Bailey Hill Book Shop Newsletter - September 2011
The last days of summer are accompanied by the rustling of school uniforms being extracted from drawers before being passed on to younger siblings, followed by the dragging of small heels as they are transported on shopping trips for new kit and crisp hair cuts. So this month we are highlighting some of the excellent children’s reading for youngsters to soften the blow as they return once more to formal education.
But we don’t want you to just read - do write your reviews too. We are offering financial reward for you efforts, so read and write on. James and Claire have swapped their reading hats for this month’s review and we have some exciting events coming up including a visit from top thriller writer Robert Goddard to talk about his latest works.
Read on to see which authors you can see and hear at the Bath and West Garden Show.
And for those who have been to the bookshop recently, you might have noticed the upgraded Pound Bench which now has wheels and handles: an exclusive design from Patrick who is seen pictured below demonstrating the ease with which our bargain basement reads can be placed in position on the pavement. Heartfelt thanks to Patrick: his efforts drastically reduce the effort required from the BHB Shop girls!
Events
The Bath and West Garden Show September 2nd - 4th
We will be at the Bath and West Garden Show supporting author signings by local gardener Joe Hashman (better known as Dirty Nails); Sarah Raven, who will be giving a talk on Picking, Conditioning and Flower Arranging, and Anthony Woodward - author of Garden in the Clouds which has been positively reviewed here at BHB. A signed copy of any of the above authors’ works would make an excellent present (sorry to mention the C word, but in the retail trade we do look forward to Christmas...!)
For more details go to http://www.bathandwest.com/national-gardening/95/
Robert Goddard - Book Signing
Tuesday September 20th 11.00 - 12.30 at the Bookshop
Robert Goddard will be visiting us to promote his latest novel Blood Count, a thriller revolving around Edward Hammond, a surgeon who performs a life-saving operation on a Serbian gangster who subsequently stands trial for war crimes at the international court in The Hague. Hammond becomes involved in the quest for a hidden fortune in another fast moving action-packed thriller from a master of the genre. There is always a selection of Robert Goddard’s works in Bailey Hill so come and hear him speak and browse the titles to get your signed copy. Light snacks will be served.
Children’s Reading
One of the most satisfying aspects of the book selling is supplying children’s books and getting them reading. We had a really pleasing piece of feedback this summer from a local teaching assistant who told us how her own children started reading a lot more after she had brought them into the shop and let them choose the books they wanted to read. She was so pleased by how much more they were reading and how this was reflected in big improvements in all their school work. It is well known that reading is the most important factor in educational success and we do what we can to find interesting books for reluctant readers to enjoy.
Usborne Reading Programme
A superb series of books that covers all primary school ages and abilities in reading, the Usborne Reading Programme provides an excellent supplement to books used at school. Starting with simple phonic reading books, they build up in complexity to the retelling of timeless texts like Hamlet and Kidnapped. They even provide an easy way for Mums and Dads to brush up on any classics they might have missed....
Titles such as The Revealing Story of Underwear, Rubbish and Recycling and The Story of Toilets, Telephones and other Useful Inventions enjoy particularly high levels of popularity with youngsters!
The books are nicely produced, with lively writing and clear illustrations. They capture the imagination and build the confidence of even the most begrudging young reader who might otherwise find reading difficult or dull. The books are even colour coded to make it easy for children, adults (and booksellers) to understand what level they are aimed at. dull. The books are even colour coded to make it easy for children, adults (and booksellers) to understand what level they are aimed at.
See Inside - Lift the Flap Books
Another great series by Usborne which combines fun and education - two words not often seen in the the same sentence to a younger audience. The books cover a wide range of subjects from Ancient Egypt, Your Body and Mathematics.
The Maths book includes a maze on which you lift a flap and have to solve it in order to get to the next room. Another page has a game of Snakes and Ladders in which you need to add and subtract to make your moves. Learning through fun and games.
Sticker Books
Some things never lose their appeal and the Usborne Sticker books are as popular today as when we were still just sticking pictures of WW2 airplanes next to a gleaming new Concorde or ponies frollicking in a pristine meadow. There is something strangely compulsive about a bit of sticky paper and a book to apply it to, but today’s publications are even more ambitious.
Although Sticker Dolly Dressing is high in the adhesive best sellers, other themes include Impressionist Painters, Modern (and Classical) languages; a World Atlas, Maths, and Flags of the World (parents can test themselves on this too - so useful for those pub quizzes).
Reviews
Write a review and win a BHB £10.00 book token
We are offering a £10.00 book token to children or adults who submit reviews of a book they have recently read and enjoyed. It need not be too long or even too intellectual, we just want you to give an idea of the story and why you would recommend it to other readers.
Just email it to us at shop@baileyhillbookshop.co.uk or bring it into the shop. Any review featured in the newsletter or around the shop will be awarded an exclusive £10.00 Bailey Hill Token.
In the meantime you will have to read our reviews......
Sight Unseen - Robert Goddard - £7.99
The abduction of a little girl from Avebury and the death of her sister is the starting point for this story of murder and historical intrigue from an acknowledged master of the crime thriller. The opening chapter sets the scene brilliantly with a cool detachment which draws the reader in and keeps them hooked from thereon. With a wide range of characters, Goddard keeps you guessing on who to trust and which plot line will be most significant. Will it be either of the grieving parents? The retired policeman or the private investigator? The tortuous plot takes us from London to Jersey via Yeovil (yes - Yeovil), combining a missing18th century manuscript with modern international banking, it ends with a satisfying finale.
Thrillers are not my usual chosen style, but this excellent novel makes me want to read more of Goddard’s many novels as well as reading more widely in this popular genre. JB
The Golden Mean - Annabel Lyon - £7.99
The Golden Mean of the title is the middle course between two extremes and it is this that Aristotle aims to achieve with his young impetuous student, Alexander, in this fascinating account of ancient Macedonia. Destined to become the ruler of the largest empire of the ancient world, Alexander’s upbringing has been entirely military in its content till now and Aristotle has a job on his hands.
Annabel Lyon recreates the ancient world in all its brutality with a keen eye for detail, in an unflinching depiction that reminds one of I,Claudius in its tone. It certainly brings history to life for me and informs and entertains in equal measure. CB
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