Newsletter -
February
2010
A message
from The Book Monkey
From out of the snow and ice and frost
limps the book monkey clasping a newsletter (in as much as you can clasp
something electronic) full of book tips, awesome events, silly quizzes
and a LOT of pre-Bath Literature Festival excitement.
How to read this newsletter - First, book
your ticket to see Ben McIntyre the author of the spectacular Agent
ZigZag who's introducing his second true-spy thriller Operation
Mincemeat here at Mr B's this Thursday. Secondly, book your ticket to
hear Jon McGregor speak of remarkable things such as his long-awaited
third novel, Even the Dogs. Thirdly, absorb all our tips on the new
releases and all the other local event tips we've bundled together for
you. Finally, get your thinking caps on and have a crack at our February
Quirky Quiz.
Now read away OR just click one of the green links below, or scroll down to your section
of choice.
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Events at Mr B's
Spring literary events means
"Bath Literature Festival" to the Mr B's team and more about that
later....BUT before we get to that we've got 2 absolute crackers of our
own for you, plus there's one in the diary for once festival fever has
subsided and many more in the pipeline!
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BEN MACINTYRE |
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Thursday 4th
February - 7pm @ Mr B's |
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Author of the brilliant Agent ZigZag, Ben
McIntyre joins us to read from his new true-spy tale “Operation Mincemeat”.
Following in the
thematic footsteps of his first much-loved award-winning book, Operation
Mincemeat tells the
true story of the greatest hoax of World War 2 - the convoluted and
brilliant hoodwinking of Nazi espionage teams into following the movements
of a secret agent who was actually dead.
The intricate plot
was dreamed up by RAF Officer and a Jewish barrister with a key cameo by
Ian Fleming who provided the concept of giving a corpse a false identity.
Join us to hear Ben bring this remarkable spy story to
life.
Tickets
cost £4 and include a glass of wine.
Tickets in Advance by calling 01225 331155, emailing
books@mrbsemporium.com or by popping into
the shop
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JON MCGREGOR |
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Wednesday 10th
February - 7pm @ Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution |
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  We
are thrilled to welcome the Booker-nominated author of "If Nobody Speaks
of Remarkable Things" to talk about his new novel.
"Even the
Dogs" is an intense portrait of life on the fringes of society. On a cold
day in December a man's body is discovered and so follows a clinical
dispassionate investigation, which is beautifully juxtaposed with the
intimate and fractured stories arising from the squats and alleyways
across the city.
Jon
McGregor's haunting and tender prose has made him a firm favourite with
Team B, and we can't wait to hear him read from his startling new novel.
Come and join us for what is sure to be a remarkable evening.
Tickets
cost £5 and include a glass of wine
Tickets in
Advance by calling 01225 331155, emailing
books@mrbsemporium.com or by popping into
the shop
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THE
2010 BATH LITERATURE FESTIVAL |
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February 27th to March 7th - Various Venues |
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 For
the second year running Mr B's will be opening its second bookshop for 9
manic but exciting Spring days. Our festival bookstore will be in the
Brunswick Room of Bath's Guildhall (alongside a tempting cafe created by
the superb Nibbled Catering).
You'll be able to buy all your
festival books from the bookstore as well as immediately outside all of
the events taking place and of course at Mr B's which will be open as
normal throughout the festival.
We have stacks of programs to the
festival here in the shop but you can see full information on
tickets and scheduling are available from -
www.bathlitfest.org.uk
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LINDA
SAUNDERS |
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Monday 15th March - 7pm @ Mr B's (This is the rescheduled event that was
originally scheduled for the snowy wastelands of 14th Jan) |
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Local poet
and active member of the Bath poetry scene Linda Saunders will join us to
read from her second collection "The Watchers", published by Arrowhead
Press.
Linda's first collection, "Ways of
Returning" was shortlisted for the Jerwood Aldeburgh First Collection
Prize and this second collection has already received some stellar
reviews. Helen Dunmore described the poems in "The Watchers" as
"beautifully structured, evocative and tender, with such a strong feel for
the brilliance of each minute inside passing time". George Szirtes said
"the voice is quiet and even but precise, and when it makes contact with
the important substratum, the core of the poem that lies beneath the
details of the narrative surface, it becomes suddenly sharper still".
We are delighted that Linda will
read from "The Watchers" to kick-off our 2010 events schedule.
Tickets cost £3 and include a
glass of wine and nibbles.
Tickets
should be reserved in advance by calling 01225 331155, emailing
books@mrbsemporium.com or by popping into
the shop |
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Mr B Blogs and
Tweets his Reading Year
 I'm
blogging and tweeting my reading year during 2010. Really it's a
reading amnesty. This year I've decided to read the books that you'd
assume someone who had set up their own bookshop might already have
got round to reading. I've read some classics, a fair amount of
obscure translated fiction, plenty of contemporary novels and a LOT
of small-town American classics BUT that leaves a great MANYof the
cornerstones of world literature still to read.
So
I'm coming clean and making a determined effort to fill some gaps,
and intend to have some fun recording the process on our blog and
twitter accounts too.
As
an antidote, Kate's also going to blog her more contemporary reading
year and the rest of the Mr B's team will chip in with their reading
recommendations throughout the year. Of course we'd love to have
your comments on the books featured and any hot tips of the major
novels I should tackle on my classic-a-thon.
Click
HERE to follow the Blog. Click
HERE to follow the
Tweets.
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The Book Monkey's Top
Bananas
Here's a selection of our
current Top Bananas - the books that we think look GREAT, some
of which we've already devoured and others of which we just
haven't found time to read yet.
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The Idea
of Communism by
Tariq Ali
This
fresh examination of Communism, written by the leading
Pakistani commentator, is thought-provoking and looks
great too!
Hardback
- £11.50 - Seagull Books.
email to buy or enquire
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Germania
by Simon Winder
Winder's fascination for all things German shines through
in this book, combining history, fact, culture and
anecdote with remarkable insight.
Hardback - £18.99
- Pan Macmillan.
email to buy or enquire |
Race of a
Lifetime by
Mark
Halperin
The
inside story of Obama's race to the presidency, published
to coincide with the anniversary of his inauguration. One
of Justin Webb's books of the decade.
Hardback - £25 -
Penguin.
email to buy or enquire
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Postcards
from Penguin
by
Penguin
Books
An
inspired collection of 100 postcards of Penguin book
covers, great for sending to suitable recipients, sticking
up on the wall, or simply flicking through and enjoying.
Delicious Boxset
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£14.99 - Penguin.
email to buy or enquire
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The
Museum of Innocence by
Orhan Pamuk
Pamuk's
latest, set in Istanbul between 1975 and the present day,
is a novel of class division and identity, interlaced with
rich insight into life in Istanbul and Turkish culture.
Signed
Copies Available!! Hardback - £18.99
- Faber and Faber.
email to buy or enquire |
I Love You with
Custard on Top by
Oonagh O'Hagan
Our top Valentine
book tip. A collection of genuine love notes taken 'from the
wilder shores of love'. A funny, quirky and, at times, fairly
incredible collection with commentary.
Hardback - £12.99
- Sphere.
email to buy or enquire
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Alone in
Berlin
by
Hans Fallada
Primo Levi
called this the greatest book written on the German
resistance. Written in the 1940s and just republished,
this is the reality of life and subversion in Nazi Berlin.
Paperback
- £9.99 - Penguin.
email to buy or enquire
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Zeitoun
by Dave Eggers
Mr
McSweeney's presents the important and unjust true story
of a post-Katrina New Orleans hero plucked from the canoe
in which he is rescuing survivors and thrown into a jail
where he's accused of Al Qaeda membership.
Hardback -
£18.99 - Vintage.
email to buy or enquire |
East Fortune by
James Runcie
The book to be seen clutching around the Guildhall this
Spring. New paperback edition of the gripping
thought-provoking novel from the artistic director of the
Bath Lit Fest.
Paperback
- £7.99 - Bloomsbury.
email to buy or enquire |
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Shades of
Grey by
Jasper
Fforde
The start of a new series set in Chromatica, a bizarre
world where everything is black and white and where any
other colours you can see establish your social status.
Signed
Copies Available! Hardback
- £16.99 - Hodder & Stoughton.
email to buy or enquire |
Abandoned
Cars by Tim Lane
If you like
Noirish vignettes of the American underbelly, you'll love
this collection of graphic short stories. Think Woody
Guthrie and Raymond Carver hold up the Kwik-E-Mart.
Hardback
- £16.99 - Fantagraphics.
email to buy or enquire
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The Hunter by Darwyn Cooke
Fans of
Richard Stark's original novel won't be disappointed as
Ed's hero Darwyn Cooke breathes fresh life into this
revenge-fuelled road trip classic.
Hardback
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£18.99 - Idea&Design Works.
email to buy or enquire |
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Ravilious
in Pictures: Sussex and the Downs by
James Russell
At last! An
affordable gorgeous Ravilious book. Exquisitely printed
landscapes and interiors accompanied by insightful essays.
Hardback -
£25 - The Mainstone Press.
email to buy or enquire |
The
Element by
Ken
Robinson
Find your
element and you can be as creative and successful as you
want. Robinson looks at heroes from Lance Armstrong to
Aristotle as he invites us to discover our true selves.
Paperback - £9.99 -
Penguin.
email to buy or enquire
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The
Convent by Panos Karnezis
A mysterious
package shows up at a nunnery in the Spanish sierra
throwing their ordered existence into turmoil. Fantastic
atmospheric novel from Greece's leading modern novelist
Paperback
- £12.99 - Vintage.
email to buy or enquire |
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Unpacking
My Library by Jo Steffens
The world's
leading architects write essays about the importance of
books to their careers alongside photos of their bookcases
and libraries. Inspirational simplicity.
Hardback
- £16.00 - Yale.
email to buy or enquire |
The
Missing by
Tim
Gautreaux
Paddlesteaming its way into our favourites list thanks to
tips from those two barometers of American literature
(Annie Proulx and Ed's mum). Beautifully written. Dark.
Complex.
Paperback
- £7.99 - Hodder & Stoughton.
email to buy or enquire
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The
Mayor's Tongue
by Nathaniel Rich
Hands Up! We
completely missed this in hardback but its astounding
reviews (Rich is touted as a potential "defining
author of his generation") have made us take note.
Paperback -
£8.99 - Vintage.
email to buy or enquire |
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New
Lists: The snow gave us a chance to get some great new rotating
lists and features up in the Bibliotherapy Room. Here's a taster:
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THE AUTHORS' FAVOURITES
We asked various of our favourite authors to name their 5
favouritebooks of the decade for us. If you want to see what
Helen Dunmore, Patrick Gale, Justin Webb, Alastair Sawday, Julia
Green and Luis Alberto Urrea chose you'll have to come to the
shop. But here's Ross Raisin's picks to keep you going!!
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GUEST INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOP
It's all right for the Bathonians amongst you, you've got Mr B's
on hand to recommend all your reading. But what about the rest
of the world? Fortunately there are some other cracking
independent bookshops out there and we've started swapping lists
of favourite recommendations with them. |
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 Ross
Raisin
Author of the brilliant God's Own
Country and Mr B's event alumnus gave us the following top 5 of
the last decade complete with his own reviews |
 Inkspot and Silverleaf, Bo'ness, Scotland
Kicking off this regular
slot, are 5 of the most recommended books by Karen,
owner/manager of Inkspot and Silverleaf which since its opening
in 2008 has become one of the brightest lights in a thriving
Scottish indie bookselling scene.
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 True
History of the Kelly Gang
by Peter Carey
"Unbridled writing. The
main character is completely alive and real, and his language
is probably the best example of a colloquial voice in fiction
that I can think of." |
 My Best Friend Has Issues by Laura
Marney
"A
witty, amusing but very dark tale, it concerns innocent Scottish
twenty-something Alison who travels to Barcelona for the summer
intent on having a great time and discovering herself. Though
the book's cover makes it look a little like a happy,
romance-filled, summer read, it's actually a tale of sex, drugs,
death and revenge set against a summer in Barcelona with some
fantastic Scottish humour and a brilliant ending". |
 Disgrace,
by JM Coetzee
"Pared down to the bones
writing. A raw and exposing narrative, that manages to be both
telling and infuriating without seeming to make any effort." |
 A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
"I've been recommending this book since long
before I even opened the shop! It is the story of the absurd
anti-hero Ignatious J. Reilly, a gluttonous hypochondriac and
flatulent sloth. He wallows his way through 1960s New Orleans'
mingling with a whole host of larger than life characters - from
his put-upon mother and her dogged suitor Claude, to his
employers and co-workers, his ex-girlfriend, his nemesis
Patrolman Mancuso, and the staff and patrons of the Night of
Joy club" |
 Stuart,
A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters
"Dodgy geezer you'd cross
the street to avoid, but you shouldn't, writing. There are so
few books, fiction or non-fiction, about homelessness in the UK,
so thankfully this one is very good, sensitive, true, and
extremely funny" |
 Cutting Room by Louise Welsh
"It
is a gothic thriller that pitches dysfunctional hero Rilke,
house clearer and auctioneer, far into the seedy underworld of
Glasgow after he discovers a stash of snuff photographs during a
house clearance and feels compelled to find the victim and
perpetrators of
the scenes in the images. With it's dark themes and
character, the book certainly isn't a light and easy read,
but it's an atmospheric page turner that holds your attention to
the final full stop" |
 Vintage
Munro by Alice Munro - "Just bloody good writing. (I
wonder now if this introductory gimmick is a misguided idea). A
collection of five of Munro's best short stories from the last
few decades. She is the best short story writer certainly that
I know of - the descriptions are perfectly chosen and the people
she chooses to write about are normal, unshowy, working people,
doing everyday things that are turned wraught and beautiful by
the writing." |
 Singled Out by
Virginia Nicholson
"In 1921 the census revealed that after the
First World War there were almost 2 million more women than men.
In this fascinating book Virginia Nicholson reveals how these
women (branded as 'surplus') were told to expect never to find
love, marry, or
have children. A sometimes sad book, it is overall a
gently humorous and ultimately an inspiring read that I've
recommended many times. |
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 Legend
of a Suicide by David Vann - "Pure writing. I
suspect that the shop is already plugging this book quite
heavily, but I am going to ignore that fact and include it again
here. It is that good. I think the whole review coverage of
the book, fixating on its form and whether it is memoir or
fiction and how important a question that is, is not really that
important. It's just very good. Read it." |
 Blood Red by Quintin Jardine
"Scottish
crime authors such as Ian Rankin, Alex Grey, Stuart MacBride and
Quintin Jardine have been staples in our shop since we opened.
Quintin's latest is Blood Red. Set in an idyllic Spanish village
where Primavera has settled following the death of Oz, it
features a heady mix of gossip, murder, and local politics all
set against the backdrop of an idyllic Spanish village." |
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MORE LISTS: Oh and there's SO many more lists in the
shop now. Our other regular features upstairs in the
Bibliotherapy Room include the long-overdue resurrection of the
Country of the Month
(currently Modern Greece) and
Independent Publisher of the Month
(Telegram Books) slots, a new shelf with all the books
from Nic's latest Bath Life
column, a new Visual Publisher of the
Month (Chris Boot) shelf AND a
Bathonian Recommends shelf for
which we invite you to give your top 5 tips on whatever you're
the expert in: Mr B's regular customer and hypnotherapist Phil
Mattingly (see
www.philmattingly.com) has put together a cracking list of
his recommended books on psychology/hypnotherapy and the mind
generally which is on display at the moment. |
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Become a Bath Lit Fest Pen
Friend
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Still smarting
from having missed out on tickets to some of those quick-selling
events at the forthcoming Bath Lit Fest?
Now's the time to
pop into Mr B's and talk to us about joining their PenFriend scheme. For £50 a year you can
support the festival whilst gaining all manner of benefits including,
critically,
advance ticket booking!
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You see him
here.....you see him there...
Mr B's as Official Bookseller
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Here are some
of the great local literary events coming up where Mr
B's will be the official bookseller.
For tickets to
these events, click on the links provided below.
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Theatre Royal Special Events
Every few
weeks Bath’s Theatre Royal invites a prominent author to speak
about their book in the Theatre prior to a sit-down lunch in
The Vaults restaurant. Mr B's is there to sell the books and
we always offer a discount to ticket-holders.
Tickets
and further information –
www.theatreroyal.org.uk
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Coming up
5th February - Antonia
Fraser gives us an insight into one of the most famous of
literary relationships through her new memoir "My Life with
Harold Pinter".
22nd April - The bread man of Bath, Richard
Bertinet talks about (and demonstrates!) his work and
introduces his new book at the Egg Theatre.
Additional
Spring and Early Summer dates to
be announced soon
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Calcot Manor Hotel Meet-the-Author
Lunches
Regular
lunches followed by author talk and book-signing in this
beautiful Cotswold hotel and spa near Tetbury, Gloucs.
Tickets
and further information from Mr B's or from
www.calcotmanor.co.uk
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Coming
up
15th
February - Prue Leith - Restaurateur and cookery school
living legend has turned her hand to novel writing again and
will introduce her new book "A Serving of Scandal".
15th March - Angela Huth - The historical
novelist introduces "Once a Land Girl" the sequel to her
bestselling "Land Girls"
Additional dates to be season
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Bath Spa Poetry Society
Once a month or
so you can find Mr B or one of the team spending an evening in
the company of the Bath Spa Poetry Society for a reading by
two guest poets. All are welcome and tickets are available on
the door. Events usually at BRLSI at 16-18 Queen Square but
ask at Mr B's if in doubt.
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Hot of the press here are the new dates
for what promises to be the best season yet of Bath Spa
University's excellent stand-up poetry series:
11th February - Alan Brownjohn
3rd March - Alan
Jenkins and Paul Batchelor
22nd April - Carol Watts
13th
May - Jane Draycott
10th June - David Morley |
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Schools
We act as advisers & suppliers for various school book fairs
and other author events at schools across the region. If you
would to talk to us about supplying your school, just drop us
a line on books@mrbsemporium.com
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Recent Events
Since the snow has cleared we've been helping out with all
manner of events at local schools and that's set to continue
apace with World Book Day just round the corner. To name but a
few we're now preparing book fairs for Monkton Pre-Preparatory
School and King's Bruton and have recently helped stock events
by Rachel Ward at Oldfield School and Tim Docherty at St
Martin's Garden Primary.
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The Book Monkey's Quirky Quiz
- Win £5 off at Mr B's!
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A very big thanks to
those who had a go at June's Quirky Quiz Question. A reminder of the
question and the answers are all below this month's new question as
well as details of the winning entry!
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OCTOBER QUIRKY QUIZ QUESTION
Question:
In honour of that impending annual opportunity to spend far too
much on dinner in the name of St Valentine, we've put together a
literary quiz of love (well, marriage) for you. Take a look at
the couples below and tell us which book they appeared in, who
wrote that book AND which character was the spanner in their
marital works
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Him |
Her |
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Charles Bovary |
Emma Rouault |
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Tom Buchanan |
Daisy Fay |
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Brick Pollitt |
Maggy Pollitt |
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Joe Rose |
Clarissa Mellon |
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Juvenal Urbino |
Fermina Daza |
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Rhett Butler |
Scarlett O'Hara |
Email us on
books@mrbsemporium.com with your answer. If we get
fully correct answers then the first ten to answer correctly
will be allocated a biscuit in Vlashka's bowl and the winner
will be the first to be eaten!
If no-one gets it 100% right then the nearest to fully correct
will win. The lucky winner will be announced in next month’s
newsletter and will get a £5 voucher their next purchase at Mr
B’s shop in
Bath
or off an email book order.
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Answers to the October Quirky Quiz:
Question:
Those eager quiz participants with a long memory might remember
the great pumpkin quiz of late October for which we still owe
you the results and, of course, a winner.
We asked you to match the haunter, haunted and the book in which
the haunting occurred. The terrifying trios were:
1) The Headless
Horseman galloping headlessly at Ichabod Crane in The Legend of
Sleepy Hollow
2) The Ghost of Christmas Past haunting
Scrooge in A Christmas Carol
3) Clara del Valle Trueba
spooking Esteban Trueba in House of Spirits
4) The Woman in Black
emerging from the mists to strike fear into Arthur Kipps in The
Woman in Black
5)
The Birling Family
being judged by Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls
6) Nobody Owens
being hunted by the Man Jack in The Graveyard Book
A number of fully correct answers were sent in so biscuits were
whisked off to Vlashka's house so she could choose a winner and
the person whose biscuit she found first was that belonging to
Margaret Crossley. Come on down Margaret you've won a £5 voucher for Mr
B's! Just drop into the shop to claim your prize.
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Community
Noticeboard
Check out just a few of the great things going on elsewhere around Bath
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Mission Theatre
Five years old and
stronger than ever The Mission Theatre's Spring listings are full of
tempting performances, including the Bath Spa University Opera
Group's version of Don Giovanni.
www.missiontheatre.co.uk
Rondo Theatre
Larkhall's Rondo
Theatre has an excellent new list of shows for early 2010 including
a new stage version of Goodbye Mr Chips.
www.rondotheatre.co.uk
Bath
Spa Live
Keep an eye on the
exciting schedules of this initiative from within the School of
Music and Performing Arts at Bath Spa University
www.bathspalive.com
Wherever the Need
Mr B's will soon play
host to one of the illustrated toilet signs which have been
decorated by celebrities in order to raise money for this extremely
important Limpley Stoke charity seeking to provide eco-sanitation
toilets to the world's poorest regions. Come and visit our sign and
all the others on the trail and donate some money via our
counter-top collection box.
www.wherevertheneed.org.uk
Writing Events Bath
These excellent
Bath-based creative writing workshop tend to take place in the
finest of imaginable venues - that's right, here at Mr B's. Book in
with Alex and Jude to attend one of the 2 hour sessions lead by
guest speakers and designed to inspire and instruct budding authors.
www.writingeventsbath.co.uk
Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institute -
Click here to
read their entire programme of talks and presentations.
See what's on at the Little Theatre Cinema in Bath -
Click here
to go to website.
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