FRENCH VISITORS TO FOSTER

Every now and then very interesting people pass through Foster and this couple were no exception.  They are a husband and wife, members of a Paris jazz band called Swing Deluxe and it was a pleasure to talk with them about their music.  I took their business card and looked them up on the internet and this is what I found.

Swing Deluxe was formed in 2003 by young musicians from Paris. Year after year, their concerts have evolved into full-scale musical events including singing, swing and Russian cabaret performed at the Jazz clubs of the capital and in various festivals all over France, Europe and the Middle-East.

I'll be searching iTunes for their music, so expect to hear them sometime soon in the bookshop.

ROTARY ART SHOW - YARRAM

Rotary Tarra Festival Art Show

Easter 2016 Regent Theatre Yarram  

 

The show will again be displayed in the iconic 30’s Regent Theatre well set up to hang and light works in a professional manner.  This year  they have included new sections, Photography and Miniatures.  Other sections are Watercolour, Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic/Oils & Student sections.

Entry close on February 26th and forms are available at

www.tarrafestival.com.au/rotary-art-show.  Spread the word and assist Rotary by participating. 

ELIZABETH GILBERT: BUCKET OF CRABS

Author Elizabeth Gilbert who is best known for her title Eat, Pray, Love has posted an interesting take on how we strive, or not to 'better' ourselves and what part friends and family can play in this endeavour.  I've attached her words here.

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.