The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Evie Wyld Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-07-08 | Join us for a discussion with author Evie Wyld on her new book 'The Bass Rock.' 'Surging out of the sea, the Bass Rock has for centuries watched over the lives that pass under its shadow on the Scottish mainland. And across the centuries the fates of three women are linked: to this place, to each other.'"Like Ali Smith’s novels crossed with the TV series Fleabag… [The Bass Rock is] a vividly imagined portrait… There’s much to admire in its little miracles of observation… [Evie Wyld] knows how to maintain suspense, what to withhold and when to reveal it — right up to the spine-chilling last line." - Johanna Thomas-Corr, Sunday Times"Searingly controlled…psychologically fearless and…bitterly funny. Wyld is a genius of contrasting voices and revealed connections, while her foreshadowings are so subtle that the book demands – and eminently repays – a second read." - Justine Jordan, GuardianHosted by Karen McLeod.Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: instagram.com/booksellercrowFacebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! feat. a discussion with the authors Zoe Gilbert and Kerry Andrew Bookseller Crow on The Box 2022-06-05 | At the end of March we were joined by Zoe Gilbert and Kerry Andrew! They discussed their books "Mischief Acts" and "Skin". Mischief Acts:Herne the hunter, mischief-maker, spirit of the forest, leader of the wild hunt, hurtles through the centuries pursued by his creator. A shapeshifter, Herne dons many guises as he slips and ripples through time - at candlelit Twelfth Night revels, at the spectacular burning of the Crystal Palace, at an acid-laced Sixties party.Wherever he goes, transgression, debauch and enchantment always follow in his wake. But as the forest is increasingly encroached upon by urban sprawl and gentrification, and the world slides into crisis, Herne must find a way to survive - or exact his revenge.With its intoxicating, chameleonic voice and boundless imagination, Mischief Acts is British folklore as you've never read it before: dangerous, sexy, troubling, daring, savage, an exhilarating race through time and space, weaving together the ancient and the contemporary.'A dark-dazzling archive of enchantments, pursuit, and desire' - Eley Williams'This is the most adventurous, stylistically magnificent thing I've read for years. Nobody does fantasy like Zoe Gilbert' - Natasha PulleySkin:London, 1985. Joe, father to eleven-year-old Matty, has disappeared, and nobody will explain where he's gone, or why.In the long, hot summer that follows, Matty's hunt for Joe leads to the ponds at Hampstead Heath. Beneath the water, there is a new kind of freedom. Above the water, a welcoming community of men offer refuge from an increasingly rocky home life.Fourteen years later, a new revelation sees Matty set off alone in a campervan, driving westwards through Ireland, swimming its wild loughs and following the scant clues left behind about Joe. The trip takes a dangerous turn, and Matty is forced to rely on the kindness of strangers. But safety comes at a price, and with desire and fear running high, the journey turns into an explosive, heart-rending reckoning with the past.'I didn't want this book to end... Beautiful' - Daisy Johnson'This evocative and sensitive tale is grounded by the authentic complexity of its characters... Inspired'. - Stephanie Cross Order copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopTheme music by Martin Austwick. Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! featuring a discussion with the author John Grindrod Bookseller Crow on The Box 2022-05-05 | John Grindrod joined us on March 10th to discuss his new book "Iconicon: A Journey Around the Landmark Buildings of Contemporary Britain" – our original evening was over an hour and a half long, so please sit back and enjoy the slightly shortened, abridged version. A captivating exploration of Britain's most iconic contemporary buildings, from the Barratt home to the Millennium Dome.Wimpey homes. Millennium monuments. Riverside flats. Wind farms. Spectacular skyscrapers. City centre apartments. Out of town malls. The buildings designed in our lifetimes encapsulate the dreams and aspirations of our culture, while also revealing the sobering realities. Whether modest or monumental, they offer a living history of Britain, symbols of the forces that have shaped our modern landscape and icons in their own right.Iconicon is an enthralling journey around the Britain we have created since 1980: the horrors and delights, the triumphs and failures. From space-age tower blocks to suburban business parks, and from postmodernist exuberance to Passivhaus eco-efficiency, this is at once a revelatory architectural grand tour and an endlessly witty and engaging piece of social history.Order copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop'A love letter to contemporary buildings and a fantastic account of recent British history, rich in humour.' - Nina Stibbe'An eloquent, witty, passionate tour of Britain since the 1980s.' - John Boughton'Grindrod has spoken to everyone and his observations are humane and acute.' - Owen HatherleyTheme music by Martin Austwick. Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! featuring a discussion with the author Peter Swanson Bookseller Crow on The Box 2022-04-21 | Peter Swanson joins us for from across the pond – this time in person! – to talk about his new book Nine Lives. If you're on the list you're marked for death. The envelope is unremarkable. There is no return address. It contains a single, folded, sheet of white paper. The envelope drops through the mail slot like any other piece of post. But for the nine complete strangers who receive it - each of them recognising just one name, their own, on the enclosed list - it will be the most life altering letter they ever receive. It could also be the last, as one by one, they start to meet their end. But why?Order copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop‘Deliciously ingenious’ – Daily Mail‘Smartly entertaining’ – Washington PostTheme music by Martin Austwick. Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! featuring a discussion with the author Georgia Pritchett Bookseller Crow on The Box 2022-01-27 | This week we're joined by comedy writer Georgia Pritchett for our next instalment of The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! She's joined by Karen as they discuss her new memoir: 'My Mess Is a Bit of a Life'. From worrying about the monsters under her bed as a child (Were they comfy enough?), to embracing womanhood, (One way of knowing you have crossed from girlhood to womanhood is that men stop furtively masturbating at you from bushes and start shouting things at you from cars. It's a beautiful moment) worry has accompanied her at every turn.This memoir is a joyful reflection on just how to live - and sometimes even thrive (sometimes not) - with anxiety.Order copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop'Funny, moving, insightful' - Miranda Hart'Georgia Pritchett is a singularly hilarious person. Her book is a delightful and perfect reflection of her. It's tenderness sneaks up on you and really packs a punch. What a magnificent read!' - Julia Louis DreyfusTheme music by Martin Austwick. Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! featuring a discussion with the author Isy Suttie Bookseller Crow on The Box 2022-01-23 | This week's instalment of the Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! features Isy Suttie talking about her new book 'Jane is Trying'. This is a shorted version of the fun night, hosted by the brilliant Chris Neill. Jane is trying.She's been trying for a baby, with increasing desperation as her thirties sail by.Now, she's trying to make a new start back home with her overprotective, charades-obsessed parents - having left her career and cheating fiance behind in London.And, she's trying to convince herself she didn't leave the front door unlocked, or the gas on. (Jane's not anxious. She just wants to make one hundred percent sure that nothing bad's going to happen to her. EVER.)With an increasing load on her plate, friends and family who think if she only listens to them she'll have a perfect life, and a brain which questions every decision she's ever made, can Jane conquer her demons and step forward on her own?Order copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop'I LOVED Jane Is Trying. It has all the warmth, cleverness, wit and turn of phrase I fell in love with watching Isy performing.' - Aisling Bea'Offbeat, hilarious, tender and vulnerable. I loved it.' - Michelle Thomas, author of My Sh*t Therapist'A phenomenally funny, thoughtful and, at times, pulverising novel.' - Mike WozniakTheme music by Martin Austwick. Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! featuring a discussion with the author Isy Suttie Bookseller Crow on The Box 2022-01-20 | This week's instalment of the Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! features Isy Suttie talking about her new book 'Jane is Trying'. This is a shorted version of the fun night, hosted by the brilliant Chris Neill. Jane is trying.She's been trying for a baby, with increasing desperation as her thirties sail by.Now, she's trying to make a new start back home with her overprotective, charades-obsessed parents - having left her career and cheating fiance behind in London.And, she's trying to convince herself she didn't leave the front door unlocked, or the gas on. (Jane's not anxious. She just wants to make one hundred percent sure that nothing bad's going to happen to her. EVER.)With an increasing load on her plate, friends and family who think if she only listens to them she'll have a perfect life, and a brain which questions every decision she's ever made, can Jane conquer her demons and step forward on her own?Order copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop'I LOVED Jane Is Trying. It has all the warmth, cleverness, wit and turn of phrase I fell in love with watching Isy performing.' - Aisling Bea'Offbeat, hilarious, tender and vulnerable. I loved it.' - Michelle Thomas, author of My Sh*t Therapist'A phenomenally funny, thoughtful and, at times, pulverising novel.' - Mike WozniakTheme music by Martin Austwick. Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! featuring a discussion with the author Abir Mukherjee Bookseller Crow on The Box 2022-01-13 | This week's video takes you back to November 2021 when we were joined by Abir Mukherjee to discuss his new book 'The Shadows of Men.' This is the shortened version of the evening! Calcutta, 1923When a Hindu theologian is found murdered in his home, the city is on the brink of all-out religious war. Can officers of the Imperial Police Force, Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surendranath Banerjee track down those responsible in time to stop a bloodbath?Set at a time of heightened political tension, beginning in atmospheric Calcutta and taking the detectives all the way to bustling Bombay, the latest instalment in this 'unmissable' (The Times) series presents Wyndham and Banerjee with an unprecedented challenge. Will this be the case that finally drives them apart?'Abir Mukherjee is doing something uniquely different in the crime genre...breathtaking' - Peter May, Sunday Times bestseller. 'A thought-provoking rollercoaster' – Ian Rankin'This brilliant mingling of real history and fictional invention kicks off a series that does for the Raj what Philip Kerr did for the Reich' ― The TimesOrder copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopHosted by Jonathan Main. Theme music by Martin Austwick. Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! featuring a discussion with the author C. J. Schüler Bookseller Crow on The Box 2022-01-06 | Join us for our fourth instalment of The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! – this week we're going back to October 2021, when C. J. Schüler paid us a visit to discuss his new book 'The Wood That Built London'. He was joined by friend of the bookshop and author Travis Elborough and this is the abridged version of their very interesting discussion! It is hard to imagine that the busy townscape of South London was once a great wood, stretching almost seven miles from Croydon to Deptford or that, scattered through the suburbs, from Dulwich to Norwood, a number of oak woodlands have survived since before the Norman Conquest. These woods were intensively managed for a thousand years, providing timber for construction, furniture and shipbuilding, and charcoal for London's blacksmiths, kilns and bakeries. Now they afford important green space, a vital habitat for small mammals, birds and insects.Drawing on a wealth of documents, historic maps and environmental evidence, The Wood That Built London charts the fortunes of the North Wood from its earliest times: its ecology, ownership, management, and the gradual encroachment of the metropolis.Order copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop'Deeply rewarding.' --Paul Wood, author of London's Street TreesWebsite: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! featuring a discussion with the author Travis Elborough Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-09-02 | Join us for our third instalment of The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! – this week we're going back to the 29th July 2021, when Travis paid us a visit to discuss his new book 'Through the Looking Glasses'. This is a much shortened version of a night packed with his fascinating presentation, storytelling and lot of pairs of glasses!The humble pair of glasses might just be one the world's greatest inventions, allowing millions to see a world that might otherwise appear a blur. And yet how much do many of us even really think about these things perched on the ends of our noses? In this eye-opening history Travis Elborough traces the fascinating true story of spectacles: from their inception as primitive visual aids to monkish scribes right through to today's designer eyewear and the augmented reality of Google Glass. And taking in along the way such delights as lorgnettes, monocles, pince-nez, tortoise-shell 'Windsors' and Ray Ban aviator shades. We learn how eyeglasses were the making of the silent movie star Harold Lloyd and the rock n roller Buddy Holly and helped liberate an exasperated John Lennon from Beatlemania. Get hip to horn-rims with Dizzy Gillespie and Michael Caine And see girls in glasses through the lenses of the crime fiction by Dorothy L Sayers and Raymond Chandler and the full-screen figure of Marilyn Monroe. Through the Looking Glasses is about vision and the need for humanity to see clearly, and where the impulse to improve our eyesight has led us. The society of the spectacle may finally be upon us . . . but how much of it do we really see? Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop"Elegantly framed and multi-focal, this is a gloriously pan-optical survey. As a history of restored sight it is instructive, and as a narrative of facial furniture it is fascinating" -- Simon Garfield"There are four billion adults around the globe who wear glasses. It will make you look at specs with fresh eyes" -- New StatesmanHosted by Karen McLeodWebsite: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! feat. a discussion with Gavanndra Hodge and Sophia Money-Coutts Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-08-26 | For our next instalment of The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! we welcome Sophia Money-Coutts and returning author Gavanndra Hodge! They joined us for an in shop event on 28th July 2021 for an evening of discussion about their books 'The Wish List' and 'The Consequences of Love.' This is a shortened version of the evening – we were having so much fun that it got a bit long! Enjoy. The Wish List: Florence Fairfax might have been single for quite a while - well, forever, actually - but she isn't lonely. She loves her job at the little bookshop in Chelsea and her beloved cat Marmalade who keeps her company at night. She's perfectly happy, thank you.So when Florence meets an eccentric love coach who asks her to write a wish list describing her perfect man, she refuses to take it seriously. Until later that week, Rory, a handsome blond man with the sexual athleticism of James Bond she asked for just happens to walk into the bookshop...Rory seems to tick all of the boxes on Florence's list. But is she about to discover there's more to love than being perfect on paper?'Impossibly hilarious yet hopeful and heart-warming to book' – Abbie Greaves, The Silent Treatment'The new Queen of rom-coms. Pacey, laugh-out-loud funny and heart-warming' – Evening StandardThe Consequences of Love: Her father was a hairdresser to the rich and famous - he was also their drug dealer.Her mother was an alcoholic fashion model. Her days and nights were non-stop parties - she spent them taking care of her little sister and putting out naked flames.And when her sister dies aged nine, Gavanndra is left alone with her grief. Growing up in the dazzling days and dark nights of her parents' social lives, surviving means fitting into their dysfunctional world, while stopping the family from falling apart... 'There are scenes that will reduce you to tears, but there's also humour, forgiveness and uplifting optimism. By the end of this dazzling debut you just want to give her a huge cheer for coming through' – Evening Standard'Unflinchingly honestly. A beautiful book . . . everyone should read it' – The Sunday TimesOrder signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopWebsite: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow: Almost Live! featuring a discussion with the author Caleb Nelson. Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-08-19 | We're back and in person! On July 22nd we welcomed an audience back into our shop for the first in-shop event since March 2020! Caleb Nelson kicked us off with an evening all about his new book 'Open Water'. This is a slightly shortened version of the event (our audience question section can get quite long!) Enjoy. Two young people meet at a pub in South East London. Both are Black British, both won scholarships to private schools where they struggled to belong, both are now artists - he a photographer, she a dancer - trying to make their mark in a city that by turns celebrates and rejects them. Tentatively, tenderly, they fall in love. But two people who seem destined to be together can still be torn apart by fear and violence.At once an achingly beautiful love story and a potent insight into race and masculinity, Open Water asks what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body, to be vulnerable when you are only respected for strength, to find safety in love, only to lose it. With gorgeous, soulful intensity, Caleb Azumah Nelson has written the most essential British debut of recent years.'An amazing debut novel. You should read this book. Let's hear it for Caleb Azumah Nelson, also known as the future' – Benjamin Zephaniah''A poetic novel about Black identity and first love in the capital from one of Britain's most exciting young voices' – Harper's BazaarOrder signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopHosted by Jonathan MainWebsite: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box feat. a discussion with authors Laura Lippman and Jean Hanff Korelitz Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-08-12 | We are joined by journalist Barry Forshaw for our second instalment of TALKS ACROSS THE POND! Laura Lippman's DREAM GIRL:How can a woman who never existed come back to haunt you?Gerry Anderson has been having trouble sleeping. He's unwell - bed-bound - and has only his night nurse and his personal assistant for company. But what's really troubling him are the phone calls. Phone calls from a woman claiming to be the 'real' Aubrey. But that can't be. Aubrey's just a character Gerry made up in a book, years ago.Can Gerry see past the ever-blurring lines of fact and fiction and figure out who is threatening him, or has his long-overdue moment of reckoning finally arrived?"With this tip of the hat to Stephen King's Misery, Dream Girl is funny and suspenseful, with a dread-worthy final twist." – People"My dream novel. I devoured this in three days. The sharpest, clearest-eyed take on our #MeToo reckoning yet. Plus: enthralling." – Megan Abbott, Edgar Award-winning author of Dare Me and The FeverJean Hanff Korelitz's THE PLOT:When a young writer dies before completing his first novel, his teacher, Jake, (himself a failed novelist) helps himself to its plot.The resulting book is a phenomenal success. But what if somebody out there knows? Somebody does. And if Jake can't figure out who he's dealing with, he risks something far worse than the loss of his career."Remarkable." - Stephen King"Smart, surprising and stealthily unsettling." - The TimesOrder signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopHosted by Barry Forshaw. Barry Forshaw’s books include Crime Fiction: A Reader’s Guide, Nordic Noir and British Crime Film. Other work includes Death in a Cold Climate: A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction, The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction and British Crime Writing: An Encyclopedia, along with books on Italian cinema, film noir and the first biography of Stieg Larsson; he also provides essays and commenataries for Blu-rays, writes on classical music. His next books are British Gothic Cinema and a study of Thomas Harris and The Silence of the Lambs. He writes for various national newspapers and magazines, edits Classical CD Choice, DVD Choice and Crime Time, and broadcasts for ITV and BBC TV documentaries. He has been Vice Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, and has taught an MA course at City University on the history of crime fiction.Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Nickolas Butler Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-08-05 | Now with a new name! Talks across the pond.Join us for a discussion with author Nickolas Butler on his new book 'Godspeed'. In this riveting new novel by the bestselling and award-winning author of Shotgun Lovesongs, three troubled construction workers get entangled in a dangerous plan against an impossible deadline.Why is it being built here, and why so quickly? These are the questions Cole, Bart, and Teddy, the three principals of True Triangle Construction, ask themselves when they are hired to finish a project for a mysteriously wealthy homeowner. Nestled in the mountains outside of Jackson, Wyoming, the house is a masterpiece, unlike anything they’ve done before. Once finished, it promises to be the architectural prize of Jackson and could put True Triangle on the map. But despite the project’s lure, the owner is intent on having it built in a matter of months, an impossible task made irresistible by the exorbitant bonus that awaits them if they succeed. A bonus that could change the course of their business, and their lives.Up against the fateful deadline, and the looming threat of a harsh Wyoming winter, Cole, Bart, and Teddy are willing to do anything to get the money, even if it means risking life, limb, and family. And what becomes an obsession for all three quickly builds to tragic consequences for some. Struck through with heart-pounding danger and an arresting lyricism, Godspeed is a stark exploration of the haves and the have-nots, a cautionary tale of greed and violence that asks: How much is never enough?“Butler’s award-winning talent as a storyteller (Little Faith) propels his characters on a heart-stopping, daring race with unexpected outcomes. Godspeed indeed.” –Library JournalOrder signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopHosted by Jonathan Main. Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box feat. a discussion with the authors Elodie Harper & Caroline Lea Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-05-27 | We're joined by journalist Sarah Shaffi and authors Elodie Harper and Caroline Lea to discuss their books 'The Wolf Den' and 'The Metal Heart'The Wolf Den:Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii's brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den...Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father's death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.But Amara's spirit is far from broken.By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?Set in Pompeii's lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.'What a book! Utterly compelling, unflinching in describing Amara's life as a slave-prostitute in Pompeii and so incredibly transporting. Best book I read in ages' - Sophie van Llewyn, author of Bottled Goods'A gripping tale, which celebrates female solidarity and empowerment in the face of oppression and adversity. Rich in historical detail, beauty and brutality, The Wolf Den brings to vivid life the doomed city of Pompeii and the powerlessness of its women. I loved it' - Caroline Lea, author of The Glass WomanThe Metal Heart:In the dark days of World War II, an unlikely romance blossoms between a Scottish woman and an Italian prisoner of war in this haunting novel with the emotional complexity of The Boat Runner and All the Light We Cannot See—a powerful and atmospheric story of love, jealousy, and conscience that illuminates the beauty of the human spirit from the author of The Glass Woman.In the wake of the Allies’ victory in North Africa, 1,000 Italian soldiers have been sent to a remote island off the Scottish coast to wait out the war. Their arrival has divided the island’s community. Nerves frayed from three years of war and the constant threat of invasion, many locals fear the enemy prisoners and do not want them there.Where their neighbours see bloodthirsty enemies, however, orphaned sisters Dorothy and Constance see sick and wounded men unused to the freezing cold of an Orkney winter, and volunteer to nurse them. While doing so Dorothy finds herself immediately drawn to Cesare, a young man broken by the horrors of battle.But as the war drags on, tensions between the islanders and the outsiders deepen, and Dorothy’s connection to Cesare threatens the bond she shares with Constance. Since the loss of their parents, the sisters have relied on each other. Now, their loyalty will be tested, each forced to weigh duty against desire . . . until, one fateful evening, a choice must be made, one that that will have devastating consequences.“Lea brings to life a story inspired by real lives and events of WWII in this captivating, harrowing tale of wartime survival and sacrifice.” - Booklist“Atmospheric, heart-wrenching, evocative—this is a gorgeously written story about the scars we carry with us, and how they can be overcome.” - Gytha Lodge, author of Watching from the Dark and She Lies in WaitOrder signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopWebsite: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Melissa Harrison and friends! Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-05-13 | Join us for a discussion with Melissa Harrison on her new children's book 'By Ash, Oak and Thorn.' – and in a one off special, we're joined by friends of the bookshop Matt Gilbert and his son (and future Youtuber) Leo! Three tiny, ancient beings – Moss, Burnet and Cumulus, once revered as Guardians and caretakers of the Wild World – wake from winter hibernation in their beloved ash tree home. But when it is destroyed, they set off on an adventure to find more of their kind, a journey which takes them first into the deep countryside and then the heart of a city. Helped along the way by birds and animals, the trio search for a way to survive and thrive in a precious yet disappearing world ...A tale of the rich, wild world and all its wonder, By Ash, Oak and Thorn couldn’t be more relevant to the environmental concerns of today, brought to life by three tiny, funny, eternal beings – the Hidden Folk.'Each page brims with the wonder of our natural world, so much to learn but all a sheer delight.' - Piers Torday'Timely and magical, it will open the young reader's eyes to the wonders of the natural world.' - Natasha FarrantOrder signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop/Hosted by Justine Crow and Jonathan Main.Website: booksellercrow.co.uk/Twitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/booksellercr...Justine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box feat. a discussion with the authors Julianne Pachico & Fiona Scarlett Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-05-06 | Join Justine and Karen for a discussion with authors Julianne Pachico and Fiona Scarlett on their debut novels 'The Anthill' and 'Boys Don't Cry.' The Anthill: Lina returns to Colombia after twenty years away. Sent to England after her mother's death when she was eight, she's searching for the person who can tell her what's happened in the time that has passed. Matty - Lina's childhood confidant, her best friend - now runs a refuge called The Anthill for the street kids of Medellin. But her long-anticipated reunion with him is struck by tension. Memory is fallible, and Linda discovers that everyone has a version of the past that is very, very different.'International in scope, profoundly human in its concerns, it feels like just the kind of novel we need in unsettling times.' - Laird Hunt'Absorbing... Vivid and at times surreal, this assured novel cements Pachico’s reputation as a gifted writer to watch.' - BookPageBoys Don't Cry: Joe is 17, a gifted artist and a brilliant older brother to 12-year-old Finn. They live with their Ma and Da in a Dublin tower block called Bojaxhiu or 'the Jax'. It's not an easy place to be a kid, especially when your father, Frank, is the muscle for the notorious gang leader Dessie 'The Badger' Murphy. But whether it's daytrips to the beach or drawing secret sketches, Joe works hard to show Finn life beyond the battered concrete yard below their flat.Joe is determined not to become like his Da. But when Finn falls ill, Joe finds his convictions harder to cling to. With his father now in prison, his mother submerged in her grief, and his relationships with friends and classmates crumbling, Joe has to figure out how to survive without becoming what the world around him expects him to be.'I can't remember ever reading something so moving.' - Marian Keyes 'Boys Don’t Cry is such a special book. Told with compassion and empathy, it will break your heart in a million different ways. Utterly unforgettable.' - Louise O'NeillOrder signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop/Hosted by Justine Crow and Karen McLeod.Website: booksellercrow.co.uk/Twitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box in conversation with author Hannah Ross and James Spackman Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-04-15 | Join Karen and James Spackman in a discussion with Hannah Ross about her new book 'Revolutions: How Women Changed the World on Two Wheels' Simone de Beauvoir borrowed her lover's bike to cycle around Paris in the 1940s, instantly falling in love with the freedom it gave her (even when an accident caused her to lose a tooth). Alice Hawkins, a factory worker from Leicester, pedal-powered her fight for universal suffrage as the bicycle became a cornerstone of her work to recruit women to the cause. Zahra Naarin Hussano challenged religious and cultural taboos in Afghanistan to ride a bike and teach others to do the same. As a twenty-four-year-old Latvian immigrant living in Boston, in 1894 Annie 'Londonderry' Kopchovsky became the first woman to cycle around the world. She took up the challenge, despite never having ridden a bike before, after two men bet a woman couldn't do it.Many of these women were told they couldn't or shouldn't cycle, but they did so anyway. Whether winning medals or spreading the word about votes for women, their stories are an inspiration. In this gloriously celebratory book, Hannah Ross introduces us to the women who are part of the rich and varied history of cycling, many of whom have been pushed to the margins or forgotten.Buy signed copies: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop"A male cyclist is just a bloke on a bike, but a woman appears political, independent, a bluestocking, egregiously sporty or suspiciously saucy... a likeable, informative and barnstorming book." - The Guardian 'A heart-soaring tribute to the trailblazers who seized upon a chance to break convention and pedal their way to newfound freedom. The myriad stories are awe-inspiring... REVOLUTIONS is a rallying cry." Susan Swarbrick, The HeraldWebsite: booksellercrow.co.uk/Twitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Peter Swanson Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-03-25 | Join Jon as he talks to author Peter Swanson about his new book 'Every Vow You Break.'Abigail Baskin never thought she'd fall in love with a millionaire. Then she met Bruce Lamb. He's a good guy, stable, level-headed, kind--a refreshing twist from her previous relationships.But right before the wedding, Abigail has a drunken one-night stand on her bachelorette weekend. She puts the incident--and the sexy guy who wouldn't give her his real name--out of her mind, and now believes she wants to be with Bruce for the rest of her life.Then the mysterious stranger suddenly appears--and Abigail's future life and happiness are turned upside down. He insists that their passionate night was the beginning of something much, much more. Something special. Something real--and he's tracked her down to prove it.Does she tell Bruce and ruin their idyllic honeymoon--and possibly their marriage? Or should she handle this psychopathic stalker on her own? To make the situation worse, strange things begin to happen. She sees a terrified woman in the night shadows, and no one at the resort seems to believe anything is amiss... including her perfect new husband.Order copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop"Hitchcockian chills and thrills abound in Swanson's latest mystery, a twisty tale of survival and deception. - O, the Oprah MagazineHosted by Jonathan Main.Website: booksellercrow.co.uk/Twitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the authors Phil Earle & Michael Wagg Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-02-18 | Join Jonathan as he talks to authors Phil Earle and Michael Wagg about their new children's book 'Edgar and Adolf.' Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopWhen he inherits a special football badge, German teenager Adi sets off on a mission to fulfil his grandfather's dying wish and return the badge to its rightful owner, former England footballer, Edgar Kail. After tracking Edgar down, Adi gets the chance to learn more about the achievements of his grandfather, Adolf Jager, and the story unfolds of a special friendship that spanned twenty years and survived the horror of the Second World War. Edgar Kail and Adolf Jager played for their respective clubs in the early twentieth century and they remain folk heroes even now. Perfect for less-confident readers, this is a fictional tale of two real-life footballing heroes, and the moving story of a friendship forged by the beautiful game."I love this book. I wish I could have read it when I was at school. A really important story, beautifully told." ― Dan Freedman, author of the Jamie Johnson books.Use our website for click & collect and delivery: booksellercrow.co.ukFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the authors Rebecca Watson & Una Mannion Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-02-11 | Join Karen as she talks to authors Rebecca Watson and Una Mannion about their new books 'little scratch' and 'A Crooked Tree.' Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shoplittle scratch: little scratch tells the story of a day in the life of an unnamed woman, living in a lower-case world of demarcated fridge shelves and office politics; clock-watching and WhatsApp notifications.In a voice that is fiercely wry, touchingly delicate and increasingly neurotic, the protagonist relays what it takes to get through the quotidian detail of that single trajectory - from morning to night - while processing recent sexual violence.little scratch is about the coexistence of monotony with our waking, intelligent lives. It is a powerful evocation of how the external and internal aspects of our lives exist in a helix, and what it means to live out the course of a single day consumed by trauma.'a daringly experimental debut' - Alex Clark, The Guardian'Is it prose?! Is it poetry?! Does it really matter when the writing is so compelling? All I can say is WOW!' - Peter Maravelis, City Lights BookstoreA Crooked Tree: It is the early 1980s and fifteen-year-old Libby is obsessed with The Field Guide to the Trees of North America, a gift her Irish immigrant father gave her before he died. She finds solace in "The Kingdom," a stand of red oak and thick mountain laurel near her home in suburban Pennsylvania, where she can escape from her large and unruly family and share menthol cigarettes and lukewarm beers with her best friend.One night, while driving home, Libby's mother, exhausted and overwhelmed with the fighting in the backseat, pulls over and orders Libby's little sister Ellen to walk home. What none of this family knows as they drive off leaving a twelve-year-old girl on the side of the road five miles from home with darkness closing in, is what will happen next.A Crooked Tree is a surprising, indelible novel, both a poignant portrayal of an unmoored childhood giving way to adolescence, and a gripping tale about the unexpected reverberations of one rash act 'Brimming with curiosity and wonder.' - Irish Times'The menace in this moody, meticulously plotted debut lies not in preposterous plot twists, but within the mysteries of dysfunctional families, close-knit neighborhoods harboring dark secrets, and adolescents' imperfect and sometimes disastrous, understanding of the world of adults.' --Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book ReviewUse our website for click & collect and delivery: booksellercrow.co.ukFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Mark Thomas Bookseller Crow on The Box 2021-01-28 | Join us for our first discussion of 2021! Jonathan is talking to author Mark Thomas on his new book '50 Things About Us' 50 THINGS ABOUT US is a fast and furiously funny journey through our national memory. It is about money, history, songs, gongs, wigs, unicorns, guns, bungs, sods of soil and rich fuckers.From self-deceptions on size, stature and space (clue: there’s more than enough for everyone if we lose the golf courses) to the living links between empire, slavery, money and power, this is Mark Thomas’ quest to remind us of the true and shared greatness of modern Britain.Structured as a list of fifty crucial ‘Things’, and fresh from a lock-down spent interviewing hundreds of NHS workers for the Wellcome Collection permanent archive, this is Mark Thomas at his provocative, passionate best.Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopPrevious reviews for Mark Thomas: "Hilarious and engaging, thought-provoking and extremely funny." - The Telegraph"Defiant and mischievous." - The Scotsman Hosted by Jonathan Main.Use our website for click & collect and delivery: booksellercrow.co.ukFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on The Box - Book Bubble Bauble Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-11-26 | Join us this week for a walk around the shop in this week's instalment of 'Book Bubble Bauble' where Jonathan, Justine and Karen discuss some of their favourite picks for the upcoming Christmas period. Have a look at our kids section, new fiction, nature writing and more! Order any of the books mentioned and more from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop or by emailing jonathan@booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Melissa Harrison Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-11-12 | Join us for a discussion with author Melissa Harrison on her new book 'The Stubborn Light of Things.'The Stubborn Light of Things will transform the way you see the world. A Londoner for over twenty years, moving from flat to Tube to air-conditioned office, Melissa Harrison knew what it was to be insulated from the seasons. Adopting a dog and going on daily walks helped reconnect her with the cycle of the year and the quiet richness of nature all around her: swifts nesting in a nearby church; ivy-leaved toadflax growing out of brick walls; the first blackbird's song; an exhilarating glimpse of a hobby over Tooting Common.Moving from scrappy city verges to ancient, rural Suffolk, where Harrison eventually relocates, this diary - compiled from her beloved Nature Notebook column in The Times - maps her joyful engagement with the natural world and demonstrates how we must first learn to see, and then act to preserve, the beauty we have on our doorsteps - no matter where we live.A perceptive and powerful call-to-arms written in mesmerising prose, The Stubborn Light of Things confirms Harrison as a central voice in British nature writing.Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopHosted by Jonathan Main. Support us throughout lockdown and get ordering for Christmas on our website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on The Box - Book Bubble Babble 2 Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-11-05 | Join us this week for our second instalment of 'Book Bubble Babble' where Jonathan, Justine and Karen discuss some of their favourite picks of the last few months and a couple classics. Books mentioned: That Old Country Music by Kevin BarryThe Silence by Don Delillo Fullalove by Gordon BurnCrow by Ted HughesI'm Sticking with You by Smriti Prasadam-HallsThe Leaf Thief by Alice HemmingA Dancer's Dream by Katherine WoodfineThe Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael ChabonAwesome Man: The Mystery Intruder by Michael ChabonOnce Upon a Penguin by Magda Brol Who Here's Lost by Ben MoorEach of Us by Ben MoorThe Evidence by Christopher PriestThe Glass Hotel by Emily St. John MandelOptic Nerve by Maria GainzaNight Train by David QuantickWeather by Jenny Offil Notes from An Apocalypse by Mark O'Connell Pobby and Dingan by Ben RiceTheir Brilliant Careers by Ryan O'Neill Nothing to See Here by Kevin WilsonOn Connection by Kae TempestThe First Bad Man by Miranda JulyDaddy by Emma ClineThe Stubborn Light of Things by Melissa Harrison Order any of the books mentioned and more from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Michael Wagg Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-10-15 | Join us for a discussion with author Michael Wagg on his new book 'The Turning Season, the: Ddr-Oberliga Revisited'In The Turning Season, Michael Wagg goes in search of hidden histories and footballing ghosts from before the fall of the Berlin Wall. He revisits the 14 clubs that made up the 1989 DDR-Oberliga, East Germany's top flight. From Aue in the Erzgebirge mountains to Rostock on the Baltic Sea, this quirky account of his whistle-stop tour is for fans who know that football clubs are the beating hearts of the places they play for. There are portraits of the lower levels as well as the big league, stories of then and now that celebrate the characters he met pitch-side. There's Mr Schmidt, who's found a magical fix for the scoreboard at Stahl Brandenburg; Karl Drossler, who captained Lokomotive Leipzig against Eusebio's Benfica; and the heroes of Magdeburg's European triumph, last seen dancing in white bath robes, now pulling in to a dusty car park by the River Elbe. The Turning Season turns its gaze on East German football's magnificent peculiarity, with 14 enchanting stories from a lost league in a country that disappeared.Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopMichael Wagg is a playwright and actor. As well as writing for theatre he has written for the Guardian, the Observer and for football fanzines in the UK and Germany. As an actor he has regularly toured Germany, playing theatres nightly from Augsburg to Zwickau. He lives in London and supports Dulwich Hamlet FC on whose ground he got married in the centre-circle after a match.Hosted by Jonathan Main.Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeodSTOKE THE CROW: https://www.gofundme.com/f/3h3gp-stok...
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Jenny Landreth Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-10-08 | Join us for a discussion with author Jenny Landreth on her new book 'Break a Leg.' A joyful celebration of amateur theatreThis is the story of amateur dramatics in Britain. In a triumphant mix of memoir, social history, interviews and manifesto, Jenny Landreth opens our eyes to am-dram and shows us a vibrant world that is a crucial part of our culture.Starting with the Mystery Plays of the Middle Ages, we move, via Shakespeare, to the Georgian aristocrats who built opulent private theatres in their own homes, then to the halcyon days of radical lefties taking political theatre to the streets, and on to the present day. Along the way, we visit several thriving theatres – across the country, and beyond our shores – and meet a cast of characters who tell us about the joy amateur theatre brings them. And we follow the full arc of a production at the Midlands theatre where Jenny's parents met and she started out, from first auditions to last night party, with all the mishaps and forgotten lines that come in between.In Britain today there are millions of people involved, and amateur theatre takes many forms, from classic productions to panto, but also cutting-edge new work. Without it, there would be no professional theatre, no Judi Dench or Kenneth Branagh or Brenda Blethyn. Break a Leg is an emphatic celebration. It is also a rallying cry, a call to appreciate how amateur theatre enriches communities and many people’s lives – and how, if you join in, it might just do the same for you.Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop"Amateur is not a dirty word, but implies disinterested love, dedication and a clubbable, community feeling . . . Landreth reminds us, importantly, that the word amateur includes student and community theatre, vital seed corn and support to the professional world." - Libby Purvis, The Times"With spot-on injections of humour and a frequently raised sardonic eyebrow, joy and warmth shine from this fascinating and funny book." - Jo BrandHosted by Karen McLeod and Justine Crow.Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeodSTOKE THE CROW: https://www.gofundme.com/f/3h3gp-stok...
The Bookseller Crow on The Box - Book Bubble Babble Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-10-01 | Join us this week for our first instalment of 'Book Bubble Babble' where Jonathan, Justine and Karen discuss some of their favourite picks of the last few months and a couple classics. Books mentioned: Love in Colour by Bolu BabalolaI am Not a Label by Cerrie BurnellBlacktop Wasteland by S.A. CosbyGirl, Woman, Other by Bernadine EvaristoYou Goddess by E. Foley and B. CoatesLaura, Laura by Richard FrancisThe Lost Children Archive by Valeria LuiselliMonogamy by Sue MillerSpace Tortoise by Ross Montgomery The Building Boy by Ross Montgomery The Finishing School by Muriel SparkOn Connection by Kae TempestThe Red Hand by Peter TempleBad Debts by Peter TempleOrder any of the books mentioned and more from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeodSTOKE THE CROW: https://www.gofundme.com/f/3h3gp-stok...
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with authors E. Foley & B. Coates Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-09-17 | Join us for a discussion with authors E. Foley & B. Coates on their new book 'You Goddess'.'Want to break free from what's holding you back? Channel the Norse warrior goddess Freyja Feeling stressed? Turn the playful Japanese goddess Uzume for a superheroine superboost Tired of being nice? Meet the Irish goddess The Morrigan, a regal renegade who doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. Why settle for mere mortal excellence when you could be living like a goddess? E. Foley and B. Coates show how the tales of these deities have been depicted by men over the centuries, revealing the ancient roots of toxic female stereotypes (the damsel in distress, the selfless mother, the tempting harlot). Now it's time to reclaim their female powers for a new generation. In You Goddess!, the much-loved authors of What Would Boudicca Do? take us on a colourful tour of ancient deities and legends through the prism of female power, sharing the mythical stories of 25 goddesses from every corner of the globe. In this irreverent guide these fierce and fantastic deities will help you to stop apologising, keep your cool, embrace your body and get what you are owed. Divinely illustrated by Georgia Perry, You Goddess! will help you conquer today's world.'Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop'What guts. What attitude! These are the immortals I wish I'd learned about at school.' - Olivia ColmanHosted by Karen McLeod.Sorry about the technical sound issues! Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: instagram.com/booksellercrowFacebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeodSTOKE THE CROW: https://www.gofundme.com/f/3h3gp-stok...
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with authors Michèle Roberts & Helen Cullen Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-09-10 | Join us for a discussion with authors Michèle Roberts & Helen Cullen on their new books 'Negative Capability' & 'The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually'.Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopNegative Capability: A Diary of Surviving Following a series of devastating rejections, Michèle Roberts began keeping an account of her life in the hope it might help mend her shattered sense of self. In this intimate and wryly honest journal she reflects on cities and countryside, loss and love, food, friendships, sisterhood, pleasure and memories, her abiding relationship with France and with literature. Over the course of a year a new pattern of being develops, until, finally, she finds a better relationship between inner and outer worlds. 'A wonderful writer: one in possession of immense feeling.' -Rachel Cooke, The ObserverThe Truth Must Dazzle Gradually: A Beautiful and Poignant Irish Love StoryOn an island off the west coast of Ireland, the Moone family are shattered by tragedy.Murtagh Moone is a potter and devoted husband to Maeve, an actor struggling with her most challenging role yet - being a mother to their four children. Now Murtagh must hold his family close as we bear witness to their story before that tragic night.We return to the day Maeve and Murtagh meet, outside Trinity College in Dublin, and watch how one love story gives rise to another. And as the Moone children learn who their parents truly are, we journey onwards with them to a future that none of the Moones could predict . . .Except perhaps Maeve herself.'I devoured this, falling in love with the setting and with every character. It is just glorious. A close-up on the everyday beautiful details that make up love' Emma Flint, author of Little DeathsHosted by Karen McLeod.Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: instagram.com/booksellercrowFacebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeodSTOKE THE CROW: https://www.gofundme.com/f/3h3gp-stok...
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Eley Williams Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-08-27 | Join us for a discussion with author Eley Williams on her new book 'The Liars Dictionary.''In the final year of the nineteenth century, Peter Winceworth has reached the letter 'S', toiling away for the much-anticipated and multi-volume Swansby's New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Overwhelmed at his desk and increasingly uneasy that his colleagues are attempting to corral language and regiment facts, Winceworth feels compelled to assert some sense of individual purpose and exercise artistic freedom, and begins inserting unauthorised, fictitious entries into the dictionary.In the present day, young intern Mallory is tasked with uncovering these mountweazels as the text of the dictionary is digitised for modern readers. Through the words and their definitions she finds she has access to their creator's motivations, hopes and desires. More pressingly, she must also field daily threatening anonymous phone calls. Is a suggested change to the dictionary's definition of marriage (n.) really that controversial? What power does Mallory have when it comes to words and knowing how to tell the truth? And does the caller really intend for the Swansby's staff to 'burn in hell'?As their two narratives combine, Winceworth and Mallory must discover how to negotiate the complexities of an often nonsensical, untrustworthy, hoax-strewn and undefinable life.'Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop'Eley Williams's debut novel, The Liar's Dictionary, is a lexicographical delight.' - Observer 'A singular, hilarious, word-drunk novel, which I suspect will be seen in the future as a classic comic novel.' - David Hayden, The Irish Times''Deft and clever, refreshing and rewarding ... An assured and satisfying writer, her language rich and intricate and her characters rounded enough to be sympathetic and lampoonist enough to be terribly funny.' - Literary TimesHosted by Karen McLeod.Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: instagram.com/booksellercrowFacebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeodSTOKE THE CROW: https://www.gofundme.com/f/3h3gp-stok...
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author DBC Pierre Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-08-13 | Join us for a discussion with author DBC Pierre on his new book 'Meanwhile in Dopamine City.''It's a big bad world out there, in Dopamine City.All Lonnie Cush wants is to keep his kids safe.But Shelby-Ann - his little girl, the maddening apple of his eye - has other ideas: Shelby-Ann wants her first smartphone.So new realities are rocketing their way to 37 Palisade Row, where everything will change, every day, and at mortal speed. Until Lonnie finds himself in a stitch: he'll have to join this new world, or wither in it. Or can he mastermind a vanishing act?The story of a hapless father's love and loss, and a speedball, starburst satire, Meanwhile in Dopamine City is a passionate, freewheeling work from the winner of the Booker Prize: a riotous cry for the soul and the flesh and the heart in the cooling bathwater of our automatic times.'Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop'If writers were athletes, DBC Pierre would be hanging out with the skydivers, the stunt-snowboarders and the white-water rafters. Pierre's high-risk prose explores and expands the cartoonish, taboo-busting outer edges of literary possibility.' - IndependentHosted by Jonathan Main. Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeodSTOKE THE CROW: https://www.gofundme.com/f/3h3gp-stok...
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Christabel Kent Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-08-07 | 'Sandro Cellini faces his demons...Sandro Cellini hasn't set foot in La Vipera, a derelict farmhouse just outside Florence that was once home to a free-living commune, for forty years - until the discovery of two bodies nearby leads him back there.At the start of his career, Cellini investigated an accusation that minors were being corrupted at La Vipera, but no charges were ever brought. Now, tasked with tracking down former members of the community, he has a chance to finally discover what really went on all those years ago.But in order to learn the true nature of the commune's mission, he must face his own traumatic memories. As he sifts through the lies, those closest to him are placed in danger. Only Cellini can unravel the final mystery of La Vipera, and so protect those he loves.'Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop'Death, espresso, and political manoeuvering... An ex-cop plying his trade outside the boundaries of normal Italian police procedure. Brooding Italian noir.' - Independent on Sunday on the Sandro Cellini series.'Thoughtful, lugubrious, adorable Florentine Sandro Cellini has become my comfort-detective of choice... He make me almost long for a cold so I can go to bed and read.' - Louisa Young, author of My Dear I Wanted to Tell You, on the Sandro Cellini series.Hosted by Jonathan Main. Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeodSTOKE THE CROW: https://www.gofundme.com/f/3h3gp-stok...
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Lev Parikian Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-07-30 | Join us for a discussion with author Lev Parikian on his new book 'Into The Tangled Bank.' 'Lev Parikian embarks on a journey to explore the many ways that he, and we, experience the natural world.Starting in his own garden plot, he gradually moves outwards to local patch, wildlife reserve, craggy coastline and as far afield as the dark hills of Skye.He visits the haunts of famous nature lovers to get up close to their insatiable curiosity and follows their lead with tired and sometimes soggy-socked footsteps. And everywhere he goes there we are, too, each experiencing nature in our own way: ramblers, dog-walkers, photographers; loving couples, grumpy singles, families; kite-flyers, den-builders, grass-loungers; young whippersnappers, old farts, middle-aged ne’er-do-wells; beginners, specialists, all-rounders; or just people out for a stroll in the sun doing their thing. Warm, humorous and full of telling detail, Lev Parikian’s new book puts the quirks, habits and foibles of ‘how we are in nature’ under the microscope. And in doing so, he explores how our collective relationship with nature has changed over the centuries, what being a nature lover in Britain means today, and what our actions mean to nature.'Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop'Funny, accessible and full of wonders - a genuine breath of fresh air.' - Melissa Harrison, author of All Among the Barley'... should be put on prescription for anyone suffering depression or loneliness … an absolute tonic of a book that creates happiness in the very soul of the reader … Lev Parikian’s writing style is, quite frankly, sublime … a glorious book. Don’t miss it. – Linda’s Book Bag blogHosted by Jonathan Main.Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeodSTOKE THE CROW: gofundme.com/f/3h3gp-stoke-the-crow-bookshop-fundraiser?fbclid=IwAR1Ki5lXEu0iWcDwG3TI37mYYgDpJXBZx-fxtjIQ8pG_UYVJilZ8ZzkXGz8
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Nick Pettigrew Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-07-24 | Join us for a discussion with author Nick Pettigrew on his new book 'Anti-Social: The secret diary of an anti-social behaviour officer.''Has your life become unbearable because the person living above you has a fondness for crack cocaine, the company of strangers and dance music? Or maybe you're a social worker, mental health nurse, police officer, firefighter, dog warden or vicar and you've been landed with someone who's a pain in the arse. Who are you going to call? That would be me: an anti-social behaviour officer.Anti-Social is the diary of a council worker whose job is to keep his community happy, or at least away from each other's throats. That's hard enough at the best of times but when government cuts mean that hospitals, social services and police are all at breaking point, the possibility of complete chaos is never far away.This is an urgent, timely but, most of all, hysterically funny true story of a life spent working with the people society wants to forget and the problems that nobody else can resolve. This book will make you laugh, cry and boil with rage within a single sentence.'Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop'Superb. This hysterically funny and moving memoir of an anti-social behaviour officer is a real eye-opener that hits all the right notes' Frankie Boyle, Comedian. 'I absolutely loved it. It reads like a novel, has that page-turning quality everyone looks for in a good book but it delivers the punch that only true life can - funny obviously but with humanity and warmth for people at the edges of society most in need of our understanding and compassion' Kit De Waal, author of My Name Is Leon.Hosted by Jonathan Main.Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeodSTOKE THE CROW: gofundme.com/f/3h3gp-stoke-the-crow-bookshop-fundraiser?fbclid=IwAR1Ki5lXEu0iWcDwG3TI37mYYgDpJXBZx-fxtjIQ8pG_UYVJilZ8ZzkXGz8
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Stuart Evers Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-07-16 | Join us for a discussion with author Stuart Evers on his new book 'The Blind Light.''In the late 1950s, during his National Service, Drummond meets the two people who will change his life: Carter, a rich, educated young man sent down from Oxford; and Gwen, a barmaid with whom he feels an instant connection. His feelings for both will be tested at a military base called Doom Town – a training area where servicemen prepare for the aftermath of an Atomic Strike. It is an experience that will colour the rest of his – and his family’s – life.Told from the perspectives of Drum and Gwen, and later their children Nathan and Anneka, The Blind Light moves from the Fifties through to present day, taking in the global and local events that will shape and define them all. From the Cuban Missile Crisis to the War on Terror, from the Dagenham strikes to Foot and Mouth, from Skiffle to Rave, we see a family come together, driven apart, fracture and reform – as the pressure of the past is brought, sometimes violently, to bear on the present.'Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop"[The Blind Light] is a page-perfect and impeccably structured portrait of Britain’s troubled, post-nuclear generations, and the pressures which have both tugged them apart and cemented them together. [Stuart Evers] has written a powerful and affecting novel which excels at being as true to Family and the personal as it is to Nation and the universal, a rare and potent combination." - Jim Crace, author of Harvest"At its heart, the novel is a thoughtful and powerful study of the corrosive effects of fear" - Clare Clark, GuardianHosted by Jonathan Main.Website: booksellercrow.co.ukTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
The Bookseller Crow on the Box featuring a discussion with the author Gavanndra Hodge Bookseller Crow on The Box 2020-06-25 | Join us for a discussion with author Gavanndra Hodge on her new book 'The Consequences of Love.''Seven-year-old Gavanndra Hodge's life is a precarious place. Her father is a hairdresser and drug dealer to Chelsea's most decadent inhabitants; her mother an alcoholic ex-model. So, it is up to Gavanndra to keep her little sister Candy safe.But when Candy dies suddenly on holiday aged nine, Gavanndra's family, already so fragile and damaged, implodes.The Consequences of Love is a story of loss and recovery, trauma and memory. It is a joyous and compelling account of the strength of the love between sisters and how nothing is ever truly lost if we are brave enough to return to where we began.'Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shop'Unflinchingly honest . . . everyone should read it' The Sunday Times'Beautifully-written, calm-but-utterly-compelling life-story of trauma and healing... the author seems lovely and I want to be her pal!' Marian KeyesHosted by Jonathan Main.Order signed copies from our website: booksellercrow.co.uk/shopTwitter: twitter.com/booksellercrowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksellerc...Facebook: facebook.com/booksellercrowJustine's Twitter: twitter.com/SwimbleKaren's Twitter: twitter.com/KarenTomMcLeod
