, koolies - that have been simply thrown on the scrapheap; dumped or surrendered to pounds across Australia.

The lucky ones end up in the care of Carey and Di Edwards at Australian Working Dog Rescue and their Australia-wide team of volunteers and carers.

Some have found new careers as blissful family pets and canine companions, while others have fulfilled their working-dog destinies on rural properties. In these pages you'll also see wine dogs, army recruits, therapy dogs ... and dogs just hanging out, enjoying their new lives.

From dumped dog to man's (and woman's) best friend, this book celebrates fresh starts, and the proceeds will help even more dogs find their 'forever' homes.

If you can look through this book and not get a lump in your throat you're a stronger person than I am.  This organisation does wonderful work and will always need support to keep these wonderful animals from slipping through the gaps.

THE DHARMA DOOR

For some years now we've been very happy to stock these bags handcrafted by women in Bangladesh.  They used to be called 'book bags', they are now referred to as 'the everything pouch'.  Whatever they are called they still come from Bangladesh and they are still very beautiful.  A new shipment arrived this week, new colours and new designs.

 

BOOK LAUNCH - YARRAM & DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Heather Sjoberg is making her debut as a writer with a book about her family – James Neilson and Isabella Gibson: Gippsland Pioneers. The family's heritage listed home in Gippsland was the subject of an episode of the ABC production Restoration Australia in September 2015. The Neilson family came from Scotland to Gippsland in 1841 and were one of the first white families to settle there. The tale is one of optimism, tenacity, courage, and, at times, horror.

The Yarram & District Historical Society is hosting the launch of Heather's book in Gippsland.  Monday 14th December at 2.00pm. The Society is situated in the old South Gippsland Creamery lab, Carpenter Street, Yarram.

LOST WRITERS

We lost three of the best female writers this year.  Anne Rice, Ruth Rendell and Colleen McCullough.

Anne Rice is an American author of gothic fiction, Christian literature, and erotica. She is perhaps best known for her popular and influential series of novels, The Vampire Chronicles, revolving around the central character of Lestat.

Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries.  Rendell's best-known creation, Chief Inspector Wexford, was the hero of many popular police stories, some of them successfully adapted for TV.  But Rendell also generated a separate brand of crime fiction that explored deeply into the psychological background of criminals and their victims, many of them mentally afflicted or otherwise socially isolated.

Colleen McCullough was most well known for her sweeping family drama, The Thorn Birds, set on a remote sheep station in outback Australia.

The book, which sold 30 million copies worldwide, was sold for a then-record $1.9 million and a miniseries, starring Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward and Barbara Stanwyck became one of the most watched of all time.  But The Thorn Birds was just one of the many books McCullough wrote in a career spanning four decades.

 

 

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

We have your Christmas gift list covered, come and let us help you make the best choices for this year's presents.  Take a seat on the red couch and relax whilst you make your choices.

 

CHRISTMAS CRAFT DAY - SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5TH

On Saturday, December 5th we will be holding our last event for the year and it will be a craft day for the local kids.  If you have preschool and/or primary school children come in from 10.30 to midday and we'll spend time making Christmas cards and listening to Jennifer Jones' storytelling.  There will be gifts and balloons for all the kids.  The event is free and you don't need to book.  See you here with small ones in tow all prepared to have fun.

 

WEBSITE NEWSLETTER

Some of you may not get the newsletter from our website, so I've put the link here. Pop over and take a look.

 

CHARLES HALL - BOOK SIGNING

It was a very happy morning on Saturday 7th meeting Charles Hall and his wife Sue.  I found out much more about these two over a couple of hours; both are musicians and still active on the scene.  Those who came to meet Charles stayed to talk which says a lot about the man.  Here are some photos.

 

HELENE YOUNG

Some of you will remember Helene Young who flew down from Brisbane one cold Friday night in July a couple of years ago to speak at the Twilight Talks we held at the Stockyard Gallery.  There's an interesting article on the Sisters in Crime website I thought you might like to read.

We always have her latest book on the shelf and we're very pleased to see her still going strong.
 

PHYRNE FISHER WINS HEARTS IN AMERICA

For those of you who love Kerry Greenwood's books on Phyrne Fisher you might like to know the character has won the hearts of American in the form of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries television series.  Take a look at the article that appeared in The Guardian.

 

JACKIE FRENCH LOVES WOMBAT

The new title from Jackie French is Wombat Wins which is the perfect companion to her other Wombat stories.  We'll have it on the shelf soon.

 

THE PEOPLE HAVE VOTED......

More than 1700 Dymocks Booklovers members have voted for their favourite children’s book of all time. The ‘Harry Potter’ series (J K Rowling, Bloomsbury) topped the poll, followed by The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle, Penguin) and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C S Lewis, various imprints). The ‘Treehouse’ series by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton (Pan) was the highest placed local entry in fourth spot. Eight out of the top 10 titles and nearly half of all 51 titles have been adapted for film or TV.

LIV, FOREVER BY AMY TALKINGTON

There's a great review of this title on our website, take a look here. 

 

WHY DO THEY DO IT?

A Macquarie University author survey has found that Australian authors earn on average $12,900 from their writing, with educational authors the highest earners, followed by children’s book authors and genre fiction authors. Nearly half of all authors supplement their income with a job unrelated to their writing, and 37.3% are supported by their partner’s income.  

So they really do write for the love of it…………we knew that.

One of these, a ream of paper and away you go.................

FOSTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY COMMENDATION

The book Prom Country: A History was short-listed for the Victorian Community History Awards and won a commendation.  Well done to the Foster Historical Society for publishing this great local history book.  And if you listen to 3mFM over the next 10 or 12 Saturdays at 1.00pm you'll hear some of the stories from this book.

Jennifer Jones was also awarded a commendation for her work on the Anzac exhibition currently on at the museum.  Congratulations Jennifer.

You might like to visit the historical societies website here. 

QUOTES

This wonderful quote with photo was sent to us from a customer and it deserves to be shared.  Thanks Jellie.

 

2015 CHILDREN'S PEACE LITERATURE AWARD

The 2015 Children’s Peace Literature Award was announced this week, and the winner is One True Thing by Nicole Hayes.

The award is organised by the Psychologists for Peace Group, part of the Australian Psychological Society. It is a biennial award to Australian authors of books for children that encourage the peaceful resolution of conflict or promote peace at the global, local or interpersonal level.

Here’s what the judges had to say about One True Thing:

“The main character in the winning book is Frankie, the 16 year old daughter of a female politician who is running for Premier of Victoria and who becomes the target of a shock jock trying to dig up damaging information about her past. The mother is struggling to keep her secret and also address the strains it puts on her relationships as well as her political hopes. The family is almost split apart and there are many conflicts, not only between Frankie and her parents but also between Frankie and her various groups of friends including band members and new boyfriend. Several different methods of conflict resolution are demonstrated; all are handled constructively and with empathy. After trying some ineffective strategies, Frankie shows understanding, tolerance and persistence and her actions are critical in resolving the conflicts peacefully.”

“The characters are realistic; the story is engagingly written and makes compelling reading. The work is concurrently of high literary quality and an excellent model of nonviolent conflict resolution by the child concerned. The judges of the prize were unanimous in their choice of this book to win the 2015 Children’s Peace Literature Award.” 

CHARLES HALL: SUMMERS GONE

Our last book signing for the year is on Saturday November 7th and it's with Charles Hall and his debut novel Summer's Gone.  Charles will be at the bookshop from 11am.

The blurb on the book is right: there are only a handful of novelists who have looked at the 60s of demonstrations, civil disobedience, riots, imprisonment and change.  Why is that, I wonder?  Why hasn’t our Baby Boomer major novelists tackled the dizzying world they grew up in, that shaped their identities?

The story begins when Nick’s Uncle Clem gives him the banjo that leads to him forming a folk band with his best friend, Mitch, and two Melbourne sisters, Helen and Alison.  Summer’s Gone details Nick’s relationship with Helen and explores the nostalgia of living in Australia in the 1960s. There are romantic affairs, a briefly successful folk band, women’s rights, sexual freedom, discourse around the Vietnam war - draft dodging and conscription, and other social and political issues that have had far reaching implications for following generations.

 

MAN BOOKER PRIZE FOR 2015

The Man Booker Prize for 2015 goes to................A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James. 

 A Brief History of Seven Killings, tells the story of the attempted assassination of Bob Marley, who is referred to throughout as “the singer”, and its aftermath. But perhaps more importantly, it tells the story of Jamaica in the 1970s and early 80s, when the guns flooded in, CIA agents took up residence, and the island went through one of its most violently defining moments. It is a story worth telling, and a story about Jamaica that doesn’t only take place in Jamaica.

James, aged 44, who lives in Minneapolis, is the first Jamaican author to win the prize in the Man Booker’s 47-year history.  His novel has a lot of fans: it was described by the New York Times as: “like a Tarantino remake of the The Harder They Come, but with a soundtrack by Bob Marley and a script by Oliver Stone and William Faulkner”.

 

THE GOLD INKY AWARDS

The Inky Awards recognise high-quality young adult literature, with the longlist and shortlist selected by young adults, and the winners voted for online by the teen readers of InsideaDog.com.au. There are two awards: the Gold Inky Award for an Australian book, and the Silver Inky Award for an international book.  Teenagers get to nominate to be judges through a very thorough process, see here.

This is the shortlist for the Gold Inky:

THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE BOOK

You are looking at a copy of the Bay Psalm Book printed in 1640. It sold at a Sotheby's auction for $14.2 million on November 26, 2013.

Not bad for a small book of psalms. But there are only 11 surviving copies and it is considered to be the first book printed in what became the United States, so its historical value is immense.

The auction firm estimated the sale price would be between $15 million and $30 million - but the final price still ensured it became the world's most expensive printed book.

I think you would want to be very careful when handling this, it doesn't look too stable to me.  And why isn't this person wearing white gloves?  It looks like somebody has written on the facing page, I guess that probably added to the value?

STEPHENIE MEYER - TWILIGHT SERIES

The Twilight Series is now 10 years old and the author Stephenie Meyer has rewritten the book.  In the new anniversary material, Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined, the gender roles of the series’ main characters are reversed, turning Edward into Edythe and Jacob into Julie.  The new story is told through the eyes of Beau, the male equivalent of “Twilight” star Bella Swan.

 I only report this material..........!!!

HENNING MANKELL

Henning Mankell, known for the Wallender Series has died aged 67, far too young and with many books still to write.  His stories were all based in dark beautiful Sweden and his main character Kurt Wallender is probably better known through the television series.

 

WE WILL BE OPEN

We wanted you to know we will be open on Friday 2nd October (Grand Final Eve holiday), so if you have ordered books to pick up, or you want to make the most of the day off and browse, we'll be here.  This will be a good time to start looking for special gifts, you can still put books on lay-by to be picked up on Christmas eve (can't believe I'm writing this!!!).

 

SIEGE BY SIMON KERNICK

Thanks to Ruth Carson for her review of this book.

Siege by Simon Kernick

‘They killed her as soon as she opened the front door.’

So begins this fast-paced thriller indicating as it does, the building of action and suspense. Short chapters with cliff-hanging endings employ a story telling method that draws in the reader at full speed.

Diverse explosions across London engage the attention of the authorities from the major objective of storming the prestigious Stanhope Hotel, Park Lane, by a highly trained group of terrorists identifying themselves as the Pan-Arab Army of God. They give the British government five hours to meet their demands before blowing up the building and all its’ guests. Of course the guests are many and varied with a range of issues of their own and it is sometimes difficult to keep up with all the characters. However, the brutality of the terrorists, the diversity of the guests and the difficulties faced by the police and anti terror squad add to the complexity.

This is indeed dramatic story-telling made more potent because of its clear relationship with recent events around the world.

 A good read.

 
 

MICHAEL ROBOTHAM WINS THE 2015 CWA GOLDSBORO GOLD DAGGER AWARD

Michael Robotham has won the 2015 CWA Goldsboro Gold Dagger Award for his bestselling 2014 standalone, Life or Death at a ceremony in London overnight. The Gold Dagger is awarded to the best crime novel of the year. It was originally created in 1955, under the name of the Crossed Red Herrings Award. It was renamed the Gold Dagger in 1960 and has been awarded ever since with variations in its name depending on sponsorship.

This is Michael’s first Gold Dagger win, though he was shortlisted in 2007 and 2008. Previous winners include James Lee Burke, Sara Paretsky, Ian Rankin and Minette Walters and Michael beat 2015 shortlisted authors including Stephen King and Robert Galbraith to the Gold. He is only the second Australian win, along with Peter Temple.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Lewis Carrol's book is 150 years old this year and it still reads like a contemporary story, also still interesting for young and old.  It's interesting to think about the many versions of this story that have made it to the screen.

Take a walk into the world of Alice here. 

I LIKE BIG BOOKS

This was sent to us by a friend and I felt it should be shared with you.

It's set to the song 'Baby's Got Back' and you can listen if you want to the official video here.

DR RANJIT RAO: MEDITATION & MARTINI

On Saturday, October 10 we will be hosting a Conversation With Dr Ranjit Rao to talk about his book Meditation & Martini. 

Dr Rao came across meditation as a medical student and has included meditation, yoga, and fitness as part of his own routine over the last 20 years.  He completed a teacher training course but never had time to teach it because he was studying medicine.  Dr Rao has been a regular meditator, and that held him in good stead during university and training days, and now as a surgeon.

Dr Rao’s work as a surgeon gives him a unique perspective on matters pertaining to health and wellness and the choices we make towards a more vibrant more fulfilling life.  He is a keen promoter of this aspect of life and writes a daily blog.

The place for our conversation is the Community Health Centre, Station Road, next to the hospital, the event will start with afternoon tea at 2.30 and at 3.00 we will begin our conversation with Dr Rao.  Although the event is free we will need numbers for catering, you can book at Foster’s Little Bookshop, 4 Station Road, Foster, call 5682 2089 or send an email to flb@virtul.net.au.

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