Book News

from our favourite local book shop, The Book Case

Friday, 2 October 2009

TOP TEN: September's bestsellers at The Book Case

Our September bestsellers showed a strong interest in local history, with two local walking guides also popular. Two thought-provoking adult books were also in demand, and young people were keen to find out what happened to Torak in the final Chronicle of Ancient Darkness.

1. Hebden Bridge: a short history of the area - Peter Thomas, £5.99
Back at the top, a very readable account of our area through the ages by a well-known local author. Published by Royd Press.

2. Summat A'Nowt - Steve Murty (£9.95)
From the Super-Truck King and Hebden Bridge Literary & Scientific Society history section vice-president, a well-illustrated history of the Calder Valley and surrounding area. He focuses especially on the development of the ancient hamlet of Stubb, and the wonderful old pictures come from his own collection, the Alice Longstaff collection, the HBLHS and elsewhere.

3. Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives - David Eagleman (£9.99)
Named as one of the best spiritual books of 2009 and also welcomed by atheists, a thought-provoking series of stories about alternative versions of the after-life. The title is the Latin for "I am".

4. A Book of Silence - Sara Maitland, £8.99
Over the past five years, the author has spent periods of silence in the Sinai desert, the Australian bush, and the Isle of Skye. She interweaves her experiences of silence in different places with the history of silence. Its second month in the Top Ten.

5. A Cotton-Fibre Halo - Angus Bethune Reach, ed. Chris Aspin, £7.95
A gritty and graphic eyewitness report of life and work in the Manchester area in 1849. Royd Press.

6. Ghost Hunter - Michelle Paver, £10.99
The sixth and final adventure in Torak's quest to vanquish the terrifying Soul-Eaters in the bestselling Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series for young people, set in the Stone Age.

7. Yorkshire Dales Textile Mills - George Ingle, £9.99
This well-researched book from the author of Yorkshire Cotton is an illustrated account of all the mills that once stood in today’s beauty spots, with info about the firms, child labour, and hand-loom weavers’ riots plus details of the buildings, the machinery in them and their power sources. Royd Press

8. Fabrics, Filth and Fairy Tents - Angus Bethune Reach, ed. Chris Aspin, £6.95
Life and work in the Yorkshire textile districts in 1849, through the eyes of energetic young journalist Angus Reach. Royd Press.

9. Hebden Bridge Town Trail, £2.00
This well-illustrated guide to the town continued to sell well.

10. Gone Walkabout - Anna Carlisle, £6.95
The bestselling book of local walks now out in a substantially rewritten and updated edition, with new maps. From Hebden Bridge publishers Pennine Pens.

You'll probably have gathered from the radio that October is a big month for books, with the main publishers' releases, and the Booker Prize winner announced on 6th October. There's also National Bookstart Day on 9th October - see below for details. This year's theme is rhymes.

It's a big month for us in Hebden Bridge too as major local authors Juliet Barker and Glyn Hughes have new books out! See below for details.

As well as the beginnings of our big "Christmas present" book selection, we also have some excellent bargain books new in - including J G Ballard (SF), Jon Ronson (Them), House at Riverton, Mao, Reading Lolita in Tehran and Vikram Chandra's chunky and powerful tour-de-force Sacred Games: modern India through the eyes of a cop and a top gangster. These are all at prices from £2.99 to £4.99 while stocks last. We're also expecting bargain copies of Eckhart Tolle's popular Power of Now.

These bargain books are fighting for space on the central table with our splendid selection of calendars and diaries, which are selling briskly.

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:  Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives - David Eagleman (£9.99). Named as one of the best spiritual books of 2009 and also welcomed by atheists, a thought-provoking series of stories about alternative versions of the after-life. The title is the Latin for "I am".

Adult non-fiction: Earthbound: A Rough Guide to the World in Pictures (£20). A sumptuous hardback of eyecatching photographs from all over the world. Better than your average.

Children: New and Collected Poems for Children - Carol Ann Duffy. This beautiful edition of poems brings together work from four award-winning collections for children, and sprinkles in a generous helping of new poems to match. From her dazzlingly debut "Meeting Midnight" through to her newest, brightest poems, Carol Ann Duffy's writing for younger readers has always bubbled with wit and humour, intelligence and affection. Ages: 8+ yrs (£9.99)

CD: The History of English Poetry - Peter Whitfield, read by Derek Jacobi (Naxos, 7 CDs), £19.99. this accessible history introduces the listener to countless masterpieces, including all the old favourites and some lesser-known gems. We also have in stock The History of English Literature and The History of English Theatre (Naxos, 4 CDs each), £16.99 each.

Local Authors

Conquest: The English Kingdom of France 1417-1450 - Juliet Barker (£20.00) Author of the best-selling AGINCOURT, Juliet Barker now tells the story of the dramatic years when England ruled France at the point of a sword. Henry V's second invasion of France in 1417 launched a campaign that would put the crown of France on an English head. Only the miraculous appearance of a visionary peasant girl - Joan of Arc - would halt the English advance. Yet despite her victories, her influence was short-lived: Henry VI had his coronation in Paris six months after her death and his kingdom endured for another twenty years. When he came of age he was not the leader his father had been. It was the dauphin, whom Joan had crowned Charles VII, who would finally drive the English out of France. Life Class - Glyn Hughes (£12.50) From the prize-winning local author, a 5,000 line autobiographical poem absorbing two years of writing. an autobiographical poem covering the narrator’s beginnings as a worshipper of nature, later an organic gardener (before this was fashionable), living in cottages on the Pennines, and also some years in Greece. It covers his rural working-class roots and three marriages. The result is a magnificent poem by a major poet, one that is notable for its keen attention to the natural world and accounts and circumstances of a life lived to the full. The book will be launched at Artsmill on 18th October at 4pm and all are welcome.

Sing Shenandoah for Me - John Sugden (£9.95) The author, a prize-winning poet, was originally from Huddersfield and this nicely produced novel is set in 1960s West Yorkshire. As long as his patients don't trouble him Jack has a secure future as a psychiatric nurse. When his reputation as a ladies' man brings him and Linda together, how much better could life get?

Angel Try - Alice Bell (£9.99) From a Mytholmroyd author, a novel that's part family history saga, part ghost story, telling the tale of a West Yorkshire clan pulling itself up by its bootstraps. Set in the Calder and Aire Valleys and beginning before the Industrial Revolution, when it was a treat to afford treacle for your porridge! Local publisher. From Where I Was Standing : A Liverpool Supporter's View of the Heysel Stadium Tragedy - Chris Rowland (£9.99) An eyewitness account and analysis of the Heysel Stadium disaster of May 1985 as the 25th anniversary year approaches. The author lives in Mytholmroyd/Hebden Bridge.

Local Interest

Summat A'Nowt - Steve Murty (£9.95)
In this fascinating and personal insight, Steve Murty looks at the history of the Calder Valley and the surrounding area over the centuries covering, amongst many other topics, hand-loom weaving, child labour and domestic fashions. Born and brought up in the Township of Stubb, Mytholmroyd, he focuses on the development of this ancient hamlet, its people and properties, within the context of the events that took place around the valleys.

Gone Walkabout- Anna Carlisle, new ed. (£6.95)
The bestselling book of local walks now out in a substantially rewritten and updated edition, with new maps.

A Dales High Way companion - Tony and Chris Grogan (£9.99)
A 90 mile walk across the glorious high country of the Yorkshire Dales, from Saltaire to Appleby - explore its rich history, geology, wildlife and culture, and return with a breathtaking train ride along England's most beautiful railway. Lots of colour photographs.

Jimmy Mac, Prince of Inside Forwards - Dave Thomas (£17.95)
The story of Burnley and Northern Ireland icon Jimmy McIlroy. Profusely illustrated book telling the story of this "magic" footballer. To be launched on 23rd October at Burnley's Turf Moor Ground.

National Book News

National Bookstart Day 2009 is fast approaching on Friday 9 October. The theme this year is ‘My Favourite Rhyme’, the perfect opportunity to share your favourite rhymes, learn new ones and even dress up as nursery rhyme characters! More info with events, recommended reads and a page about the history of rhymes and why they're important.

The Booker Shortlist 2009

Winner to be announced 6th October, and the shortlist is below, with prices reflecting our usual £2 discount on hardback fiction. We have the Mantel and Waters in stock, and can usually order the others overnight. Find out more

Local Interest

Summat A'Nowt - Steve Murty (£9.95)
In this fascinating and personal insight, Steve Murty looks at the history of the Calder Valley and the surrounding area over the centuries covering, amongst many other topics, hand-loom weaving, child labour and domestic fashions. Born and brought up in the Township of Stubb, Mytholmroyd, he focuses on the development of this ancient hamlet, its people and properties, within the context of the events that took place around the valleys.

Gone Walkabout - Anna Carlisle, new ed. (£6.95)
The bestselling book of local walks now out in a substantially rewritten and updated edition, with new maps.

A Dales High Way companion - Tony and Chris Grogan (£9.99)
A 90 mile walk across the glorious high country of the Yorkshire Dales, from Saltaire to Appleby - explore its rich history, geology, wildlife and culture, and return with a breathtaking train ride along England's most beautiful railway. Lots of colour photographs.

Jimmy Mac, Prince of Inside Forwards - Dave Thomas (£17.95)
The story of Burnley and Northern Ireland icon Jimmy McIlroy. Profusely illustrated book telling the story of this "magic" footballer. To be launched on 23rd October at Burnley's Turf Moor Ground.

National Book News

National Bookstart Day 2009 is fast approaching on Friday 9 October. The theme this year is ‘My Favourite Rhyme’, the perfect opportunity to share your favourite rhymes, learn new ones and even dress up as nursery rhyme characters!

The Booker Shortlist 2009

Winner to be announced 6th October, and the shortlist is below, with prices reflecting our usual £2 discount on hardback fiction. We have the Mantel and Waters in stock, and can usually order the others overnight. Find out more

The Children's Book - A S Byatt, £16.99
Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel, £16.99
The Quickening Maze - Adam Foulds, £10.99
The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters, £10.99
The Glass Room - Simon Mawer, £14.99
Summertime - J M Coetzee, £14.99

NEW TITLES 

October sees the publishers putting out the books they hope will prove big Christmas sellers, which on the whole are non-fiction. There's also a torrent of history publishing this month after a bit of a lull.

Amongst the month's hardback fiction are John Irving, Terry Pratchett and Ruth Rendell. Paperback fiction includes Susan Hill, Janice Galloway, Kamila Shamsie, Max Aub, Annie Proulx, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ken Follett, Louis de Bernieres, Alexander McCall Smith and Arnaldur Indridason, among others, plus a new series retelling the stories of the Mabinogion for the 21st century. Lots of reissues including Bunyan, Sterne, Emily Bronte, Rodenbach, Zane Grey, M R James, Elizabeth Taylor, Neville Shute, Shirley Jackson, Raymond Carver, Beryl Bainbridge, Robert Harris, Jean Plaidy and Cormac McCarthy.  Click here for the full list.

October's Non-fiction includes:

• Marginalia, paper collage work, Japanese textile design, West Riding Architecture and how to paint in Art, Craft Design and Architecture
• Pepys, the Wellington family, Waugh, Wainwright and Tony Benn in Biography
• the Ukrainians in Current Affairs
• River Cottage Sustainability, being cheaply low-carbon and down-shifting in middle age in Environment
• River Cottage and making country wines in Food & Drink 
• Ting Tang Tommy, Montague Blister and Brain Games in Games
• Twelve Treasured Flowers, Monty Don, Mr Middleton, raising goats and gardening and planting by the moon in Gardening & Smallholding
• great cities, the long walk of 1066, medieval seafarers, visiting the 14th century, the English kingdom of France in the 15th century, Matthias Corvinus and his library, Dickens and the fallen women, the 19th century in photographs, Andrew Marr and John O'Farrell on Modern Britain, the WWII secret agent's pocket manual and the history of a North Yorkshire plot of land in History
• the wit and wisdom of the North, Tommy Cooper, Private Eye, the Oldie, Christmas for Atheists, Mots d'Heures: Gousses Rames, the Daily Mash, scorn, Dumb Britain, Alan Bennett, Pam Ayres, Molesworth (hurrah!) and Simon's cat  in Humour
• designers' and celebrities' best dresses and Woodstock paper dolls in Lifestyle
• P D James on Detective Fiction, Susan Hill on neglected books, the writer-artist relationship, illustrated children's books and a dictionary of proverbs in Literature and Language 
• babies, alcohol, smoking, massage, Wild Love, angel cards, Cosmic Ordering, a moon planner, a witches' almanac and Old Moore in MBS
• The Sound of Music (pop-up), Top Gear, Match of the Day, Come Dancing, The Archers, Torchwood and Only Fools and Horses in Media
• The Wire on modern music in Music
• pigs, woodland, the Atlantic salmon and stargazing in Nature, Animals and Wildlife
• the Eagle comic in Nostalgia
• ancient philosophers on modern living in  Philosophy
• Beowulf on CD-rom, half-forgotten school poetry, love poems, bird poems, moon poems, poems on the underground, Paul Durcan, Islamic mystical verse and the RSC in classic Shakespearean performances in Poetry & Drama
• anarchism in Politics
• the Dark Night of the Soul in Religion
• New Scientist's latest collection, complexity, Popular Mechanics, biological rebels, essential maths, curious maths, forgotten school maths and technology writing in Science and Maths
• North better than South, migrants' front rooms, the British obsession with interiors and WWII demob in Society
• Dalrymple in India, the golden age of exploration,  Lonely Plant travel writing, Rough Guide world in pictures, haunted Britain, China, walking in West Yorkshire, Good Hotels and Good Pubs in Travel
• combines, trucks and a lifetime in transport in Transport
• and pussycat with owl, practical cats, Carol Ann Duffy and a baby brought up in a graveyard  in Children's books

See more at The Book Case

"A book which is left on a shelf for a decade is a dead thing, but it is also a chrysalis, packed with the potential to burst into new life." - Susan Hill, Howard's End is on the Landing