Newsletter - May 09
A message
from The Book Monkey
HURRAH! It's a Mr B's newsletter.
Unpredictable in its arrival as usual but hopefully a warming burst of
bookishness now it's here, crammed full of our own Book Reviews,
New Book Tips, a real life posh chef's guide to the essential
cookery books, a Quirky Quiz, and lots of fabulous events
news.
First and most important to note is the
appearance this coming Tuesday 26th May at 7pm of one of our favourite
authors of 2008, the Booker-Prize shortlisted debut novelist Steve
Toltz who is coming all the way from Australia to read from and tell
us about "A Fraction of the Whole". More details below but email
books@mrbsemporium.com if
you'd like to reserve a ticket (£4).
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
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Rising Talents |
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Tuesday 26th
May - 7.00pm at BRLSI (16-18 Queen Square) - Tickets £4 (inc wine & nibbles) |
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Steve Toltz - Reading from the superb
Booker-shortlisted "A Fraction of the Whole"
This is one of the
best new novels out there which we have been recommending to
absolutely everyone. It's fresh, biting, funny, philosophical and we
seriously love it! Steve is over very briefly from Australia to
celebrate the launch of his paperback, so we leapt on the chance to get
him to come to Mr B's.
Come and hear what Ed and Juliette have been harping on about for the last
6 months!
If you only see one "rising
talents" event this year at Mr B's, make it this one.
Email
books@mrbsemporium.com or give
us a call on 01225 331155 to reserve a ticket
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Slow Green and Happy Lives |
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Thursday
9th July - 6.45pm at Mr B's -
Tickets £4 (includes wine & French nibbles) |
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Damian and
Siobhan Horner
- "For Better For Worse, For Richer for Poorer"
 Husband
and wife Francophile downshifters extraordinaire-cum-author duo read from
their new book "For Better for Worse, For Richer for Poorer". A suitably
inspiring and summery but very fresh, honest and thoroughly modern-day
account of downshifting from life as high flyers in the city, to life on
board on old fishing boat journeying around France with two young kids.
We'll all to get hear both sides of the tale as the couple describe their
different impressions of the experience. Come and be inspired with the
help of French nibbles and wine!
Join us for this first
Rising Talents event of 2009 as we
introduce you to another great voice of the future.
Email
books@mrbsemporium.com or give us a call on 01225 331155 to
reserve a ticket.
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World Wide Words |
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Thursday
16th July - 7.00pm at Mr B's -
Tickets £4 (includes wine & very English nibbles) |
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Patrick Neate
- "Jerusalem"
 
Author of the bestselling and Whitbread Prize
winning Twelve Bar Blues comes to Mr
B's to read from and tells us about his new novel
Jerusalem.
Set both in present day and immediately post-Boer war Britain,
Jerusalem is a culturally relevant novel
exploring the idea of Englishness with a wonderful blend of humour and
warmth.
Come along to hear Patrick
read and to enjoy an evening of Englishness.
Email
books@mrbsemporium.com or give us a call on 01225 331155 to
reserve a ticket.
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You may
note a slight hiatus in our events programme in June. It's business as
usual but the B team will be focussing on running the shop during June
whilst Mr and Mrs B hope to be concentrating on the due-any-moment Baby B.
Keep an eye out for lots more summer events to be added to the website
soon though. |
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A word about
Bath Lit Fest 2009
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We hope you all thoroughly enjoyed the 2009 Bath Literature
Festival. We certainly enjoyed selling the books there. And you'll
hopefully be as pleased as us to hear that we'll be there for the
next 3 years as well as we've now signed a 3 year contract as
official Bath Literature Festival booksellers. We're thrilled to
be able to further our relationship with this wonderful local
celebration of literature as it enters a new era under the
stewardship of James Runcie.
If any of you have any
comments or thoughts on the bookselling aspects of the literature
festival we'd love to hear your feedback so we can keep improving
the service we offer.
Become a Bath
Lit Fest PenFriend with
Mr B's
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As part of our long-term relationship with Bath Festivals we're
getting fully behind their scheme to increase awareness of and
subscribers to their PenFriend scheme. For £50 a year you can
support the festival whilst gaining all manner of benefits including
advance ticket booking, invites to extra events at Mr B's and
elsewhere and a whole plethora of other stuff. It's a wonderful
scheme and one that also makes a great gift. If you do want to sign
up you can do so through us by e-mailing
books@mrbsemporium.com
for full details (or, of course, by dropping into the shop).
We'd also like to
thank again our wonderful event co-sponsors. If you'd like to talk
about you or your company joining forces with Mr B's to co-sponsor
an event at the 2010 Bath Literature
Festival then we'd love to tell you all about what is a
genuinely great value and very enjoyable marketing opportunity. Just
drop an e-mail to
books@mrbsemporium.com or call 01225 331155 and ask to speak to
Mr B.
In the meantime, all
we have are the memories (and some great signed stock). Here are
some of you browsing the Mr B's Guildhall branch:
And here are
some of the Mr B's team awaiting the emergence of the audience from
the final event. 100 odd events and still fresh as daisies!!
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Shout it from the rooftops! -
Your Favourites at Mr B's
Mark O'Shea - erstwhile local chef and regular Mr B's
customer (now snapped up by Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons and its 2
Michelin stars) told us his favourite sources of culinary
inspiration before leaving town and wrote some great reviews for
us to explain why they were his favourites. There is a display
of Mark's book choices in the Bibliotherapy Room at Mr B's at
the moment. Here are Mark's reviews:
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 Food
in England
by Dorothy Hartley
This is
THE seminal work on the history of food in this country, and
any cook would greatly improve their repertoire from even
the most occasional browsing. The subject content is
encyclopaedic, and even comes with a bibliography that is
wholly responsible for Delia’s omniscient charge into the
nation’s hearts. The writing is informative, yet informal,
and often humorous, just read the opening blurb which
clearly aims to entice her target audience, and then flick
to the back page for the last illustration. It is clear
that Hartley took great pleasure in researching and writing
this book, and a as result it is a pleasure to read, and
most importantly, to take pride in cooking from it.
Paperback - Little Brown - £19.99.
email to buy or enquire
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 Nose
to Tail Eating by Fergus Henderson
If
there is one chef responsible for the renaissance of British
food, then Fergus Henderson is guilty as charged. This book
is, in my opinion, one of the most beautifully written books
I have ever read. Henderson is gentle with both his prose
and encouragement, with the result that each and every
recipe is evocative, even if you have never tasted the
ingredients or cooked from a similar recipe. It is
inspirational to the point that you picture cooking, tasting
and enjoying every recipe as you read it. If further proof
is needed that this book is a must-have, a few years ago,
when Henderson was seriously ill in hospital, the top chefs
in London took it turns on a daily basis to take him food
packages to speed his recovery as no-one wanted to lose
London’s favourite chef’s chef.
Hardback - Bloomsbury - £16.99.
email to buy or enquire
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 On
Food and Cooking. An Encyclopedia of Kitchen Science,
History and Culture by Harold McGee
Want to
know how, why, from where and when? Then look no further.
McGee’s tome will answer any question you have on anything
to do with food. It is a bold statement, and one which I
base solely on the fact that it has answered every question
that I have ever had on the subject! But rest assured, I ask
a lot of questions. Aside from its near oracle-esque
existence, there are two unique points to this cookbook: 1,
it does not contain a single ‘recipe’; 2, the author is not
a chef, but a scientist. Neither of these facts should
deter you from adding it to your collection, as it would be
nigh on impossible not to become a better cook/chef after
reading. I do not know a single chef who does not own, or a
least has ready access to, a copy of this book.
Hardback - Hodder - £30.
email to buy or enquire |
 Dough
by Richard Bertinet
Everyone loves good bread. No one makes it at home. Buying
this book will change that. Richard makes great bread, and
in this book, he will show you how to as well. His recipes
are clear and concise, and they always work, which is a
great confidence boost to anyone trying to make bread for
the first time. I feel privileged to have known Richard for
the last three years, and it has been great to work with and
learn from a man who is so passionate about his craft, and
who has the rare ability to pass on both his knowledge and
infectious enthusiasm for bread and baking to others. The
photos are beautiful and offer a great reference point as to
what the finished product should resemble, but take it from
me, your first, and probably fiftieth, fougasse will not
look as good as his!
Paperback - Kyle Cathie - £15.99.
email to buy or enquire
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 The
Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver
I can
almost hear the collective groan from my colleagues as I
slip this one into my top ten. Everyone knows his style,
and everyone knows what food he likes. But the simple fact
is this man inspires others to cook, and that is what a good
cookbook should do. And this book will inspire you to cook
a lot of things from pasta to fish and meats in flavour
combinations that are really great. Ok, the recipes aren’t
entirely failsafe, but if something’s not cooked when the
recipe says it should be, just cook it a little longer!
Also, if you’re a vegetarian, then this and pretty much any
other of the other Naked Chef books will be a valuable
addition to your bookshelf.
Paperback - Penguin - £14.99.
email to buy or enquire
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 Molecular
Gastronomy by Hervé This
Hervé
This is the pioneer of molecular gastronomy. Again the man
is a scientist, rather than a chef, but whereas McGee is
interested in how science affects food and cooking as a
process, This’ focus is on the end result, namely how food
tastes. In this book, his theories are discussed in the
form of essays, and again will answer many, many questions,
with my particular favourite being ‘Of Champagne and
Teaspoons’. His style is enthusiastic and engaging, and
perhaps more importantly informative and relative to his
audience, who he seems to understand will not all hold the
same doctorate as him!
Paperback - Columbia Uni Press - £12.50.
email to buy or enquire |
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 The
River Cottage Meat Book
by Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall
This
was an avant-garde cookery book. The recipes may be
traditional, but they are none the worse for it. What this
book did, at a time when no-one was interested in animal
welfare in food production, was question the meat-eating
public’s philosophies and beliefs. If we are what we eat
(and more on that later), then are we a chemical-pumped,
sleep and space deprived, crippled piece of poultry? No!
Then what to do about it? I think I can safely say that I
have read the first half of this book avidly, and then
browsed the rest. HFW’s arguments are compelling. And
sensible. And they should make you consider the provenance
of what you put in your tummy. Philosophy aside, this book
will teach you about meat in its entirety; sourcing,
storing, cooking, curing, butchering, hunting, husbandry and
so on…a kitchen must.
Paperback - Hodder - £20.
email to buy or enquire
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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 Earth Hums in B Flat by
Mari Strachan. Child detective gets in too deep and
discovers unwelcome family secrets. Looks excellent and very
"What Was Lost".
Paperback
- £10.99 - Canongat.e.
email to buy or enquire
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Wolf Hall
by Hilary Mantel. Monster-sized historical novel of
Cromwell and life in Tudor England.
Hardback - £18.99 - Fourth Estate.
email to buy or enquire
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The Map
of the Invisible World by Tash Aw. The story of
2 brothers, one thrice-orphaned and searching for
the Dutch man who raised him.
Hardback
- £16.99 - Fourth Estate.
email to buy or enquire
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The
Wilderness by Samantha Harvey. Bath based
author's Orange prize-shortlisted novel written from the
perspective of an Alzheimer's sufferer.
Paperback - £12.99 - Vintage.
email to buy or enquire
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Map
Addict
by Mike Parker.
*Father's Day
Alert*. However
difficult he is to buy for, he's going to love this
unashamed love-up of the humble map!
Hardback - £12.99 - Harper Collins.
email to buy or enquire
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Eleven
Minutes Late
by Matthew Engel. *Father's Day
Alert Part 2*.
Light-hearted exploration of Britain's troubled
relationship (and obsession) with its railways.
Hardback - £14.99 - Macmillan.
email to buy or enquire
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Friendly
Fire by Alaa Al Aswany.
Brand
new offering from Egyptian author of The Yacoubian
Building and newly paperbacked Chicago.
Paperback - £10.99 - Harper Collins.
email to buy or enquire |
Brixton
Beach by Roma Tearne.
Third novel by Mr B event alumnus and author of the
brilliant Costa shortlisted "Mosquito".
Hardback -
£14.99 - Harper Collins.
email to buy or enquire |
Wild Swim
by
Kate Rew.
Just in time for the heat wave summer - new paperback ed.
of essential guide to swimming in Britain's rivers
and lakes.
Paperback -
£12.99 - Guardian.
email to buy or enquire |
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The Ask
and the Answer by Patrick Ness. More eeriness beckons
in the sequel to Carnegie shortlisted Knife of Never
Letting Go. Signed copies available.
Hardback - £12.99 - Walker.
email to buy or enquire |
Quarries by Edward Burtynsky. Ed's new love No.1. A
spectacular photography book of quarries. Odd? Yes. But
remarkably beautiful too.
Hardback -
Steidl - £45.00.
email to buy or enquire |
The
Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles by Jan Heine. Ed's
new love No.2. Photographs and descriptions of the
prettiest chromiest road bikes out there.
Hardback - £25.00 - Rizzoli.
email to buy or enquire |
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An Elegy
for Easterly by Petina Gappah.
No-holds barred view of
modern Zimbabwe through excellently-reviewed debut short
story collection.
Paperback -
£12.99 - Faber.
email to buy or enquire |
American Adulterer
by Jed
Mercurio. New fictionalised account of the extremely
active love life of JFK.
Hardback
- £12.99 - Vintage.
email to buy or enquire |
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. Brand
new thrilling ghost story set in a neglected Cotswolds
Georgian home.
Hardback -
£16.99 - Virago.
email to buy or enquire |
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And here are some reviews of things we have read AND loved over the past few
months (some oldies and some newies)
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*New*
State by State edited by
Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey
This excellent
project commissioned 50 essays on the 50 states of America with
each contributor asked to tell a story that somehow evoked the
uniqueness of that state. The result is fascinating and
evocative snapshots every bit as varied as the states
themselves. Novelist Paul Greenberg describes a trip
salmon-fishing with the indigenous Yup’ik on the Yukon River in
Alaska, Anthony Bourdain writes a brief history of New Jersey’s
achievements and there’s even an 8 page graphic novel depiction
of Vermont by cartoonist Alison Bechdel.
This
is an eminently
dip-in-and-outable book with fascinating and high quality
writing that gives you a tiny feel for what makes each state
tick. And the final bonus is the wonderful appendices which list
all 50 states in numerous performance lists from lowest monthly
temperature to toothlessness rate (apparently 40% of West
Virginians over the age of 65 have had all their teeth
extracted!). (Nic)
Lovely
Hardback -
Harper USA (2009) -
£16.99 -
Click here to buy online
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*New in paperback*
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Diaz
Life in the
Dominican Republic, where event the ghettos are home to some of
the world's most beautiful and exotic people, is not much fun
for Oscar Wao, the only fat boy in Santo Doming.
Oscar Wao is a
heartbreakingly hopeless social outcast whose only love are his
science fiction novels and whose only female contact is with his
stunning sister, her cheerleader friends and a formidable mother
whose fierce temper and terrifying history precede her.
Diaz creates a
palpable, almost audible language all his own in order to
conjure up a history not just of Oscar Wao, but of of the
Dominican Republic itself and of the balancing act that is life
under the Trujillo regime. This is such an exciting novel.
(Lydia)
Paperback
– Faber (2009) - £7.99 - Click here to buy online
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*New*
Brooklyn
by Colm Toibin
The novel follows Eilis, the less self-assured of two sisters
living in small-town Ireland in the 1950s, as she is cajoled
into moving to Brooklyn in search of work and a better life. Her
initial home sickness is gradually replaced with a new
confidence and satisfaction with her lot as she adapts to her
new home and job.
But her life is
thrown back into turmoil when she’s called back to Ireland
leaving her with some extremely tricky decisions to make. The
powerful way that Toibin describes Eilis’ feelings of loneliness
and duty, and his descriptions of Brooklyn and Ireland, have
stuck in my mind long after finishing this remarkable novel.
I’ve never read
better descriptions of homesickness or of the blend of
excitement and nervousness that comes with any step taken
outside your comfort zone. Perfect for all devourers of literary
fiction with well-drawn characters and gradually quickening
plots. Oh, and the ending is brilliant. (Nic)
Hardback
- Penguin (2009) - £17.99 -
Click here to buy online
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*One we've just come across*
The
Ballad of the Whisky Robber by Julian Rubinstein
The remarkable and
true tale of Attila Ambrus who fled Transylvania for Hungary in
the late 1980's (preferring to see out Communism under the
slightly less odious Hungarian regime). Taking an unpaid job as
the Zamboni driver and second reserve goalkeeper for one of
Budapest's pro ice hockey teams, he soon turned to crime to make
his Hungarian Dream come true. After a period smuggling pelts
back from Transylvania he stumbled into the world of armed
robbery and began a remarkable crime spree that would see him
rob 29 banks and post offices over many years.
Much like Frank
Abagnale (the American fraudster featured in the film and book
Catch me if You Can) Ambrus caught the imagination the public
becoming almost a Robin Hood style folk hero for the people of
Budapest, who preferred to support him over the hopelessly
corrupt and incompetent post-Communist police force he was
eluding. The fact that Ambrus never hurt any of his victims and
even left flowers for the bank tellers undoubtedly helped keep
the public on his side.
Rubinstein's book
is a riveting piece of investigative journalism that describes
the entire career of Ambrus (including a remarkable prison
escape) based on lengthy interviews with the man himself, his
string of ex-girlfriends, his associates and former ice hockey
team-mates, the tv personalities who covered his story and the
police who chased him. (Nic)
Paperback – John Murray (2006) -£8.99
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Click here to buy online.
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*Back-list from author of Library at Night*
A Reading Diary
by Alberto Manguel
In a few words:Charismatic
Argentinian book nut re-reads 12 of his favourites, tells us why
he loves them, where he reads them and anything else that they
happen to prompt in his polymath mind.
In more words:
One of the world’s greatest writers on the
wonders of reading, describes the process of re-reading 12 of
his favourite books over the course of a single year. The result
is a fragmented insight into Manguel’s deep love affair with
books, and his encyclopaedic knowledge of them.
I suspect each reader will take something
different from this book depending on which, if any, of
Manguel’s favourites you have read yourself. Some chapters will
prompt vague memories of plots and characters of books read long
ago whilst others will leave you rushing to MrB’s to try a book
that you’ve never even considered.
For me though Manguel’s comments on the books
themselves play second fiddle to the titbits about the location
and manner of Manguel’s act of re-reading them, and the glut of
references to and quotes from other books. The noises of London
during a book tour remind him of the creatures on the “Island of
Dr Moreau”; Much of his trip to Argentina reading “The Invention
of Morel” is spent hankering after his new library; Something in
Kipling’s “Kim” prompts him to list the trinkets that he can see
dotted around his desk.
Pervading
Atmosphere: A fascinating but humiliating
one-on-one conversation with the most well-read man on earth.
(Nic)
Paperback
– Canongate -£8.99
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Click here to buy online
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*New*
Nocturnes
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Even if you would never usually pick up a
book of short stories, do make an exception for this
thought-provoking and atmospheric new collection by one of the
current literary greats, Kazuo Ishiguro, most famous for
“Remains of the Day”.
In each cleverly-constructed story, the
coming-together of the main characters happens at a critical
turning point in their lives when something triggers in them the
need to re-evaluate and re-assess. With humour and a tender
approach Ishiguro lends each story a wonderfully evocative
background of night-time and of music. From the backwaters of
Venice to the Malvern Hills, these are gorgeous snapshots of
life and loss. (Juliette)
Hardback –
Faber -£14.99
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Click here to buy online |
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*Newish in paperback*
My Tango with
Barbara Strozzi by Russell Hoban
In a few words:
Confused artistic types forge relationship and deal with
remnants of their previous ones against a contemporary London
backdrop of art, music, astrology and tango.
In more words: A short and often eccentric novel about Phil
Ockerman, a writer of “boring” novels, and his new flame Bertha
Strunk whose identity he merges with C17 composer Barbara
Strozzi. Bertha and Phil get to know one another over tango
lessons and evenings-in watching a film whose denouement they
dream of recreating in order to seek revenge on Bertha/Barbara’s
violent ex. The tale of their courtship is soon complicated by
the relationships of their recent pasts and the telling of it is
often sidelined by references to art, film, literature,
astrology and clever circular blurrings of narrator and author.
But all these distractions add to the novel’s charm and are just
a thin disguise for what is ultimately an enjoyable and off-beat
modern love story. (Nic)
Paperback - Bloomsbury - £7.99
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Click here to buy online.
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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.
Tickets
and further information –
www.theatreroyal.org.uk
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Coming up
24th
July
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Richard Mullen
- Talks about his new book "The Smell of the Continent" -
In this romp
through a hundred years of Victorian tourism, historian
Richard Mullen examines just what it was about ‘the smell of
the continent’ that so attracted British travellers for the
first time in history, to set out en masse to discover Europe.
Drawing on contemporary accounts, diaries and letters, he
looks at their attitudes to foreign food, modes of transport
and habits – revealing that the gulf between the traveller and
the tourist was as wide in our great- grandparents’ time as it
is today.
21st August
- Simon King - Introduces his memoir "Wild Life: Amazing
Animals, Extraordinary People, Astonishing Places". Top
wildlife broadcaster Simon King of Big Cat Diary and
Springwatch fame discusses his new autobiographical account of
a working life spent working with the world's most remarkable
creatures.
10th
September - Lord Paddy Ashdown - The Theatre Royal and Mr
B's join forces to present Lord Ashdown discussing "A
Fortunate Life", his new memoir of his remarkable life and his
career in domestic and international politics.
SIGNED COPIES OF PADDY'S NEW BOOK NOW
AVAILABLE AT MR B'S IN ANTICIPATION OF THIS GREAT EVENT.
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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.calcotmanorhotel.co.uk
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Coming
up
14th September – Mark Billingham
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One of the few people capable of combining the careers of
stand-up comedian and crime writing will present his new novel
Bloodline.
9th
November - Marcus Scriven - Author of "Splendour and
Squalor" introduces his account of the dramatic falls from
grace of some of Britain's most respected aristocratic
families.
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The Wheatsheaf Inn at Northleach
Mr
B's is delighted to be helping arrange literary events and
organising the book club at one of the finest old coaching
inns in the Cotswolds.
To attend an
event at The Wheatsheaf Inn, to join the book club or just to
visit for a delicious meal or relaxing break visit
www.cotswoldwheatsheaf.com
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11th June -
Nicholas Clee - Author
of the bestselling 'Eclipse' will
talk about his biography of the legendary racehorse. "Nicholas
has taken one of the greatest of all racing stories and
brought it wonderfully back to life" (Brough Scott).
Eclipse raced in the 1700s and went on to become the
undisputed, undefeated champion of his sport. He founded
dynasties that still dominate the bloodstock market – not only
in Britain, but in every other country where Thoroughbreds
race. His influence is such that ninety-five per cent of
horses racing today are his male-line descendants. Fascinating
talk combined with a delicious three-course meal. |
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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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11th June - Carrie Etter and Lee Harwood
- Bath Spa's
very own Carrie Etter celebrates the publication of her brand
new collection "The Tethers" with a reading at the Duncan Room
of the BRLSI. Book early as there's sure to be a big crowd to
see Carrie's first local post-publication reading.
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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 www.books@mrbsemporium.com
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Coming up
This month we're
looking after the book displays at the prize-giving for King's
School Bruton, the Spring book sale at Monkton Coombe Pre-Prep
School and are taking care of numerous author visits to local
schools including by Justin Richards and N.M.Browne.
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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
the many people who had a crack at Ed's February Quirky Quiz
Question. Vlashka (who is not in the shop much just as the moment as
she is playing a key supporting role in Juliette's maternity leave)
did her biscuit choosing in the comfort of her own basket and
plumped for PIPPA LUCAS biscuit first so
well done!
You get £5 off your
next purchase at Mr B's.
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MAY
QUIRKY QUIZ QUESTION
Question:
Who would be the owners of these literary baseball teams?:
1. The Maycombe
Scouts; 2. The Barbary Lane Queens; 3. The Salinas Valley Okies;
4. The East Egg Daisies; 5. The Poisonville Continentals; 6. The
Hannibal Rafters; 7. The Killick-Claw Flying Squids; 8. The New
Orleans Dunces
Email us on
books@mrbsemporium.com with your answer.
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! The lucky winner
will be announced in next month’s newsletter
and will get £5 off their next purchase at Mr B’s shop in
Bath
or off an email book order.
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Answer to the February Quirky Quiz
Question:
Name famous
works by the following authors which follow a numerical
sequence?
Kesey,
Dickens, Dumas, Conan Doyle, Albom, Milne, T E Lawrence?
Answer: One
Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, A Tale of Two Cities, The Three
Musketeers, The Sign of Four, Five People You Meet in Heaven,
Now We Are Six, Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
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Noticeboard
Check out what's going on elsewhere around Bath
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Bath
Music Festival
This year
Bath International Music Festival
(22 May – 6 June) explores the
unfathomable phenomenon of whalesong in our Whale Music strand.
Come and hear musician, composer, philosopher and naturalist
David Rothenberg
(author of world-wide
bestseller
Why Do Birds Sing?)
play clarinet and discuss the deep connections between humans and
whales.
(Mr B recommends Rothenberg's
Thousand Mile Song complete with CD as the perfect matching read)
As part of our
celebrations of the rich traditions, music and peoples of the
Appalachians,
Will Kaufman
performs an hour-long talk setting the songs of
Woody Guthrie
in the context of the American
1930s - the Dust Bowl, the Depression, the New Deal and the state of
popular music itself. Buttressed by detailed historical commentary
this show blends Woody Guthrie's music and radical politics. And,
running throughout the Festival is a free exhibition of
John Cohen’s
atmospheric black and white photography from the late 1940s American
folk scene (including images of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan) at the
Mission Theatre.
(Mr B recommends Bound for Glory by Woody Guthrie or Woody Guthrie:
A Life by Joe Klein as the perfect matching read!)
Enjoy experimental
theatre with
T.S. Eliot’s
Sweeney Agonistes – similar to an undiscovered Hitchcock film or
Pinter play, T.S. Eliot creates a dreamlike vision of a criminal
underworld, perfectly matched by a jagged, jazzy rhythmical score.
And, don’t delay, there are only a few tickets left to a special
free event with prize-winning author of fiction, criticism and
history,
Marina Warner
(From the Beast to the Blonde, Joan of Arc, Alone of all her Sex),
speaking about the power of fairytales, and her collaboration with
this year.
www.bathmusicfest.org.uk
Mark Leach
Exhibition
Wonderful major
exhibition from 5th-28th June. Visit Bath Fine Art's website for
sample images of Mark Leach's amazing work.
www.bathfineart.com
Patrick O'Brian Enthusiasts - Laudunum in the Napoleonic Period
Monday 1st June
2009 at 7.30pm
www.brlsi.org
Iford Festival
Including the Iford
First Night Jazz Party on Friday 12th June
www.ifordarts.co.uk
Local businesses we
love - A REITERATION - CHANDOS DELI
Chandos Deli (www.chandosdeli.com)
have just rejigged their space to reveal more seats and tables on
which to enjoy their delicious sandwiches and world-beating
millionaire's shortbreads. We're delighted to say that Chandos are
now our official cake suppliers for all Reading Spa Treatments so
when you buy your book-loving loved one you can be sure they'll be
wolfing down a fabulous Chandos delicacy whilst perusing their
books. What's a Reading Spa Treatment you say? - Take a look
HERE
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.
And take a close look because they've got a visit from Eric Cantona
this month!!!
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