The Virtual Christmas Bookshop
Welcome to my bookshop; a pop-up shop just open for the festivities. Please do come in.
A book is surely the perfect gift. Not too big and really re-usable; again and again if required. A paperback is not too heavy if you have to post it. It is easy to make it look enticing; very simple to wrap. There is plenty of paper around now that does not have a plasticy coating … or be more imaginative: find a small person who would like to potato print on brown paper (actually I still like doing that!) or use newspaper as wrapping paper, with ribbon or string around it, it would look very appealing and bookshoppy. If you are able to hand deliver your gift then you could add a cake box with a pastry or a muffin in it … and even a small packet of coffee or a favourite tea. Truly perfect. Please, look around the shelves.
In the winter it is always comforting to read a recipe book. Why not try Farmer’s Wife by Helen Rebanks. You can find that comfort here as well as peeping through the doorway and glimpsing the life of a twenty first century farmer’s wife. Things are complicated these days with organic farming, health issues with eating highly processed foods, vegetarian and vegan agendas. Helen Rebanks and her husband James (look up his books if you don’t know them) farm in a very traditional, sustainable way. Their take on the situation is that we should be eating less meat whilst being prepared to pay more for what we do buy. An interesting read interspersed with some good recipes.
Look over here. I’ve had to give books on landscape and nature more shelf space over the last couple of years. The interest in them has grown amazingly. This one is fascinating: The History of the Countryside. The Classic History of Britain’s Landscape, Flora and Fauna by Oliver Rackham. Maybe it is the right gift for someone who isn’t so interested in fiction but would enjoy reading about history and nature, in particular how the British countryside has changed over time … and why.
You have a friend or relative who has been struggling in some way? This may be because of a troublesome personal situation or due to worrying about the state of the world or a combination. This book is gentle: Wintering by Katherine May. The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. It does not preach ‘pulling yourself together’ instead it takes a meditative approach which suggests that we should accept that our situation and our moods will ebb and flow, they will turn like the seasons in the year and sometimes we will indeed be ‘wintering.’
Oh, you say you live near Princes Risborough? You’ll know the work of Kevin Crossley-Holland then? No, well you have a treat in store. Try his memoir The Hidden Roads. This is a gentle and evocative picture of a middle class childhood lived in the 1940s and 50s, in the Chiltern Hills. He has written much else as well, often published for children but never mind that. His Arthur trilogy is a great read. Maybe this should go on your own Christmas wish list.
Here’s a suggestion for your friend who enjoys a good story: The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found. It is charming and uplifting. That will work for Christmas, won’t it?
Oh yes, of course, here’s the children’s section. A grandson who is 8? Well, I will take you straight to the shelf of Michael Morpurgo stories. I love everything that he writes, don’t you? There is a new book called: The Puffin Keeper which I’m sure will be just what you’re looking for. Also, one of my favourite authors, Shirley Hughes, sadly died a few years ago but there are so many wonderful stories. How about Snow In The Garden? It is a lovely Christmas book with gorgeous illustrations. I think your 4-year-old God-daughter will love it.
Thank you so much for your custom. I hope you have found everything that you wanted and maybe something you didn’t even know that you wanted! The coffee shop is just round that corner. Yes, the smell of fresh coffee is good isn’t it? Sorry, mind the cat. For some reason she likes to curl up in doorways. Very unhelpful.
… would you like chocolate on your cappuccino? The lemon drizzle cake is very good or there’s an apricot Danish?
You can of course sit on the sofa in my virtual bookshop and click away … but it would be better to support your indie bookshop if you are fortunate enough to have one … otherwise Waterstones needs your business too. Amazon will undoubtedly survive without it.
Happy Christmas and happy reading. I hope somebody gives you just the book that you will love.