What with one thing another, Reeve & McIntyre haven’t had a chance
to visit many bookshops lately - so we thought we’d send Kevin the Roly
Poly Flying Pony on a grand bookshop tour for us.
Kevin
doesn’t know a lot about books, but he does like biscuits, and where
there are booksellers there are almost certain to be biscuits…
Kevin decided to begin his tour at The Celtic House bookshop
on the isle of Islay. It was quite a long fly, over shining silvery sea
and mountainous islands, but he was soon circling above the little town
of Bowmore. The air was filled with the cry of gulls and the smell of
peat from the whiskey distillery, and he could see the famous round
church and the long main street running down to the harbour. The Celtic
House was on a corner not far from the sea. Kevin landed outside, and
was welcomed in by Colin, the owner, and Charlene, the
manager. Kevin had some Very Interesting Questions for them, but first
he needed biscuits. So he clip-clopped up the stairs to the tea shop,
where he where he began his interview.
Kevin: What is the best thing about being a bookseller?
Charlene:
Having a customer come back to tell you how much they loved a book, and
that they might have never discovered it if it hadn't been for you.
Kevin: What’s one way you’ve tackled a problem that your bookshop has faced during the pandemic?
Charlene:
We've been very active online, posting our book recommendations on
social media and promoting our online bookshop so that people would
still be able to buy from us even though they couldn't be physically on
Islay. Joining Bookshop.org has also greatly helped us during this difficult time.
Kevin: What are three books you absolutely love hand-selling to customers?
Charlene: The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan (Cornerstone): a very topical novel, but full of hope!; Boudica by Manda Scott (Transworld): an epic read about the greatest of Celtic figures; Salt on Your Tongue, Women and the Sea by Charlotte Runcie (Canongate): a breathtaking non-fiction essay about our connection with the sea and about motherhood.
Kevin: Who is your favourite children’s book illustrator? (Other than Reeve & McIntyre…)
Charlene: I definitely have a soft spot for Jackie Morris' gorgeous wildlife drawings
Kevin: What is your favourite biscuit?
Charlene: Digestive.
Kevin: Would you happen to have any about? Oooh. (Eating noises.) Do you have a shop pet?
Charlene:
Not a shop pet but my wee Airmid (named after a character in Manda
Scott's Boudica) is often curled-up on my lap and purring contentedly
while I read the books I recommend in the bookshop!
Kevin: What is the best way for people to buy books from you if they can’t visit the shop in person?
Charlene: The best way is to visit our website www.theceltichouse.co.uk
Kevin: Can I have another digestive biscuit please?
Colin: Aww, go on then.
Kevin: Thank you!
You can follow Kevin's virtual tour on the #
This September Scholastic will be publishing my new novel set in the world of Mortal Engines . Here’s the cover, created (like all the others in the series) by Ian McQue . The rule I set for myself when I was writing this one was that it shouldn’t feature any of the people or places from previous Mortal Engines books. So Thunder Cit y takes place just over a century before the original book, when the town-eat-town world of Traction Cities is slightly less ruthless than it will become later, and none of the characters from the original quartet has even been born yet. (I suppose Mr Shrike must be bimbling about somewhere, but he’s still just yer basic implacable killing machine at this point so there’s not much point in paying him a visit). So hopefully this new take will be accessible to people who’ve never read Mortal Engines , and hopefully people who have read it will enjoy an adventure set in the same world. My pen and ink drawing of the Traction City of Thorbury, after...
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