8th December

Comes December and comes the publishing industry's attempts to woo the Great British Public into buying and reading even more books. Some winter offerings rightly fall into the pit of remainders as soon as they are published. Celeb biogs are so last year. Political memoirs with one or two briliant exceptions (step forward Chris Mullins) are usually NOT big sellers. So what is hot this year.

For us in this small shop in the Scottish Borders the most surprising best seller has been "Bus Pass Britain" a mildly eccentric collection of essays from people who have used their bus passes to make interesting journeys.One of our regular customers contributed a couple of chapters and that local interest together with some good local press publicity has helped sales along nicely. But perhaps the most surprising best selling  non fiction book has been "A Dictionary of British Place Names" We've sold out and had to order more and I see that it features as number 10 in the Guardian Best seller list.

Claire Tomalin continues to write and entertain at the same time. Her latest biography "Charles Dickens" is much sought after and sales have been helped by the reading by Penny Wilton on Radio 4 last week of an abbreviated version. Andrew Marr's tome "Diamond Queen seems to have been published a tad prematurely but is obviously appealing to those who like royal celebrations. It seems surprising that Marr, once an avowed republican, is now so supportive of royalty and that change of heart would make an interesting read in itself.

Anthony Horowitz's new novel "The House of Silk" is a new Sherlock Holmes mystery. Applauded both by the critics and by the  people in charge of the Conan Doyle copyright holders it's proving to be a must have Christmas present.

All the books I have mentioned can be had from us or if you're some distance away your local book shop.

And some news of home without which a blog from Latimer Books would not be complete.

One of our dogs was ill and had to be put on antibiotics. The pills were very large so senior management had the clever idea of crushing them into a bowl of porridge. The dog then absorbed the pills with no problem and has made full recovery. But, and there's always a but, both dogs now demand porridge in their bowls at breakfast time. So yet another example of unintended consequences. And the horses. No porridge for them I'm afraid. Just lots of (expensive) hay.

And the moral of all this is we must sell more books to keep our dogs in porridge and our horses in hay. Do come in,browse round and help us in this noble venture.   

11th November

Sometimes publishers send us proof copies of books to read and this week the good people at Transworld Doubleday have sent us a copy of "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry". The author is Rachel Joyce and this is her first novel. It won't be published until March next year but when it is do make sure that you get a copy. The story line is simple. Harold Fry gets a letter from an old work colleague telling him that she is dying and he decides to go and see her. The trouble is that Harold is in South Devon and his dying ex colleague is in Berwick on Tweed and Harold decides to make the journey on foot. More than that you don't need to know except that the book is very well written and will make you smile and cry, often in the same sentence.

In the shop we have found a little bit of confusion with the new pricing policy so now everything on the shelves is reduced by a straight 20% except for local books on which we cannot give a discount. This new idea seems to be meeting with approval. Where we can, we also give a discount of 10% on ordered books. We're still looking to change and update our website. Perhaps our mission statement should be "Good Books-Discount Prices". At present our advertising says "Quality Books at discount prices" Which is better?

Sadly we still hear of book shops closing in other towns. nd of course it's not just bookshops. The whole of the retail trade ( with few exceptions) is suffering from the downturn in the economy. In ten years time our High Streets are going to look very different.   

And now onto more mundane matters. Those of you who read this blog and come into the shop may have noticed that the blog writer looks slimmer and fitter. This is partly the result of a diet regime and partly the result of helping senior management move what felt like tons of hay for the horses to devour now that they have been moved to their winter quarters. The diet and the hay moving coupled with a long walks have caused a slimmer blog writer to emerge. Whether this will have any impact on our sales remains to be seen.

Last week we watched "Balck Swan" at our village film club. Some people walked out but those of us who stayed to the end came out perplexed at to what was fantasy and what was supposed to be real. Bit like listening to the news at the moment. But at least we think we can differentiate in the shop between what is fiction and what is true. Or can we? The more history books we see the more we realise that what we thought was true was really often nothing more than propaganda. Wasn't it Churchill who said (or maybe repeated) that history is written by the victors? Whatever one might think of the Coalition Government's policies on so many things the one undoubted fact is that Cameron looks very grey and tired compared to just a few months ago. The fact that he looks so worried perhaps should give us all cause for concern.

But as some one said in the shop the other day there's very little that we can do to change things so perhaps escapism ought to be the new password. An evening spent reading a good book with a glass of something from Scotland on the table beside one may the best way of dealing with the crisis. Try it Mr. Cameron, try it. 

25th October

From where we sit in our little bookshop in the Scottish Borders it appears that the art (science?) of forecasting is a very imperfect one. Neither the Treasury in London nor the Meterology Office manage to get their predictions right. The sun shines when we are told that it will rain all day and the economy goes its own sweet way regardless of pronouncements from the government or the Bank of England. Maybe the soothsayers of today are no better than their ancient ancestors who used pebbles tossed in the air to predict the future. For what it is worth all we can say is that we expect to be here serving the public with good quality books at a discount for the forseeable future. 

Ian Rankin has just published his second book featuring his "new" detective Malcolm Fox. Why Fox? The derivation of Rebus,his grubby detective from his earlier series of books was easy to work out as because as any dictionary or crossword addict knows  "rebus" is another word for "puzzle". But "Fox"? Hopefully in due course all will be revealed. The critics are applauding the new book. but as ever the decision on its success or not lies with the great reading public. A book touching on police corruption might very well appeal given the news of late.

It is quite clear to us that people are feeling hard up. A day never now goes by without someone struggling into the shop with bags of second hand books that they want us to buy. As we don't sell any books that aren't new we have to direct them either to the charity shop who of course don't pay or to another bookshop some distance away who might, just might pay. Sadly people have very high expectations of the value of a second hand book. Family Bibles only three generation old and cheap editions of Dickens or Scott are not going to fetch much anywhere and the disappointment on people's faces is sad to see.

Our children are all grown up (whatever than means) so it's good to hear that teenagers today are no different to what they were some years ago. Parents rush in here desperately seeking a particular book for their child to read having only just been told that the last night's homework involved writing an essay on the book in question. Thinking and planning ahead never was a thought process of many school children and nothing changes it seems. Having said that the choice of reading for some seems more than a little bizarre. Which modern child wants to read "The Great Gatsby"? But if that is what teachers want to insist their pupils read who are we to object. But it seem sad when there is so much good modern literature which is not only written well but more likely to catch the imagination of a modern teenager.

I started todays blog by talking about the inaccuracy of forecasters. Today we were promised rain and low temperatures. Not so. It's bright, it's sunny and it's warm. Let's hope that it stays that way.  

Enjoy your reading this week whatever happens. 

14th October

It's been a strange week in the bookshop as any of you who have read any of our tweets may have realised. Sainsburys have opened a store on the edge of the town and on Wednesday it seemed that the town was empty whilst everybody converged on the new store to see what it was like. Suprise, surprise it was just like any other supermarket. The first customer who apparently got there at 8am was presented with a big bouquet and he was very happy but sadly the second customer got nothing and she was very cross proving yet again that you'll never make everybody happy.Retailers in general and booksellers in particular are waiting to see if the Government's present plans are going to work. In an area such as this in southern Scotland where so many are employed by either the Health service or the local authority there is much gloom about employment prospects. Even well known local private employers are starting to cut back. The outlook is not good.

On a happier note we were pleased to read that an alternative to the Man Booker is being proposed. The Booker in recent years has become very dominated by what can only be politely described as the popularity stakes. The new prize is to be called the "Literature Prize" and will be open to American writers as well as UK authors. I think that most people felt that the Booker lost a huge amount of crediblity when it failed to shortlist David Mitchell's "Thousand autumns of Jacob de Zoet. It will be fascinating to see how the new prize works out next year.

Among the huge number of history books we've recently ordered is one called "The Three Emperors". It's a study by Miranda Carter of the lives, attitudes and politics of the German Kaiser, the Russian Tsar and the British King George the 5th. Although it is a substantial book at over 500 pages the reader is not overwhelmed by the historical detail. Rather one is amazed at how much power was exerted by so few people at a time when, at least in Germany and Britain, democracy ws suppoed to be flourishing. The seemingly inevitable slide towards the 1914 war is quite terrible to observe. It's a good book for anyone to read who has any interest at all in discovering why the twentieth century turned out to be so bloody.

Recently Rebecca Tope was in the shop. She was in the Borders on holiday and called in. It's always very nice for us to meet authors especially someone s popular as Rebecca. Her books sell very well and appear to be liked by both genders and all age groups.In some respects her books are like the books written by Rebecca Shaw. Maybe it's the fact that they share the same first name.

As I write this blog the sun is shining and it is quite warm. Tomorrow when I am supposed to be erecting new guttering on a field shelter at home I fully expect the weather to be cold, windy and wet. But that is the joy of living where we do. The great cities have their attractions but living in the heart of the countryside has its own joy too. At least that is what I tell myself each night as I listen to the foxes calling to their young and each morning at sunrise when I am woken by the cockerels starting to crow. In between times I can read and that's no bad thing is it? 

6th October

One of the great things about being involved with bookclubs is that people suggest books that normally you would not think of reading so we are introduced to new authors. A a couple of months ago at our village book club one of the members suggested that we read "The True Deceiver" by Tove Jansson.She of course is very well known for her childrens books. Some of the book club had already Jansson's "The Summer Book". Nothing however could prepare one for the amazing story in the "True Deceiver". The edition we  read had an introduction by Ali Smith which made the reading even more enjoyable. We're busy recommending it to everyone in the shop.

For some reason best known to themselves the local drama group have decided to enrol me in their ranks to play the part of a grumpy old lawyer in a comedy thriller called "A tomb with a view" by Norman Robbins. Jane thinks that it is typecasting. There are some wonderful lady members of the group and us men will have to work very hard to hone up our thespian skills. The play calls for no less than eight females but only four males one of whom never appears on stage. I just wish that I had that part.

Since the we changed the layout of the shop we've found that we are seeing lots and lots of people that we had not seen before. We've been very lucky with lots of good publicity in the local press over the last few weeks and my appearance on local television has helped improve the footfall into the shop as well.

On Saturday last we hosted an excellent launch of a debut novel by local author Steve Smith.The book he has written, "The Regulator" has been well received by all who read it. One client on Saturday bought no less than five copies. 

Our next book promotion is on November 12th when author Peter Wright will be here talking about his walk along the Scottish watershed. His book is called "Ribbon of Wildness". No-one else has written about this and maybe no-one else has done the walk. Prior to that on November 5th we have (as a first) a visit from Jane Hill who meditates and who will take us through her latest meditation cd. Jane will well known to many for organising the Well Being Fair in Kelso last spring. On  December 3rd Pim Claridge is here talking about her latest and most deligthful book of poetry.

Details of all these events will be posted on the future events section of the website. All our events are free and drinks and a little bit eat is provided   

Last week Jane and I took the week off. What weather we enjoyed. Sunny and hot. Now we're back to normal Scottish weather. Raining, windy and increasingly dark in the evenings. Still that means you have a good excuse to light the fire sit down and while away the evening reading a good book. Enjoy. 

21st September

We decided in early June to close our little shop but we were then overwhelmed by people saying that this would be a BAD THING that we reversed our decision. The earlier decision and the later one were reported very fully in the local press much helped by Pip talking about us in her blog for the EstatesGazette. Even the local television station came and interviewed us and some somewhat bemused customers who happened to be in the shop at the time.

So here we are in a new slightly different format. The shop has been made lighter. We've also decided to sell all our paperback fiction at a huge discount of 50% and everything else (apart from local books) in the shop is at a 20% discount. So we're now caling ourselves a Quality Discount Bookshop. Even on books that we order in for customers we are hoping to be able give a 10% discount.

We hope that the new economic model will allow us to survive whatever is happening in the broader economy. Listening to our customers it's all doom and gloom but hopefully not so at Latimer Books.

We've been waiting for a while for someone to come and help us with our website. Promises have been made and hopefully the revised website will soon hit cyberspace. In the meantime we shall endeavour to write a blog every week and of course make full use of twitter where we seem to have a very loyal and expanding following.  

30th May

Today may be a holiday for the banks and many others but we're open for business though to be fair not many signs so far of a great interest in book buying from the great British public. Maybe everyone is still recovering form doing too much work in the garden over the weekend.

Some of our regular customers know that we simply do not have suffient time to read all the reviews in all the papers and monthly magazines so they very kindly bring us in cuttings of reviews that they think will appeal to us and other readers. It's a sort of informal cuttings service and it works very well as there is no way we could otherwise keep up to date despite the lavish monthly brochure produced by our wholesalers. Hearing what Book Clubs are reading is another way of keeping abreast. Most go for books in paperback format which is understandable but it does mean that they are usually some months past their original publication date. Interestingly enough at the Shop Book Club last week one member was suggesting that we read some books about alternative views of history. She had brought along some fine examples of the genre which she insisted were not to be called conspiracy books. All seemed to be very expensive and some were obviously written for the American and not European market and the suggestion provoked a very lively response. Not quite sure that our little book group is up to this. Maybe one day, not quite yet.

For myself I'm still reading The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell who apparently did not live to see this masterpiece in print. Alan Sillitoe who has written an introduction for the edition that I am reading (Harper Perennial- only £9.99) has described the book as "The first great English novel about the class war". Even though it was written in 1909 or so it still has a resonance today. Whatever your politics you would find it a worthwhile read. Even the Spectator, not known for its support of the class war described it as "A brilliant and very funny book".

And so we move on. Clearly in future we are going to have to be more careful about what we put on Twitter as we don't want to find ourselves the subject of  law suit like the poor whistleblower who has been posting comments about South Tynesdaie Council and now is faced with the might of the law. It seems such a slippery slope from claiming defamation to censorship.

But no such problems (yet) in the Bookshop. We certainly don't censor what our public want and we try not to defame.

Whever you're doing this week we hope that you have time to read a good book or at  least a few chapters.     

23rd May 2011

Well, I'm very glad that Harold Camping the Californian preacher appears to have got it wrong (again) and we have survived his prediction of the end of the world late last week. Far, far better to be alive than dead. Poor man must be feeling mighty sorry for himself but he's in good company. None of us seem to be very good at predicting the furure. Economists, bankers, politicians and planners, they all get it wrong.

So we move on. We wake up to news of a new ash cloud coming our way from Iceland. We also wake up to a debate about super-injunctions and people who want to hide behind them. Privacy or censorship? It's a difficult call. Not altogther sure that the red top press actually helps the cause of freedom but much much cleverer people than me will have to resolve the conumdrum.

Yesterday we spent the day in Edinburgh as one of the children was running the marathon. A rainy squally day but he  completeted it in a very creditable three hours 46 minutes. In fact he deserves a real pat on the back as it was his first marathon since being diagnosed with colitis. It just proves that will power and determination can overcome most things. He, his partner and three of his sibblings and partners who all live in the south east of Enland are running in the Royal Parks run on July 10th which hopefully will be a slightly less rainy day for all concerned.  

And from family runs to the national sport here in Scotland. But what is it? Is it Rugby, Football, Cricket, Climbing, Long Distance Running, Golf or even Tennis? Some of customers would claim that fishing and horse riding should be included in the list. We try to stock books covering all we have mentioned but then we get caught out by someone wanting a book about Shinty which is generally regarded as very much a West Coast game. And then there's Curling. We have many keen Curlers here in Kelso but sadly there's not many books about the subject.

Sometimes we find it very difficult to make sense of the sales figures produced each week for the trade.Have 71,546 copies of the Mccann's book about the disappearance of their child Madeleine really been sold? We've not stocked it but when we've looked in the chain stores it has been offered at a very deep discount which might imply that sales were not going that well. But maybe it has sold very well elsewhere. Interestingly five out of the top ten non fiction hardbacks are to do with cookery. So apparently we eat or at least cook a lot whilst reading about other people's dreadful happenings in their lives. Curious when you think about.

The Shop Book Club meets on Thursday evening at 7pm in the shop. This month we are reviewing 1,000 Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. Not the easiest of books to read with a very grim first chapter. It'll be interesting to hear what others thought of it. If you're interested in joining us do come. Last Thursday in the month at 7pm.

 It loooks as though the new website www.Hive.co.uk is going live very soon. Have a look. It might be for you and we told that there is to be an opening offer of a discount. That has to be good.

For once it seems that I am going to get this posted before midday. A record in the short history of Latimer Books. Enjoy the week ahead. We hope to, despite the many predictions that there are.   

16th May 2011

Although it is said that there is no such thing as a free lunch the fact remains at the London Book Fair recently I was given some free books. One of them was a new book by Mark Mils who had previously written "The Savage Garden". His latest book "House of the Hanged" is due to be publshed in July. It's set in inter war France on the Rivierra and stars, if that is the right word, a personable young(ish) man called Tom Nash who for reasons we are not immediately told about has abandoned a career in the diplomatic service . It has a curiously dated air to it with Bolshevic agents and a wicked step father all making an appearance. It's not a deep read but it's a satisfying read with a cast of characters that one can imagine in a film version with a major British male star taking the lead. Pure escapism.Worth spending £7.99 on when it is published.

The Borders Book Trail brochure that we and eight other independent book shops have combined to produce is generating a lot of interest to visitors to this area. It gives information on a total of nine shops from Peebles in the west, Inverlethen, Melrose, St. Bothwells, Newton Don and Keslo in the east Effectively it follows the Tweed. It was produced with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund. It's printed on substantial paper and is a handy size. If you want a copy and cannot get it locally send us an email with your address and we'll send you one.

Next month the Borders Book Festival takes place in nearby Melrose and although we have no direct involvement the various events generate an even greater interest in books which has to be good for booksellers. Actors, broadcasters, authors and even a very well known cook will combine to make it an event not to be missed. Catch details on www.bordersbookfestival.org

Childrens books always sell well. But and it's a big but, sometimes it's very difficult to judge the age group that is best suited for a particular book. Some publishers have attempted to solve this conumdrum by indicating the appropriate age range on the back of the book. However that has not met with universal applause as some parents are convinced that their children's reading ability is far in excess of what the publishers might dictate or suggest. No easy solutions to the problem.

But of course there is an easy solution as to what to do when the lawn is mown, the weeding done, the washing up done and silence descends on the house. Read a good book. Forget the news , ignore the ravings of the press. Just let life go on at a measured pace and immerse yourself in a book, that's what they're there for.

12th May 2011

For the last few days for some reason we have not been able to access to our web builder so our attempts to file our blog have been unsuccessful but all is now working so here is our latest offering

Another Monday last week so apparently another Bank Holiday. All these days off must be playing havoc with the management of major industries and indeed smaller businesses. Where we are, in Kelso in the Scottish Borders there was a certain amount of confusion as to whether businesses should be open or not. We decided to close on Friday and also on Saturday and we are very glad that we did. However Monday we opened. The weekend weather was wonderful with blue skies and warm temperature.  We sat outside reading the weekend book reviews. Seemed like a very good way of celebrating someone else's wedding.

The Book Shop Book Club met last Thursday evening to discuss Marina Lewaka's "Two Caravans". Most thought the book well worth reading though the dark side of the story of the immigrant workers and their gang masters troubled some members. The next book we are to look at is "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet" by David Mitchell who achieved much fame with his book "Cloud Atlas". This latest book has been described as "a love story set in eighteenth cenyury Japan" but I suspect that it is a little more than that. The opening chapters are not easy reading but one soon begins to follow the rythyms of the Dutch and Japanese names. The Village Book Club is now reading "Hare with the Amber Eyes" so both clubs are reading books with a Japanese element in them. 

When I was in London recently at the London Book Fair a few weeks ago I found/made time to go the V& to see some netsuke which form the background to this amazing book. I was surprised how large they were but then I realised that they could not be any smaller. Such intricate pieces and so delicate.

One of our best sellers over the past few weeks has been Alan Bennetts new book "Smut". It's a slim volume with two novellas inside. Not Sunday school reading but nevertheless very amusing and very very Bennett like. His wry portrayal of human society and all its foibles is a good antidote to some of the rather silly books that sometimes come onto the shelves.

And what else. the weather continues to amaze and sometimes amuse. Very cold is followed by near gales but the great thing is that the evenings are now so long with darkness not really falling till nearly 10pm. For enthusiastic gardners it's a boon and of course if it's too wet to work outside one can always stay inside and read about what one should be doing.

And I suppose that's what our customers like doing. Reading. Reading about how to do things and reading about other people. One of the greatest pleasures in life is reading. And still no tax or vat on reading a book. Not every realises that ebooks attract vat. No so traditional books.Long may it continue. 

`25th April

It's very curious being in the shop on what is supposed to be a Bank Holiday. Most of the other local shops are open and some ( a few) not. Obviously the Banks are closed but one has to ask why that should be the case. The Banks were closed on Friday and so any cash takings from Friday, Saturday and now Monday have to wait till tomorrow, Tuesday before they can be banked. Perhaps the nationalised and part nationalised Banks could lead the way by not closing on Bank Holidays. The same situation will happen later this week. Very nice for Bank employees but not so good for their customers. And then there are the schools. They are open today. Why?  But perhaps that's enough ranting for this blog so let's move on.

One of the greatest things about the shop is listening to the views of the customers. The proposed royal wedding, Lybia, the advantages of voting A.V. and the bankers' bonuses vote have all been discussed at length these last few days. So have holidays.Some local employers apparently are insisting that because the work place is closed on Friday then that day is taken as part as the holiday entitlement. Hardly likely to further good working relations. One wonders how many people realise that.

In the book shop it's always nice to see a  family all choosing and buying books of their choice. Sometimes the temptation is to try and second guess who will choose what. Will Dad always go to the military history section and maps (always maps) and Mum the cookery. Will Teenage daughter invarably choose a book on fashion. Not so. People can be wonderfully unpredictable. And that's half the joy of running a small book shop.   

Next week we'll have a longer blog about books we have read and heard about and so want to read. In the meantime don't forget that ITV is broadcasting tonight "The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher" a dramatised version of Kate Summerscale's excellent piece of non fiction. 

18th April

The London Book Fair in Earls Court which I attended on Monday and Tuesday last week was hot, humid and probably very exciting for those folks doing deals there. For the rest of us mere mortals it was fascinating watching the movers and shakers in the publishing industry strut their stuff. For me, the fact that so many foreign publishers thought it worthwhile to have a stand exhibiting their books was perhaps the most interesting aspect of the whole Fair.  I was only there because I had been lucky enough to win free entry and free accommodation in London from the Booksellers Association who had wanted to celebrate their 40th anniversary. So thank you B.A.

Some stands were very busy. Gallic Books always had a crowd on it sampling the latest translations from the French and the Penguin stand looked very stylish. Gardners the wholesalers were pushing their new link with Hive.co.uk which hopefully will assist the revival of the independent book shops. Some stands attracted very little support. Bad design or just lack of interest in the product? I was interested to hear that the debate about World Book Night was still rumbling on. Some, like me, thought that giving away 1,000,000 Books a bad idea whilst some argued that such generosity promoted a further interest in books. Time will tell who was right.

In the shop Book Club this month we are reading "Two Caravans" by Marina Lewycka the very successful follow up to "A Short History of Tractors in the Ukraine". For some reason the author's third novel "We are all made of glue " has not proved as popular as the first two. At home in the village Book Club the chosen book of the month is Kate Atkinson's "Started Early, Took My Dog"  An intriguing tiltle from a very accomplished author.. Next month we are to read and discuss Edmund de Waal's "Hare with Amber Eyes" which I have already read, It is a book that not only informs and makes one think but entertains as well. 

We are lucky in the Borders in that we host the Borders Book Festival wich is based in the nearby town of Melrose. Most of the independent book shops in the area have combined to produce a Book Trail which is advertised in the Festival programme. We were lucky enough to get some financial assistance from a regional fund to help with the cost of this. If you want a copy contact us.

At home our Highland pony at last has a new companion to replace the Shetland who died earlier in the year. The new addition is a crossbreed, a very elegant Arabian / Andulician mare who has very quickly put the Highland in his proper place. The building of the new house continues apace with the building now properly wind and watertight. Much work however has still to be done so we'll have to see if the builders' estimated occupation date of end July is really viable. In the meantime we continue to work in the garden and creating a vegetable plot. In realty I seem to spend more time reading about we whould be doing than actually doing it but that's one of the joys of life. Making plans. That's how books help.   

4th April

As this Monday looks as being as quiet as last Monday I thought that a good use of the time would be to do this week's blog. So here I am sipping Rhoobos tea flavoured with honey and hoping that some brave souls will brave the cold wind to seek out our little book shop. In fact to help me I've turned on Radio 4 Extra and am listening to "The Fortunes of War". It's probably an old recording but it's great to get involved with Guy Pringle and the lovely Harriet again. Radio drama always seems to be much more satisfying that anything seen on the small screen. Being able to use one's imagination is much better that being subjected to a producer's interpretation of what the author wrote. But of course there's a problem following a story when customers come in. I turn the volume down but it can be frustrating especially when I hear that dreaded remark-" We're just here to browse".

Someone was in the shop the other trying to sell us a book about the "How to organise and train for the Big Society". Apparently there are people out there making money out of training people for the Big Society. I had to point out that In our local paper last week there was an advertisement for a fund raising event for the victims of the Japanese earthquake. A few weeks earlier there had been events to assist the victims of the New Zealand earthquake. All locally organised and raising quite substantial funds. In our very small village money has been raised for the victims of the Haiti earthquake, for Macmillian Nurses, to pay for a local mentally challenged youth to go on a Jumbulance trip and more recently for the Alzeimers Society. Our children drain our meage resources by running marathons or 10km runs for charity and obviously they have to be supported. All this private fund raising has been organised for years, long before "The Big Society" appeared on the scene. Every town one visits has charity shops bulging with items and clothes to sell. It seems to me that more training for the Big Society is one thing we don't need. More helpers yes, certainly more donations but more "qualified organisers and books on how to help"-probably not.0

The shock announcement from the Arts Council about its reduction in support for Poetry was very surprising and not at all helpful. We find that we sell a lot of poetry and we cannot be exceptional in the book trade. Andriew Motion, Carol Anne Duffy and Benjamin Zephaniah and many many others have made poetry much more readable and appreciated than it ever was before. It no longer has the elitist tag affixed to it. Perhaps next year the Arts Council will reverse its decision.

Next week I'm off to the big smoke to attend the London Book Fair. The programme looks interesting and stimulating. I'm especially looking forward to finding out how far Gardners (our major wholesalers) are getting on developing www.Hive.co.uk When Hive is fully operational it should provide a welcome boost to  Independent Book Sellers and hopefully will provide some sort of counter balance to Amazon (which like Tescos) almost seems to be taking over the retail world. Anything that gives the customer more choice has to be a good thing.

And finally to books. Brian Cox's series on the television "Wonders of the Universe" is only one of several such programme covering roughly the same ground. The book of the same title published to coincide with the series is not difficult to read and has some wonderful pictures and images.

It must be a first for a book to be published that is described as a biography when it's not a biography of a person but of a city. Simon Sebag Montefiore's "Jerusalem" is called a biography of a city. Customers who have already bought it and read it says that it is written with the author's usual attention to detail. Certainly a change from writing about Stalin. Another book that has received much attention is C.J. Samson's "Heartstone" at last available in big paperback. The Daily Express descibes it as "Compulsively readable..." and for once the Express is right.

And so we wait for the week to get under way properly. Hopefully the weather will improve and perhaps over the upcoming holiday breaks our politicians will find time to buy some history books and read them. That way a lot of innocent lives might be saved. Wasn't it Churchill who said that "Jaw,jaw is better than war,war"? 

1st April 2011

Some very kind people have queried if we are alright because they have not seen a recent update of the blog. Well, the answer is that we are fine and the reason for the delay in filing the latest blog has been that I have been to two book club meetings in the last few days and I wanted to report on both of them.

The first book club meeting was in our small village of Bonchester Bridge. In fact the book club meets in the Southdean Village Hall as the community is lucky enough to have two village halls. Last month we had decided to look at "The Woman in White" written by Wilkie Collins in 1860. Some of us had used the Penguin Classic edition, one had used an old hard back edition and some the cheaper Samphire Press edition. All of us agreed that the novel was a very good read. A great interpretation  of the mores of mid Victorian England with the infernal foreigner, in the form of Count Fosco, wonderfully portrayed. Other characters that stick in the mind are the effete Frederick Fairlie and the almost too good to be true Walter Hartwight the so called drawing master. Apart from the convulated plot where right eventually prevails, the book is a great study of how the Victorians treated their womenfolk and madness.  Reading the book 151 years after first publication means we are approaching it with very different eyes to the original audience. What we now find remarkable might have seemed quite normal then. Our little village book club enjoyed it. We might try "The Moonstone" later in the year.

The slightly delayed meeting of the Book Shop Book Club looked at a "The Soapman" by Roger Hutchinson. This is a book probably intended mainly for Scottish readers but it does have a more universal interest as well. First published in 2003 it it is a study of how the founder of what is now known as Unilver (hence the title of the book) bought, in 1918, the island of Lewis on Scotland's west coast. Later he bought Harris.He considered himself a great reforming and liberal industrialist. Sadly he simply could not or perhaps would not understand the crofting concept where a man has a life tenancy of but not own the land he crofts. Leverhulme wanted to introduce modern ideas of land management. It was a failure of giagantic proportions. It was a case a of a rock meeting a hard place. Not only is the book is tremendous story of what happens when innocence meets arrogance it is full of fascinating social history of something that happened not that long ago.       

And so from the wilds of the Western Isles to today in the Scottish Borders. Our next event at Latimer Books is when we host a visit by Tony Black who has recently published his fifth book.  This one is called "Truth Lies Bleeding" . Like all his others it is set in a part of Edinbugh none of us would wish to freqent, certainly after dark. Tony will be here at 11 am on Saturday 2nd April. Join us if you can.

Other news means that I must make reference to our little wooden cottage that is being built in the little piece of woodland we bought a while back. In five/six weeks we have reached the stage where the slaters are on site working on the roof. The joiners might complete laying the initial flooring today so maybe the projected completion date of end June was not so far wrong after all. Poor Jane has been on Jury service for the last three days. It has not inspired a great respect by her for the criminal justice system. Delay and repetition seem to be the key words but presumably so long as justice is eventually done we must not complain. 

In fact it seems to me that we have little really to complain about in this country. No one need starve, everyone should be able to get free health care and education, we have no, or perhaps very few, political prisoners and on the whole the corruption that there is is not too extreme. Of course bankers don't deserve their high bonuses but we all know that and maybe eventually something will be done about it. And of course no-one should be in real want whatever their age or background but despite the cuts it's still a pretty good place to be. No earthquakes destroying whole communities as in New Zealand or poor Japan. I suppose we would all like more but sometimes we all have to reflect of what life is like elsewhere in the world and count our blessings. There's a lot of people here helping others with or without the help of the "Big Society". 

April this year seems to be a month of bank holidays. Easter and the royal wedding will wipe out several days work for many but for us we intend we intend to be here serving the great British public with whatever books you need to enjoy the spring. So days off, good books to read and hopefully some spring like weather. Can't be bad,eh?

18th March

Following on from remarks made on twitter last week I have been researching the names and authors of books that have been either burned or banned or sometimes both. These are not arcane books about religious dogma from the sixteenth century but books published in fairly recent times. The list is long, in fact very long, and perhaps one of the most surprising feature is how often it is an American School Board that is seeking to stop its students reading something considered unacceptable. "Grapes of Wrath" Steinbek' s terrific novel about the Mid west poor in the depression was not only banned but three copies were actually burned in public. Public burnings of literature seems today to be so medieval. The Nazi government in Germany burned books in the 1930s that we know but the "excuse" was that it was a dictatorship.

But we in this country mustn't gloat. We were stopped from reading Lady Chatterley's Lover until 50 years ago. We had censorship on the public stage until even more recently. Libraries not so long ago were refusing to stock copies of Enid Blyton's books on the grounds that her language was inappropriate. So we've had books banned because they "offend" the ruling establishment, books banned because they were politically incorrect and books banned because of their sexual content. Now the debate has moved on to the policing of the web. Freedom to read what we want to seems to be something that still has to be fought for. Not every political or religious leader would want to have that freedom.

The rep from Gardners called in to brief us about the recent developments with the new website www.hive.co.uk which hopefully is going to enable independent booksellers to compete with Amazon. It will be a win/win situation for booksellers and their customers. More about this soon. At the London Book Fair next month there will be some sort of launch party which I hope to attend and then we will learn when the new website goes live.

And so onto books.Recently was introduced to the a new novel by Siri Hustvedt. It's called "The Summer Without Men." Intriguingly simple story but very well reviewed in the British press. Sceptre who are publishing it in this country have made a delightful jacket and depite the title men would enjoy it as well as women. A very different setting for Nada Jarrar's "Somewhere, Home.". The Middle East is the venue and specifically Mount Lebanon. Gentle and interesting and written with a sense of humour unlike so many books about the Middle East.

But back to bookselling. To my amazement was asked by a customer if we sold ebooks and when told that we had done so for some years he expressed surprise. It just goes to show that although we may look old fashioned we do try to keep up with what's happening. Many people now use ereaders and we are here to serve them as well buyers of books in a more traditional form.    

Usually I write our blog on a Monday but next Monday I have some appointments which would interrupt that so that is why I am writing this today, Friday. With the good weather promised for the weekend I hope that all of you reading this will manage to get out and about and perhaps at the end of the day sit down with a good book to read. Whatever you choose to do, enjoy it.

14th March

The last week started not so well but ended briliantly with Fadette Marie launching her debut novel "Northern Girl". She sold lots of copies of her book and friends and neighbours were on hand to witness her pleasure at so many sales. We had thought that the sudden snowfall might have deterred people from coming but not so.Our records show that Fadette sold more copies of her book than any other debut novellist so far at one of our author events. So, despite the weather, an excellent day.

And now we start another week. Yet again we have blue skies above us with the occasional vapour trail high in the sky showing that some lucky people are flying out of Edinburgh Airport and away to exotic climes. We keep quite a large selection of travel guides in the shop. but sometimes we get stumped. A guide to Northern Korea had us scratching our heads and digging deep into the wholesalers stocklist and a guide to the Nepalise railway system had us completely stumped. I still think that that particular client was trying to get themselves on the "Bizarre request of the week list".

We're intending to attend the London Book Fair in early April. We've not been before but the programme looks exciting so we thought that it justified a journey down south to the big smoke. It means that the shop will be closed for a day or two but hopefully what we learn from the Book Fair will compensate for that. 

It is almost impossible to hold a conversation with anybody in the shop at the present time without discussing the terrible events unfolding in Japan. The damage to the nuclear reactors is very worrying and the loss of life almost impossible to comprehend. It makes one realise how safe we are in Europe with little or no likelhood of such an event happening here.Professor Brian Cox's comments in his Sunday evening programme "Wonders of the Universe" help to put it all into perspective.

Last weekend the publishing world "celebrated" World Book Night. We had found ourselves designated a collection centre for people to come in and collect their boxes of books which they intended to give away. For some reason one such person did not come in so we found ourselves with an apparently unwanted box of  Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front". No point in returning it so we decided to take it to our local film club and give copies away there.That went down quite well so we'll repeat the exercise at other local events until all the copies have gone. I re-read the book at the weekend. I had forgotten what an indictment of war it was. It was not surprising that the Hitler regime burned it and banned it. Perhaps we should all read the books that have been banned or burned whether by the Church or a dictatorship. It's a sobering thought. 

And so from dictatorships and censorship to lighter matters. Now that we can get "i" (the lite version of the Independent) in Kelso it has become part of my morning ritual to collect a copy from the newsagent. Give the news in a condensed form and even better not one but two crosswords. Just like the bigger fuller version of the paper. All for 20 pence. Great. Value for money is always important and never more so. Books, especially paperbacks, are still reasonably priced at under £10.00. No vat unless you buy an e book. Sometimes we have special offers in the shop. Worthwhile keeping a look out.  

7th March

We're getting ready for our first event of the month with the launch on Saturday morning of a debut novel, Northern Girl by Fadette Marie who writes " although Northern Lights is a work of fiction, it was inspired by the true story of how my parents met, and created life together..." I think that it must be very difficult to write about somone as close as one's parents but Fadette manages to with style and panache. Saturday morning should be fun as we shall have a chance to talk to Fadette.

A fortnight later on the 26th March we have the Borders Writers' Forum here en masse. They will reading from their works and discussing them.

As with all our events there is no charge for admission and we supply drinks and eats as well.

The weekend reviews of Sarah Brown's book "Behind the Black Door" were mixed. Experience shows that instant history is never very successful. That Gordon Brown might have been misunderstood we all know, that his relationship with Blair was tortuous and sometime volatile we also know but all the reviews we saw remarked on how little information there was on the financial collapse. Perhaps discretion and the laws of libel stopped any more being revealed. Time will show. Whatever the shortcomings Sarah Brown appears to write in a more lucid style than her husband.

"Anatomy of a Disappearance" by Hisham Matar is a very topical book set in the main in the Middle East. Like the author's first book it is part autobiographical and part novel.It is beautifully written and the sadness and bitterness of the subject matter cannot hide the quality of the writing.

And so on to more domestic and perhaps more cheerful matters. Our house is at last being erected. Floor joists laid week one, wall panels and roof trusses week two with the roof sarking (look it up if you've not come accross the word before) going on today. The windows and doors are promised for next week. Hopefully we'll be able to move in by end July. We spent Sunday planting a new beech hedge and it's good to see that everywhere the new season's buds are forming on the hedges and plants. Was still able to dig up some carrots from the raised bed that I built last year but sadly for me I left them on the ground and the dogs ate them. So Sunday dinner with no carrots.      

The family are coming up with some good ideas about what to put in a time capsule that we intend to bury under the floor boards of the new house. If any readers of this blog has an idea please contact us, The time capsule is a rather grand name for nothing more than a tin box or two containing memorabilia which might be of interest to someone in say a hundred years time. If we reflect on how life was in 1910 it is amazing to see the changes that have taken place in just three generations. What will life be like in 2111? 

As I sit here typing out these random thoughts I can see a beautiful blue sky above the roof tops. Very tempting to be out I thought, but as I walked to the post office a short while ago I realised that a blue sky does not necessarily mean it is warm as well. Too early to be outside without a coat. It's really a bit like buying a new book, sometimes the outside of the book is quite different to the inside. That's why here in the shop we have plenty of chairs so that people can sit down when they have selected a book and read a paragraph or more just to make sure that the inside is like the outside.

Blue skies or not, warm or not so warm, do enjoy your week.    

1st March

I thought that I would delay writing this blog so as to coincide with the start of the new month.

One of our children recently said that she was coming up at Easter and that has made me realise how very late it is this year and that has led me to try to find out why the date for Easter changes from year to year. Fascinating stuff. "first Sunday following the full moon after 21st March" seems to be the easiest(!) way of working it out so that means this year Easter Sunday is on the 24th April. So now we all know.

And so to books and bookish matters.

Worldbooknight will shortly be upon us. Possibly the most barmy exercise in the history of promoting an interest in books and reading ever. Unwittingly we found ourselves acting as a depot for the collection of boxes of books by the so called self selected "givers". How earth the Booksellers Assn got caught up in this heaven only knows. They are supposed to promote book sales not the giving away of free books. Wasn't it Milton Friedman who famously said that there's no such thing as a free lunch?  But fortunately for our sanity and the health of the book trade in general there are still people out there who think that browsing in a book shop and then buying a book is a good way of spending some time.

Sebastian Faulkes continues to amuse and infuriate with his ecclectic review of English literature. His book "On Fiction" has translated well to the television screen but the book itself has many hidden gems for the careful reader.

A  recently published thought provoking book is "Why God won't go away" Only published last month the author, Alister McGrath takes on Richard Dawkins and his merry band in a head to head debate. The debate will probably continue till the end of time but it's good to read such lucid arguments presented in such a readable way. Whether you're an aetheist or agnostic or devout believer the book makes for stimulating reading.

Whether Sarah Brown's book "Behind the Black Door" is going to do well will depend on many things not least who reviews it and what  publicity she gets. Perhaps someone will write a book about Prime Minster's spouses and their writings. What with  Mary Wilson and her poetry and Norma Major with her tome on the history of Chequers, Clarissa Eden and her memoires and who else. Did Lady Churchill ever write about her husband? I don't think she did. But perhaps discretion was more popular 50 years ago.

It used to be said that March came in like a lion and went out like a lamb. So far at least here in southern Scotland March has come in like a lamb. Warm and sunny days. Lets just hope that the old saying is not to be reversed.

Despite this the evenings are still cold enough to light a fire and sit down and read a good book. Will endeavour next week to publish blog on time.

24th February

Have updated "Author events". Have a look. And have any of you got ideas for things to put in a time capsule under our new house that is being built? Something that might interest future generations. Have already had some responses to this question on twitter. We are not advertising in Keslo Life for a couple of months whilst our "web life" is updated. Watch this space.

22nd February

We're a day late doing this blog because we went down south at the weekend. Just don't ask Jane about the journey. A great visit seeing some of the children and grandchildren but a nightmare journey. Still safely back now.  

Last Thursday's meeting of the Shop Book Club was particularly interesting because there was a real dispute as to the quality of the book we had decided to read. "Water for Elephants" was not liked at all by one member and indeed few found the brutality both to the animals in the circus or to the men and women working there to their liking. Everyone thought that the passages describing the narrator's thoughts in his old people's home very true to life but his earlier memories upset quite a few. The cover showing a young woman in a revealing dress was thought to be quite silly. No-one thought that they would recommend the book which is surprising how popular it is supposed to have been. Next month we're reading "The Soap Man". More about that later. The local Book Club is reading poetry tonight which should be interesting.

We're getting involved with a local marketing initiative to develop a "Book Trail" for the Borders. Some funding from an external agency might be available to develop a local brochure. This maybe a very good idea as anything that encourages footfall into book shops has to be good news. On the other hand am not quite sure that the organisers of World Book Night have got it right. Giving away a million new books for nothing sounds like a good idea but how can a bookseller then try to sell the same book at the proper price later on?

With the advent of South Riding on BBC1 I imagine some will want to buy and read the Winifred Holtby novel on which it is based. This should be easier to supply than the 1850s Bradshaw that a lady recently asked us to get because she had been watching Portillo's Train Journeys Round Britian using an 1850's Bradshaw. Even now I am sure that the lady thought that we were being very stupid when we said it was out of print.  

The next blog should be published on the 28th which will mean that slowly we edge towards the spring. Already the days are perceptibly lengthening. As I write this the sky here in Kelso is blue but no-one is venturing out without a coat. Roll on Spring I say. 

14th February

It has been an absolutely fascinating week in the shop. Not because of what the customers have said or done (though that is always fascinating) but because of two visits we have had from our major suppliers.

The Book trade is mostly served by two wholesalers. Rarely do we buy direct from publishers. There are regional wholesalers who are excellent but they cannot carry the quantity of stock that is carried by either of the two majors one of  which is based in East Anglia and the other which on the south coast. Each company offers near identical terms and both (usually) are very good at arranging next day deliveries, even to us here in the Scottish borders. One uses TNT and the other uses DHL. Sadly one went through a difficult patch a while back and now they seem to be experiencing problems again as five reps have just been made redundant and their M.D.has gone off to a major chain. All this sends out very negative signals. DHL let that company down badly in the bad weather in December whilst TNT for the other wholesaler managed to keep its supply network open. No attempt apparently was to switch carriers though we are now told that this might happen next time there are problems. 

When one rep came to see us at Christmas time she bought us a small gift, not so the other rep. A little thing but perhaps indicative of the company's thinking. And now a whole new scheme is to be launched intended to assist and re-invigorate the independent book trade. This will help you the customer and us the book seller. So we have one company sacking its reps and perhaps saving a little bit of money and the other seeking new ways to serve the book buying public by investing in new technology and a new concept. Time will show which of the two companies succeeds. Does one slash and burn to survive or invest and innovate? Sounds a very familiar question.

On Thursday of this week we shall be hosting the Shop Book Club and I am looking forward to hearing other peoples views of this month's chosen book "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. From my point of view I think that the cover does not do the book justice. That, I hear, is a common complaint not just about this book but about many others. If you're reading this blog and want to join the Shop Book Club just come long at 7pm on Thursday. Very informal. 

As anyone who has been in the shop knows we sell Naxos classical cds. We order in anything a customer requires and we top up the Naxos stand with whatever is sent to us by way of a selection each month. This means that we are not imposing our selection on the public but rather relying on the sometimes eclectic choice of the good people at Naxos. It means that we and our cusomers are introduced to composers that we would not ordinarily experience. Of course well known favourites also appear but it's always good to extend one's range.

Following my remarks last week about the heating in the council offices it has just been reported in the local press that as from this summer the heating will not be turned on in an attempt to reduce fuel costs. One must be entitled to ask why anyone thought it a good idea to have the heating on at all in the summer in any event. But clearly someone at the council offices is reading this blog and acting upon it. Maybe.

In this part of the world with Scotland playing at home just up the road a silence descends on the town roundabout kick off time on a Saturday, time for us to take a breather and to think about our next two events planned for 12th and 26th March. On Saturday the 12th March we're very pleased to be associated with the launch of Fadette Marie's debut novel which is partly based on the story of her parent's courtship. Fadette will be in the shop from about 11am and happy to talk about the book and what led her to write it.

A fortnight later the Border Writers Forum is holding its snow delayed book fest in the shop. That promises to be a very stimulating affair with many of the members reading something from their works.

Another event that we are looking to is a visit from Tony Black whose crime books now have a very devoted and ever increasing following. The date for that yet to be finalised.

As I complete this blog rugby players in Scotland are wondering what went wrong in Saturday's match. To lose against France a fortnight ago was one thing but to lose against Wales so badly is very disappointing. Not many books about Scottish Rugby will be sold this week I think.

But on the positive side we have to be thankful that (so far at least) no one has has proposed closing our local libraries. and the council has found some money to repair some of the most snow damaged roads.

Good books of all sorts are still being written and independent bookshops are still here to sell them. Long may they that situation continue.

7th February

We're very grateful to the readers of this blog or of our tweets who take time out to comment. For some reason that we cannot quite fathom our tweets are being followed by more and more people everyday and the number of "hits" to this blog page is amazing.

So what's being happening in our little world. Perhaps the best thing for the writer was watching Sebastian Faulks on BBC 2 talk about the Hero in the Novel. He has very recently published a book called "Faulks on Fiction" and the BBC series ties in with the book. Not everyone will agree with his choice of heroes. Robinson Crusoe-yes, Tome Jones-definitely, Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair-maybe, Sherlock Holmes -an interesting choice, Winston Smith in 1984-a hero-not really -a failed hero perhaps, Jim Dixon in Lucky Jim- a sort of hero, but John Self in Martin Amis's Money-somehow I doubt if most people would regard him as any sort of hero. Next week Faulks is going to talk about Lovers. Should be fun. I'm sure we'll have lots of footage of Colin Firth as Darcy.

In the shop it has been a little bit quieter than usual but that's probably due to the appaling weather. Very high winds and very heavy rain have produced some localised flooding and made travel difficult. Several trees have been blown down. The Tweed has burst its banks and all the burns are in full spate. Our more stupid labrador thought that she would go for a swim in the river that runs through the field at the back of the house and had to be restrained or else she would have been swept away.     

Our decision to stop selling and redeeming National Book Tokens appears to be understood by everybody especially when we explain the "commission" that the National  Book Tokens Company take. Many customer have said to us that they had no idea that we lost so much to the National Books Tokens Company in the way of commission. However our own Book Tokens which are only redeemable here in the shop are proving very popular.

The roads here in the Scottish Borders suffered a great deal of damage in the very bad weather last winter and the local council still has to catch up with the oustanding repairs. The snow and ice that covered the region from November to January this year has not helped at all and some roads are in a dreadful state and now we are being told that there is not enough money to deal with them. It seems odd that despite this there is enough money to pay for councillor's lunches. When I last visited the coucil offices it was so hot I had to take my jacket off. "Waste not, want not" might be a good new motto for our council.

As I sit here typing up this blog I'm listening to the weather forecast. Not good. Sleet, rain, heavy winds and snow. Almost makes one want to emmigrate. But then one goes for a walk round the Square. Look there's a new sign outside Greggs the bun shop. "Porridge" it says," Now available all day" Now how could one think of leaving a country where the shops offer porridge all day. Perhaps we should offer that in our little book shop.

31st January

It hardly seems possible that a whole month has gone by since we were singing Auld Lang Syne to welcome in the New Year. Burns Night is also now past us and we see that some local shops are trying to encourage business by promoting Valentines Day on the 14th February. Perhaps we will put some books of Love Poetry in one of our shop windows.

We continue to make adaptions and alterations in the shop to meet the needs of customers. Clearly in these straightened times everyone is looking for a bargain so we are turning one rooom into a "Discount Room" where we will sell books at a discount of 30%. These will be new books like all the other books in the shop but they will be books where we have been able to negotiate better terms with our suppliers. Many will be hard back editions of books which have now been supplanted by paper back editions. By discounting the price by 30% the hard back editions are nearly the same price as the paper back copy.

The Quadrille note books and notelets which proved so popular over Christmas have been moved to a table at the front of the shop. Although they carry a vat charge we will be absorbing, for the time being, the recent increase in vat. The same applies to the Naxos cds and anything else in the shop that carries vat. Of course ordinary printed books do not carry vat. Let's hope that remains to be the case in the future.

In this small shop with a relatively small footfall (to use the right language) we are amazed how many people come in during the course of the day to browse, to chat and to discuss. Not just about books but about the issues of the day. About important things like the current story line or lack of it in the Archers, about the pontificating of our political leaders, about the weather (obviously)  and about the local council's plans to waste even more of our money by introducing a new road lay out in the town to replace one that works perfectly adequately.

Some folk want to talk of their children or grandchildren and often we are told of achievements at school. Almost everyone wants to talk of how things were 20, 30, 40 or even 50 years ago. Were they really that much better? Maybe. Perhaps every generation has a nostalgic view of the recent past. We certainly sell a large number of books based upon recent history. And then there is the war. Do people in other countries have such an obsession with what happened between 1939 and 1945 as the British do? Books on wartime airfields, books on wartime agents or double agents, books on wartime austerity. Any book with the name Hitler on its cover sell well. The list is endless. And empire is another rich source for authors and publishers. Probably even as I write this blog some author is writing his book entitled Hitler and the fall of the British Empire.Maybe there is such a book and we will be asked to order it in next week.

For us the most popular book in the last few days has been "The Invention of Murder". One lady bought it and then came back for another copy to send to her daughter. We've been asked to send copies abroad. It seems that it has become a must read book.

The shop book club is reading "Water for Elephants" whilst our book club in the village is suggesting that at the next meeting, which will be close to St. Valentine's Day, that everyone brings some love poetry to read out loud. Both meetings promise to be interesting.

Book club meetings are interesting as is running a small book shop. Listening to people is always fascinating. Years ago I was told that we have two ears but only one mouth. Perhaps our so called leaders ought to remember that and listen more and talk less.  

24th January

Every commentator seems to be saying that the retail trade (and that includes independent booksellers like us) has had a very bad time of it since the bad weather hit us at the end of November. Our pre-Christmas takings were badly hit and we know that many shops have decided simply to give up.That's very sad. In our small town of Kelso a jeweller's shop has already closed and there are rumours of other shops in difficulties. The only ones that seem to flourish are hairdressers. The traditional High Street as such appears to be disappearing before our eyes.

In order to ensure our own survival we've had to source some new wholesalers who can give us better terms than some of the companies we have used before. This has meant that we have been able to re-stock the shelves with some very interesting new books covering all genre. The history section is now in chronological order which hopefully will assist our customers. We've moved the "classics" to be closer to general fiction whilst crime has been expanded and is now more readily identified separately. We're debating how to rationalise the cookery books. By surname of author or subject matter? Decisions, decisions.

Not surprisngly we've almost sold out of books about Burns. We went to a Burns Night Supper in the village last Saturday. It was great and the recital of Tam o' Shanter was brilliant. How do people remember it?

Readers of this blog will recall that we had to cancel the Book fest that we had arranged for the Borders' Writers Forum late last year because of the bad weather but we are pleased to say that the event has been re-scheduled for Saturday March 26th. We'll give more details nearer the day but do keep the morning clear in your diary. Not only will it be free but it will a good chance to hear and meet some of our local authors and poets.

The next meeting of the Shop Book Club will be on Thursday 17th February. The book chosen to be read is "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. At the last meeting we reviewed "The Reader" by Bernard Schlink. Everyone had much enjoyed the book even though the subject matter was quite terrible in parts. Anyone is welcome to attend though it would be nice if you could just let me know if you are coming. Tea or coffee is supplied and we meet at 7pm in the shop.  

And now we start a new week. A moderate weather forecast gives us some hope that the worst of the winter is past. We even heard the birds singing this morning. Sunshine and spring like weather and still no vat on books. What more could we ask for? 

17th January

So far holding good to my New Year Resolution to update this blog every Monday.

The Week end book reviews were not very exciting but then I suppose most publishers had tried to get their favourite books mentioned in the run up to Christmas.Still find it mildly irritating that some books like the newly published diary/autobiography of Mark Twain sold out so quickly  and the reprint is taking so long. We have several customers waiting for their copy. Sometimes publishers get their sales estimates very very wrong. And still the Jamie Oliver bandwagon rolls on. His "30 Minute Suppers" still atracts huge demand. No sooner do we order more copies into the shop that they fly off the shelves.

We have replenished and expanded our stock of childrens books. Since we moved the location of the children's section to the front of the shop we have noticed much greater sales. This has allowed us to increase what we have on offer. Walker Books have a special deal at present where we sell very well known award winning picture books on a "buy one get one free basis". We've also put on the shelves childrens books incorporating a cd and these seem to be popular too.

The history section classification we have has, in the past, always been based upon just the surname of the author but that is being altered over the next few days so that (hopefully) the history section will be divided into separate subsections. This will, we hope, make it easier for our customers.

In the past we have always sold our own paper Book Tokens redeemable here in our shop as well as National Book Tokens which are redeemable anywhere. Sadly National Book Tokens Ltd. decided last year to introduce an elctronic version of their card and to do away completely with the paper version altogether.Dealing with the electronic card is a time consuming task and the very small reward we get does not justify our continued use of the scheme. From our point of view our own Tokens are not only much much easier and quicker to sell but apparently much more appreciated by our customers so we have decided that we will no longer from the end of January redeem or sell National Book Tokens but just our own.  

As I sit here on Monday morning I can see a very deep blue cloudless sky and as people come into the shop they are positively smiling perhaps reflecting the change in the weather. It would be difficult to believe that we will have no more snow and ice but after the last few weeks any respite from the recent very bad wintry weather has to be good news. Could it be that spring is coming early this year? Very nice if it does.     

9th January 2011

Was told that one of my New Year resolutions ought to be to update this blog every Monday. Well, I failed last week so here's hoping for success this week.

On the domestic front we've had a mixed bag of luck and unhappiness recently. One of Jane's ponies had to be put down on New Year's Eve as he was suffering from Cushings disease. This was very upsetting for Jane. On the other hand she has been almost overwhelmed with the kind offers she has received to replace him. On a more positive note we had a great evening in the local pub seeing in the New Year with lots of our friends in the village though quite why the disco had to play quite so loudly is an unanswered question. Getting very very cold watching the Hunt move off the following morning was a very good antidote to any New Years Eve excesses.

At Christmas we were joined by Jennie, oldest child and Daisy oldest grand-daughter who came by train all the way from North Devon and arrived only three minutes late in Newcastle which I thought was brilliant. Others of the family could not make it because of travel problems but eventully Hans drove up and spent a couple of days with us whilst the two other daughters, Pip and Anna are hoping to come up this weekend. We're hoping to go down south to see Max and his family shortly.With five children arrangements can sometimes get a tad chaotic. 

7th January 2011

A very happy new year to everyone who reads this.

For us, like most traders, whether selling books or indeed anything else, the last few weeks have been dire with many of our customers unable to get into Kelso. Trade has been hit very badly by the weather and we are not alone in seeing reduced figures for the past few weeks. We are very grateful to those customers who have supported us.

The new book club that we are starting in the shop will hold its first proper meeting here at the shop on Thursday 20th January. We're delaying it from the original date of 13th January. We are reading "The Reader" by Schlink. Should provoke an interesting discussion.

I've been trying to discover what sold best in the pre-Christmas run up. Surprisingly, serious history book sold well as did cookery books other than those by Gordon Ramsay. The best selling "stocking"filler was a quirky little book called "The Stornaway Black Pudding Bible". The book "celebrates the Hebrides' greatest contribution to the culinary world...". Remember that you read about it here first. Copies are still available in the shop priced only £4.99.

And what's to come in the New Year. More book shop closures seem inevitable. The very large retailers are trying to drum up trade by discounting heavily which is not something an independent like us can do. The recent Vat increase which only has very limited impact on us as books are not (yet) subject to vat nevertheless sends the wrong message. People assume that prices have gone up and they haven't, at least not here in our shop.    

But there is some good news. A new website has opened which gives us access to all the book reviews published in the previous week. It's at www.booksandmedia.co.uk . It should make life here a lot easier. And it will allow us to track down that elusive half remembered book. And we have sourced a new supplier of childrens books. As an opening offer we can offer a deal on well known childrens picture books. Buy one and get one free. Now that has to be good news. Come into the shop and see what's on offer.

And so we start 2011 with some worries and concerns not just for our little shop but also for the wider community dependent as many are on the so called public sector. Whether or nor the politicians have got things right only time will tell. Maybe the upcoming elections in May will spark an interest in politics or history or maybe people will just want to buy some books that are just pure escapism. Whatever your choice we'll try to make sure that we can get it for you.

After the coldest December on record we need an early spring. Me, I'd vote for any politician who could really promise that.  

1st December 2010

Whilst this very bad weather continues we are happy to post to any U.K. customer any book ordered from us at NO EXTRA CHARGE for postage to anywhere in the U.K. 

Just contact us at the shop by phone 01573 225776 or email us at info@latimerbooks.co.uk .

So far we have been able to open the shop everyday since the snow hit us last Thursday. We still hope to be able to get in. We'll keep you up to date with what's happening in the snowy Scottish Borders.

27th November 2010

We had intended to host an event in the shop for the Borders Writers' Forum today but sadly this had to be cancelled this morning because of the dreadful weather. When we know the revised date I'll let you know.

This afternoon one of us was supposed to be at the Southdean Village Christmas Fayre but again this had to be cancelled. So two events cancelled in one day due to the bad weather. Although the roads locally are just passable it is quite scary and tonight more snow is forecast. We had intended to go to Glasgow tomorrow but unless there is a big thaw tonight (which seems unlikely) that proposed trip will for us be the third cancellation of the weekend.

So that's the bad news done and dusted. Now for some book news.

Last year Anton du Beke of Strictly Come Dancing Fame qrote a very simple guide to dance. It sold quite well and now it's selling well again probably because of his routines with Anne Widdecombe on a Saturday evening. Len Gopdman's autobiographt is also popular bucking the trend of most celeb biogs.

And so to bed. Double quilt on the bed, hot water bottles at our feet and a cat and a dog adding warmth and weight. Who cares if it snows tonight? 

20th November

I walked accross the Square to get a bun and saw that there was a very posh wedding today in this little town. Solidiers in fancy dress lined up outside the hotel in the Square where the reception was being held. Smart cars came and went. Lots of well  dresssed ladies wore slightly ridiculous hats and middle aged men tried not to look too self conscious in their kilts. A piper ws playing. Everyone was on their best behaviour and certainly nothing so common as confetti was thrown. Lots of very loud talk in very modulated tones. And then just a few yards away, I saw coming out from the Registrar's office in what used to be the town hall, a couple emerging to peels of joy and shouts of laughter and clouds of confetti from their friends. Two very different weddings. It is to be hoped that they both have the same outcome. A long and happy marriage.

My (humerous) tweets earlier in the week about the impending wedding of one of the Head of State's grandsons have been remarked upon by some of our ever increasing twitter readership. Some of the book buying public in the shop have expressed very Republican views. Whatever one's position on the royal family it does seem odd to be worrying about what someone will wear to a wedding that most of us cannot attend. I  am still hoping that all the interest in weddings will help us sell some books on wedding etiquette and the like.

Mr. Middleton, if you're reading this, get in touch.

I am trying to source a good book about swans. On the river just by us there is an adult pair of swans who (which?) seem to have adopted a young goose. It would interesting to know if this is common or not.

The re-arrangement of the shop seeme to have pleased the customers. We have to get in more stationery as clearly there is an unmet demand for good quality note books, journals and the like. Big question is do we expand the range to cover wrapping paper as well.

And so to books. The biggest selling book here still has to be "The History of the World in a 100 Objects". Lots of people are apparently getting this for Christmas. But not so many people are buying Judy Steel's quirkiliy entitled autobiography "Tales from the Tap End." It should sell well here but so far it has not. Maybe it will in time.

I cannot finish this blog without mentioning the book that our local book club has decided to read for next month's meeting. "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Colins was first published in 1860 that is say 150 years ago.The author was never married though he lived with one lady but was the father of  two or three children by another. A delicious Victorian scandal if ever there was one. In the book (which I have yet to finish) a baronet behaves in a beastly way, a woman has the vapours, servants are dismissed with no notice,men die in mysterious circumstances and nothing is quite what you think it might be. It is glorious. 150 years ago doubtless it was a real pot boiler. Today it reads likes a pastiche of itself which is really rather sad. I am looking forward to the book club meeting to hear what others think of it.

Our shop book club is holding its first meeting on Thursday evening when we'll decide what book we'll read before our next meeting in January. We will meet here in the shop on Thursday at 7pm. Do come.

As it's Saturday I am on my own in the shop. No dog. So no snoring and grunting under my desk. I am sure that now people come in just to say hello to the dog. But whatever reason people have for coming in we're pleased to see them and hopefully any visitor to the shop will find something on the shelves they want. Next Saturday morning we're playing host to the Borders Writers' Forum. The event has the grand name of "Border Voices in Kelso." Should be interesting and fun. As always the event is free. We supply something to sip and nibble. Anytime between 10.30 and 12.30.

12th November

Sitting as I do every day in the shop with the dog under my desk I am sometimes a bit surprised at the questions I am asked."A works manual for an obscure type of camper van?" Apparently not supplied for whatever reason when the said camper van was purchased. Not surprisingly not on the Neilson data base.  "Have you tried asking the manufacturer" say I and after finding appropriate phone number of the manufacturer for the customer they go off happy. But perhaps the oddest request this week was a request for "The Complete Works of Walter Scott (in hardback) which the customer wanted to read. Apparently he'd heard that this was one of the 100 things he ought to do before he died. No, he'd never read anything before by Walter Scott and no he didn't want the Penguin Classic Series. From my perpective the thought of reading the whole output of Walter Scott would be very likely to bring on a premature death. Even Stuart Kelly's latest biography makes clear that Scott can be very heavy going. Still each to their own.

We are re-organising the shop. The childrens books are coming out the rear room and instead will be displayed in the front of the shop. This will release the rear room for non book items such high quality stationey, jigsaws and pencils and cards. Every day our customers tell us that is what they want  and who are we to deny them.

Our idea for a Book Club based on the shop seems to have met with a positive response so far. We're going to meet initially on Thursday the 25th November at 7pm to consider what book we should read. If you want to join us please come along. Nothing too formal. The aim is to ensure that everyone has a chance  to speak and contribute. What books we choose to read will be up to the people attending. We'll supply some coffee or tea and biscuits.

This month is turning out to be a busy one for us. We're off to Galashiels on Thursday for the launch of the Borders Writers new Anthology and then on Saturday the 27th we are hosting an event here for the same group. Considering the small population of the Borders it is amazing how much writing talent there is here.

We're lucky enough to live in a small but very active community. Twice a month there is a film at the local village hall and every few months we have a quiz night which for some reason we are organising tonight with some friends. We've done this (once) before and I for one hope that we are not asked to do it again. People complain if the questions are too hard just as loudly if they think the questions are too easy. I much prefer it when we are in the audience and win the booby prize which is generally a bucket of carrots which the horses always enjoy.

I suppose the booby prize in the publishing world must this week go the publishers of Mark Twain's Diary. It has been serialised on Radio 4 this week and three of his short stories have also been broadcast over the last few days. So people want to order it. But it is out of stock at the publishers. Absolutely amazing. Hopefully the reprint will be with us shortly.

As we drove in today we could see that the rivers were in full spate and almost ready to burst their banks. The very high winds of the last few days has not helped matters. Still, the weather people are promising us a nicer weekend so that is something to look forward to. Rain or shine it's always a good time to sit down with a good book   

2nd November

It's good that we have a little more light in the mornings but the afternoons now seem very gloomy. Bit like the economy really. Lots of talk about keeping our clocks in line with Europe in future but here in Scotland that would not be a popular move. Difficult one.

But not so difficult as knowing what jigsaws to order in. We're under pressure to keep high quality stationery as well but as ever our problem is rooom.

Every day the publishers release yet more new books. We try to second guess what people might like to see on the shelves. Not easy.Will David Attenborough's latest tome (there is no other suitable word) be popular. Could be, given the TV tie in. But sometimes people tell us that they have seen or heard too much from a particular person. Stephen Fry is a good case in point. His latest biography is not selling well although is is very well written and often very amusing.

And what about the classics. Who decides what is or is not a literary classic. Why Dickens and Woolfe but not Galsworthy or Snow? P.D.James or Agatha Christie?Why Hemingway but not Grisham? Are some books considered classics just because they are hard to read. Who actually decides the literary canon? Readers, booksellers perhaps, academics definitely. Who knows? Is it a popularity contest of some sort?  Something I like, you may not like at all. Perhaps a classic needs to be defined. How about defining a classic as a book that "someone likes" Pretty inclusive eh. 

Each day at lunchtime I take the dog for a walk along by the river. I believe locally it is called the Cobby. The Rivers Tweed and Teviot meet here in Kelso and it is a very fine spot for salmon fishing. Today for the first time ever we saw a salmon leap about two feet out of the water. A heron standing proudly on the other bank did not see it. Lucky salmon, hungry heron.  

The dog will now sleep the afternoon away underneath my desk. Ocassionally her paws move as she dreams of chasing ducks and swans. Perhaps she's even dreaming of a fish supper, who knows. 

25th October

In the spring we decided not to buy a paper every day but instead to rely on the on-line versions. Everything we needed to know about anything was online. Even the cross words were there for us on the laptop screen.That has worked very well until very recently when we looked for old newspapers to light the wood burning stove at home. No papers meant no fire. We could hardly use a laptop as a substitute. So maybe using the web does have some disadvantatges. And that is borne out by the very mixed comments we're getting from people who have used ebooks. It costs a lot to buy an ereader and down loads are not cheap and will get even more expensive soon as Vat goes up. Books on the other hand do not attract Vat. Nothing, it seems, is perfect.

18th October (week 29 in our cash book)

On Saturday we had a fascinating morning as Robert Leach who has just published "The Journey to Mount Kailash" came to the shop for a book launch. We were packed and Robert was pleased with reception he got. It's always very interesting hearing an author read his own work. It adds resonance. Robert's description of his travels through rural India provoked tears as as well as laughter- a good combination. We have only two copies of the book left which we expect to sell quite quickly. When they are gone we'll order some more.

Our next event is on Saturday 27th November when we are joined by the friendly people at the Borders Book Forum for a Bookfest. As usual the event is entirely free and we will, as usual, be supplying drinks and eats. Do come if you can. More details soon.

In this small town everybody pretends to know everybody else's business. Rumour abounds. A lady shop owner is supposed to have run off with a publican having first emptied the till. Can this be true? What I know to be true is that there was a serious example of attempted queue jumping in the Bank this morning. I know because I was there. The Bank Manager had to be summoned to sort it out. The "excuse" of the queue jumpers was that they did not realise that was a queue. Pathetic. "Should be a hanging offence" said one man. Trouble was, I think he was serious.  

It is very noticable that sales of cookery books by Gordon Ramsay has declined. Maybe the public are fed up with his swearing, maybe his private life is just too lurid. Sales of other well known cookery writers are however holding up well. Delia Smith, Mary Berry, Nigel Slater and Prue Leith all have a very strong following as do the newer cooker experts like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. There are lots of new cookery books in the shop and this week we have started a £3.00 off any hard back in the shop.  

Last week we met for the first time Guy Ramage of Gallic Books a newish publisher specialising in French Books which have been translated into English You may have already read or heard of "The Elegance of The Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery. which has sold millions.  The catalogue has some very interesting books on it and we've ordered some for the shop. You're welcome to look at the catalogue next time you are in. 

When we woke up this morning the weather man at the BBC was saying that it would be cold. Not so,at least not yet. Autumnal yes, wintry no. But so dark when I took the dogs out for their walk. One of the dogs is fast asleep under my desk as I write this blog. We went for a walk along by the river at lunchtime so that she could chase a few ducks and then back to the shop for an afternoon snooze. Not such a bad dog's life really.  

15th October

We closed the shop for three days and on our return on Wednesday it felt as though we had been away a week. Clearly the clever travel agents who promote short breaks know what they are talking about. Much to our surprise and pleasure our little car managed the trip to London and then onto Sussex without breaking down.

Every day since our return more and more boxes of books have arrived.We've not ordered many copies of the minor celebrity biographies because last year they they did not sell well. The best seller so far is "Wait for me" by the Duchess of Devonshire which I mentioned in my last blog. So far customers who have read it tell us it is well worth the £20.00 price tag. From Monday we are reducing ALL hard back prices by of books on the shelves by £3.00 which will make it even better value.

The Man Booker prize winner was a huge surprise. Howard's Jacbson's "The Finkler Question" will not be to everyone's liking but it seems to deal with some very adult themes in a witty way. For our selves we thought that Peter Carey's "Parrot and Oliver in America" might have scooped the prize. Howard Jacobson is of course well known to the public for his appearances on the radio and television and that will probably assist sales quite a lot. It is no secret that the booktrade like much else in commerce is struggling quite a bit at the present. Major players like Borders have already gone and there are persistent rumours of other large bookshop chains folding. For stand alone independent bookshops like us it is a worrying time. Next week's announcements by the Coalition Government are not likely to help trade at all. However we intend to soldier on serving the book reading public of Kelso and beyond.

For people who live locally the name of Alistair Moffat will be very familiar.His latest book called"The Faded Map--Lost Kingdoms of Scotland" is as well written and researched as his earlier books. As soon as we have copies in the shop we sell them  but if you want us to reserve you a copy just phone us on 01573 225776 or email us on info@latimerbooks.co.uk     

Our daughters and daughters in law have all said that we must blog more often so with such pressure we will, but we hope that our reading public understand that Kelso is a quiet town in the tranquil Scottish Borders where not too much happens. In our little book shop we reflect what is happening around us. Seasons come and go. Occasionally a minor scandal erupts in the local press, sometimes someone really famous comes to the Borders. Most of the time people just get on with their lives, talking to each other (up here it's called blethering), buying books(we hope) and hoping that this winter will not be as bad as last year.

Next time I'll tell you about a brilliant new publisher who came in to see us.  

Don't forget that as from Monday 18th October we shall be opening earlier at 9am every day. We still close at about 5pm.

Tomorrow, Saturday 16th October we have Robert Leach in the shop launching his book called "The Journey to Mount Kailash". Intriguing title to a very interesting book. If you're around between 11 and 12.20 or so call in meet Robert, have something to drink and a someting to nibble. It's free and you don't have to buy anything.

5th October

Last week's blog disappeared into cyberspace so here is another attempt.

Our aged cat at home is having a mid life crisis or perhaps I should describe it as her reliving her teenage years.Instead of settling down with the dogs and quietly sleeping the hours of darkness away she has decided in recent weeks that she will go out every night after News night and stay out all night. She's like some teenage tearaway. Comes home for breakfast  and then sleeps all day. In all the books we have about cat behaviour in the shop I can find no sensible explananation for this. Maybe she's found true love or maybe she's gorging herself on young mice. Wonder if she'll keep this up once the really bad weather arrives.

The new Christmas catalogues are now in the shop. Every household in the Kelso area will be getting a copy delivered with the November issue of Kelso Life but if  you want one posted to you just contact us on 01573 225776 or send an email to info@latimerbooks.co.uk  The books that are shown in the catalogue are in fact chosen by a panel of judges at the Booksellers Association. Sometimes in the past we have found some of the choices a little bizarre but this year we are very happy with the choices. We'll aim to have copies of all the books mentioned in the shop and when we sell out we can quickly get more.

There are not so many minor celeb biographies this year thank goodness but the two major biographies that we can recommend are "The Elephant to Hollywood" by Michael Caine and the Duchess of Devonshire's latest offering "Wait for Me". Both are informative as well as entertaining. Many reviewers are also saying that "The Fry Chronicles" and Judy Dench's "And Furthermore" are well worth a read.

What we find is that choosing a book is a very subjective thing. What one person likes another person does not. People come into the shop enthusing about one author which others have said they positively dislike. Bill Bryson is a case in point. You like him or hate him. However his latest book "At Home" has been well received by the critics.

Perhaps the book that is getting most publicity at the moment is Jonathan Franzen's"Freedom". It's been well reviewed everywhere and is now receiving even more attention because of alleged mistakes in the original edition which has had to be recalled. Someone on the radio wondered if the recall was a clever marketing ploy. Interesting but possibly libellous thought.

We find at this time of year our sales of poetry books start to increase and reflecting this Seamus Heaney has just released his thirteenth collection of poetry"Human Chain". Andrew motion, Carol Duffy and Seamus Heaney have all transformed our appreciation of poetry in recent years. Long may they continue.

The shop wil not be open for a few days as we have to be in Sussex. We shall be closed on Saturday 9th and Monday and Tuesday 11th and 12th but we shall re-open on Wednesday 13th. From the 18th October we shall adjust our opening times so that we open earlier at 9am to assist those who want to shop earlier in the day.

And finally I know that some of you like to know what our local book club in Southdean has been reading. Last month we read "The Ghost" by Robert Harris and this was generally considered to be a good read. It was certainly very topical given that Tony Blair's memoir "The Journey" had only only recently been published. Some of our book club members said that they confused which book was fiction but I am sure that they were joking. Next month we are reading "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery. I heard her speak at a pubisher's dinner a while ago. She entertaining and witty. Hopefully the book will reflect the author's wit and perception.    

Jane has said that I am not allowed to dwell in detail on the local film club's offering "Confetti" which was quite the rudest and funniest film ever shown in Southdean. If there was a book about the film I'd get it for the shop. It would sell out! 

17th September

A very political few weeks. New memoirs arrive with every new book delivery. Mandelson, Mullins and Blair. Even to a political nerd like me it's almost too much. But considering that they are all writing about the same period it's incredible how different are the perceptions. Mullins as an ex-journalist writes the best. He is self deprecating which not something that could be said about either Mandelson or Blair. "View from the foothills" by Chris Mullin is well worth a read even to non politicoes. The other two are very poorly written. In a few years we'll be able to read the memoirs of the coalition government. Now that should be really fun.

And so from politics to other matters. For a while we had a train set running in one of the shop windows. It was in place of our normal display of the latest new books. The idea was that the movement would attract the eyes of passers by. It did. Cusomers came in and asked what had happened to our usual display of new books. Seems innovation is not something that the book trade yet can accommodate easily.

We're starting the winter season of book events with a Book Launch on Saturday 16th October of Robert Leach's "The Journey to Mount Kailash". Join us if you can. More details later.

Naxos who supply us with classical cds have sent us more copies of their catalogues. Every month they update it and we try to bring into the shop some of the latest releases. We always happy to order in any cd you see in the catalogue. There is no additional charge for this. Until the vat changes take effect in January a single cd is £5.99 and a double is £9.99.

Moleskine have extended their range and now produce journals for film buffs,for book addicts and those wanting to take an interest in their health. Well worth a look at when next you are in the shop.   

Our Christmas catalogues will shortly be with us. As usual every house in Kelso should get a copy but we'll also keep some in the shop for our non Kelso based customers.Seems almost too early to be thinking about Christmas but with snow forecast for the higher areas maybe we should encourage people to shop early before we are cut off.  

24th August

The Village Hall Fete was on Saturday. A marquee had been bought via Ebay by the Village Hall Committee and I was roped in on the Thursday to help erect it. (pun intended) The local Hunt Supporters Club were supplying another marquee for the big day. Sadly and very dramatically the new marquee was demolished by the wind on Friday and the HSC very sensibly said that they would not put up theirs on the Saturday. So everything including our little book stall had to be crammed into the hall. There were people eating scrumptious cakes and drinking locally brewed beer and buying books and outside between the showers sheep were judged and so were dogs. Chidren ran races and despite the missing marquees a good time was had by all. We even mananged to sell some books.

Our local book club is reading "To kill a Mocking Bird" at present. I'm finding it so much better than "The Color Purple" which deals with the same period in the history of America's deep south. But so much better written. I never could understand how Color Purple got the Pullitzer Prize. It will be interesting to find out how other members of the Book Club reacted to the book. The problem with our book club is choosing the books to read.Perhaps we are too democratic. We really need someone to be in charge of us.

We were introduced to a new publisher recently. New to us that is. They're called Quadrille and they produce some very high quality and relatively inexpensive books on crafts and suchlike. The first order has just arrived and they look exceptionally good. We find that there is high demand for books on knitting and similar crafts so it will be good to add these to the stock.

On Sunday night we met up with an old colleague of mine who I had not seen for 10 years or so. Difficult to think of her as a shy articled clerk when now she is a proud and loving mother of three boys as well as being a partner in a central London firm. Her description of present day life in a large legal practice did not appeal. Even she was thinking of moving on. She and her husband and the three children had rented a national trust house/cottage on the Cragside Estate near Rothbury. Great settings with the added bonus of constant access to the wonderful gardens. The visit has inspired us to do more on our plot. It'll never rival Cragside though.

Already we have people in the shop buying or ordering books for Christmas. Our Xmas catalogue will be with us shortly and will be distributed to every one in the area with the October issue of Kelso Life. We're impressed with people who are buying Xmas presents so early. For us the best Xmas present would be to find bigger premises where we could expand the business.

We generally have a debate as to whether we should open or not on the August Bank Holiday. I expect we will open and see what trade there is. Perhaps we'll bring the dogs in so that if there is no trade we can jump in the car and head for the coast. Sounds like a good idea to me. 

It's time to change to change the window displays again. We are always surprised how many books we sell from the windows. Perhaps next week we'll go for childrens books and take out all the cookery books. Perhaps I'll put up a little model railway to amuse the passing children. Might amuse me too.

There's a definite hint of Autumn in the air. Every year we're promised a blazing hot summer but somehow it never comes about. Maybe, just maybe next year.

Enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend and find time to read a book.

9th August

According to the data which we pick up from our web site over 900 people are out there reading this blog. Not quite sure whether to be very flattered or just plain concerned.

Yesterday my youngest gand daughter was christened in Sussex in the same church where her parents were married. Vicar gave a sermon in which he managed to confuse monogamy with monotheism. Once he realised his mistake he then launched into discussion on polygamy.(Don't ask why) The children in the congregation (and there were lots) were as confused as the grown ups were amused.Then at critical moment youngest grand daughter tried to launch herself into the font. Tremendous fun all round. Great party afterwards with many swimming in the pool in the brilliant sunshine. If only every day were like this.It was great seeing the children (grown up and not so grown up) looking so well and happy.

We even managed to fit in two hospital visits in Cambridge on journey down and up back to Scotland.Even when a "child" is 29 and has a long time partner his mother still feels that she should be there with him and that has to be right. Hopefully the hospital now have diagnosis right so correct treatment will help Hans recover. 

So from hospitals and crazy sermons to the bookshop. First customer today wanted a book on making Blueberry Muffins. Not many around I told her but eventually we found something that gave seven different fruit muffin recipes so off she went, happy I hope. End of bizarre requests I thought. Not so, said the God that rules the lives of booksellers. Into the shop came a lady of a certain size who wanted a book on dieting. No problem. We have one whole shelf full of such books. "But I'm getting married at the end of August and I need to lose two stone". Ah, we thought. This problem is not so easily solved. And then to cap it all a very nice family came in wanting a book on racing pigeons. Well, I suppose we managed to satisfy one customer out of three.  

Peter Mandelson's book "The Third Man" had very mixed reviews when published and is already being remaindered, we are told, by Waterstones in Edinburgh. We've sold a few copies but we are returning the rest of our stock to the wholesalers. It will be interesting to see what happens to Blair's autobiography.

So what is our recommended book of the week. For me it has to be Simon Schama's latest tome called "Scribble, Scribble, Scribble".  Absolutely brilliant writing. A book to be dipped into and enjoyed. Serious and funny, some very personal anecdotes and some very perceptive comments on politicians and others great and small. Buy it and enjoy.

And so we wait to see what the coming week will bring. More slightly bizarre requests from customers perhaps? Some good conversations about everything and nothing in the shop? But whatever happens we hope that the week will be good for you. And however good it is, remember it will be even better with a good book to read beside you. 

Read and enjoy.

3rd August

According to the Chinese calendar it is the Year of the Tiger but for us, at least at home, it is proving to the Year of the Wasps Nests. Over the last few days we have discovered several and some of them are seriously large. The largest is in the stable and is larger than a rugby ball. The others in other outbuildings are nearly as large. Small ones we can cope with ourselves but these monster ones require the services of an expert. Hopefully he (or of course it may be she) is on their way. The nesting Housemartins who swoop in and out of the outbuildings all the time do not seem at all worried by the frenzied building activity of the wasps.

And so onto bookish matters. Reading the reviews in the papers at this time of year is sometimes a thankless task. Most papers are full of comments by people who one has barely heard of telling the readers what they would choose to take on holiday. Why? Can we not make our own minds up? One must wonder if these "celebrities" actually read the books they are puffing. Perhaps they do but I doubt it.  But amidst the dross in some of the papers there was in the Guardian on Saturday a good review of a new book about the Greene family. A family that could produce an author as brilliant as Graham Greene and a director general general of the BBC -Hugh Greene has to have something special in its genes. And so the book proves. It is by Jeremy Lewis and is called "Shades of Greene:one generation of an English Family".

It looks to be worth a read as does another biography this time about one person and not about a whole family. Roy Hattersley has written a very positive and sympathetic review of Nicklaus Thomas-Symonds new biography of Atlee. Almost forgotten by New Labour enthusiasts Atlee led a revolution in post war Britain not from a sofa (a la Blair) but from chairing a cabinet in a quiet and apparently unassuming way. Another good read for anyone interested in the political world.

The Booker so called long list has just been published. It always surprises and this year is no exception. For the first time ever the list contains a book with a single letter as its title. "C" by Tom MacCarthy does not look as though it is going to be an easy read. Despite that we'll read it soon and let you have our comments. 

This is being written on Tuesday as the Border Union Show took up a lot of our time last week.It was good fun seeing so many of our regular customers at the Show. We also met some some lovely new customers whom we hope to see again in the shop soon.

This week we start our 3 for 2 promotion. There are no restrictions at all. Any mixture you like. Hard back and paper backs. Any genre. This will hopefully allow us to clear our shelves and restock in advance of the Christmas season.

This year we are buying lots of books direct form some new publishers rather than relying on the major wholesalers who sometime are more geared to the requirements of the big retailers and not the small independents like us. Seems utterly crazy to be thinking of Christmas when we are only just into August but the clock ticks relentlessly onward. We heard that one large store in London had already put up Xmas decorations. Now that does seem premature.

Hope to see you in the shop soon and don't forget our ordering service is free and fast.  

Friday 23rd July

Often we read of bookworms but in our little book shop we seem to to have a book spider. What he lives on I do not know but every so often he emerges from behind the Art Books runs around a bit and then disappears so that I have no chance of catching him (her?). I m sure that he would be happier outside so I have an empty glass sitting on my desk which I intend to use as a spider catcher in due course. Earlier someone came in whilst I was on the floor talking to said spider trying to persuade it to come out. Must have thought I was mad.

Okay what I have read this last week?  Well I've just started to read Sylvia Loch new novel called "My Algarve Affair" It's a torrid love affair set in Portugal at the time of the revolution 40 years ago. Sylvia Loch has already written several books but they have all been to do with horses and their training so this novel is a new departure for her. It's already got some some good publicity in the local press. Let's hope it does well for her.

On  slightly different level I recently read "The Soap Man" by Roger Hutchinson. This is a study of Lord Leverhulme's purchase at the end of the First World War of the Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides. Sounds dry but it is in fact absolutely riveting. It proves that not even very rich men can always overide the wishes of ordinary folk. The book evokes the the period of 1918 to 1923 very powerfully.It is a good read. Some customers have already read Peter Mandelson's book"The Third Man". Very mixed reviews.

And what else? Well, we've given up buying a daily paper most days. We can do the cross-word on line and most of the papers are online as well.Today I bought the Guardian but immediately I wondered why I had wasted a pound. Could have spent it on something useful like a scone or two.

All this week Kelso has been celebrating Kelso Civic Week. Lots of Ride Outs from and into the town with a big ball taking place tonight for the toffs. I imagine the town will be very quiet tomorrow but we'll be open although I know some shops will be closed. The local paper said that Monday is a Bank Holiday but it isn't. It's just that the Doctor's Surgery is closed from some reason. A sort of NHS special holiday. In fact in this part of the world there are all sorts of local holidays. Trouble is there is never a national booksellers holiday.

Next Friday and Saturday we are at the Borders Union Show in our usual place in the Food Hall. As last year we hope one of the children will be helping us. Pip can't come this year but Anna hopes to be there perhaps with latest boyfriend. If he's strong enough perhaps he can help me put the roof on the field shelter on Sunday morning.

We'll take a good selection of books to the show. Hope to see you there.  

Wednesday 14th July.

Publishers often send us proofs of books they hope to publish. A while ago we were sent a copy of "The Breaking of Eggs" by Jim Powelll. I've only just got round to reading it and I have to say that it has to be one of the best books that i've ever read.It's now been published and is available in paperback. Put simply it's the story of a Poilish born Paris based publisher of guides to eastern Europe who retires and sells out to an American publishing firm.Partly through chance and partly otherwise he starts to rediscover his personal history which takes the reader to pre-war Poland, to Switzerland and France, to America and Germany. Sounds boring doesn't it but it most certainly is not. It's a personal history of Europe from the 1930s to almost the present day and a love story and a lot more besides. Politics and philosophy and a fine commentary on isms whether commuism capitalism or national socialism. Read it if you can.

This is actually my second attempt at this blog. The first disappeared into the blogosphere so if it emerges somewhere and this all sounds very familiar I apologise.

Today is Bastille Day in France so France is en fete Ten days ago the Americans celebrated Independence Day with huge parties. Why can't we have a truly national day for the whole nation? How about a Freedom Day? Anything has to be better than some days commemorating local saints like St. George, St, Andrew or St David. Why saints? Perhaps the new government can put their coalition minds to it.

We'll be publicising our latest list of author events which start again in September soon. In the meantime come into the shop and see what we've got on the shelves and if you cannot get into the shop why not come and see us at the Borders Union Show on 30th and 31st July in Kelso. We'll be in our usual place inside the Food Hall. No grub I'm afraid but plenty of good books.

And finally for all you bargain hunters. The Latimer Books 3 for 2 sale starts on Monday 2nd August. No restrictions at all. hardback, paperback, fiction or non-fiction. We'll run through August and September. The cheapest book comes free. Now that is something to smile about.

See you soon we hope.

Monday 5th July

Although we are not far from Sir Walter Scott's house near Galashiels at Abbotsford much to our embarrassment we have so far not been there. However that should be rectified shortly when we go to the launch of a new book called Scott-land by Stuart Kelly. We sell a few books by Sir Walter Scott each month but clearly his somewhat ponderous style is now out of fashion. Stuart Kelly's new book is sub entitled "The Man who invented a nation". It'll be interesting to meet the author and hear a little more about the book and the subject. It's interesting how books which are acclaimed as good literature become dated and are not then read very much. John Buchan is a case in point. And yet Agatha Christie and Enid Blyton go on for ever. Good marketing perhaps. Who knows?

Another new locally written book we were introduced to recently is a novel, "An Algarve Affair" written by Sylvia Loch whose horse books are well known and we already stock. This book will be launched very shortly and is in paperback and tells the tale of the "goings on" amonst the expats in Portugal in the 1970s. Sylvia tells us that there is murder and adultery in it so it sounds like  a good read for a lazy afternoon on the beach somewhere. We'll have it in stock later this week.

Every Christmas we distribute to every house and business in Kelso and the surrounding villages a copy of our Christmas Catalogue. That is now being prepared though it's quite difficult to concentrate on Christmas when the weather is so hot. We were on the west coast yesterday and heard that some hotels on the islands were being forced to turn away customers due to the lack of water. Maybe the scientists are right after all and there is global warming. Difficult to reconcile with the heavy snow in the winter which forced us to close for a while.

As an experiment we moved the spinner which holds the Shire Books to the front of the shop.  Very successful move but now we cannot replace the books quickly enough. How on earth the publishers choose the titles we don't know. Titles range from "Scalextric" to "Old Television Sets" and onto "The Rover". Quite eclectic but great fun. Very popular and very reasonably priced too. Have a look next time you're in the shop.

We try to write this blog weekly and we try to put something on twitter every day so if you are desperate for news of us in our little book shop here in Kelso in the Scottish Borders and do not want to wait till next week just look us up on twitter. It's not supposed to be very serious and usually it isn't.

Have a good week.   

Monday 28th June

It is always interesting for us to be told how many people read this blog and our tweets. On the other hand writing this blog is not unlike doing an essay for an exam where your finished paper is sent off to some far away marking centre and you never get to meet the person who gives you your mark. If not a distinction let's at least hope for a pass.

Last week in the shop we seemed to spend a disproportionate amount of time dusting the shelves as, with the weather so warm, we've had the door open all the time. The passing traffic has meant that we've taking in more than our fair share of dust but every morning out it all goes on the back of a yellow duster. We never see it coming back but there it is each evening.With the warm weather come the tourists. Wives berate their husbands for spending too much on history books and husbands wonder why cookery books always seem so expensive. Of course that is a vast simplification and is very gender biased but you probably get the drift. Many customers (like us) still find the new national electronic booktokens tiresome but we are told that there is no going back. Paper national book tokens are no more unless of course you want to buy a Latimer Books book token which we sell in units of £10.00. If you still have some national paper book tokens, worry not. We still take them. It's just that we cannot sell them any more. Ah, progress.

After all the hype no huge surprises in the budget on Tuesday last. No vat on books (yet) but the general vat rise will mean some small adjustments to vatable items like cds when the new rate comes in in January next year.

Apart from re-reading "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker which I did not enjoy I have read with huge enjoyment Adam Fould's " The Quickening Maze". It was shortlsted for the Man Booker last year and it is a great read. The book's bibliography makes one want to find out more about the poet John Clare and the early life of Tennyson and how their lives crossed. It's now available in paper back. It's the chosen book for this month for our book club. It will be interesting to find out what others think of it.

In our small village the ladies of the Guild arranged a marvellous exhibition at Southdean Chuch over the weekend. It was to celebrate childhood and there examples of toys and artefacts from childhood of 60 plus years ago. Dolls houses, clockwork toy trains,wooden toys, games and books. In retrospect it all seemed such an innocent time.The only problem was that scones and tea were served in the village hall. If only I could have resisted the second set of scones. I think that I give in to temptation too easily.  

And so onto another week. Some rain is much needed as we are fast running out of water. The burns are dry and the springs are failing. Farmers who have no mains supply are worrying. I never thought that I hear it said but here in Scotland we are approaching drought conditions. Having written that it'll now pour with rain for the next few weeks. If it does remember that I warned you. 

Monday 21st June

The fact that it was Father's Day on Saturday as well as the first of the two day Dog Show here in Kelso led to some confusion in the shop with some people obviously a bit confused as to what they were buying and for whom but hopefully everybody was happy when they got home and opened their purchases. We even had a desperate phone call from a man in Vienna asking us to get some books to his Dad for the big day. All in a day's work.Now we have to change the window display which had been devoted to books about dogs. Perhaps Thai cooking or is that too subtle? Choosing the window display themes is not easy. Ideas anyone? 

Next week on Saturday there is a Farmers Market in the Square so perhaps something to reflect that.

In the shop last week it was interesting to meet some people from Yorkshire who also had a small bookshop. Like us they have had hard times over the last year but hopefully matters will improve now that there is less political uncertainty. Everyone  is waiting to see what tomorrow's budget will bring.For myself am very worried as the Minister at Church yesterday twice mentioned the budget. What does he know that we don't? 

On the home front we had an entertaining evening at the village hall on Friday evening watching My Fair Lady. Very dated but still very funny. That was followed on Saturday by the village Beer and Skittles evening at the same venue. The writer was dragged off home after eating two meat pies and mushy peas and winning at darts. It was thought that there was a danger was a third pie might follow the way of the first two. 

The writer wastes fifteen minutes every day listerning to the Archers. Difficult to believe that any small community could house so many dysfuctional families. It can't be  refection of true life can it?

Have a nice week and enjoy this lovely weather if you can.

Wednesday 16th June

We're running a competition in the shop where people are asked to tell us what they think is Keslo's favourite book. The winner is to be given a copy of "Strongholds of the Borders". Some of the suggestions so far have been, what shall we say, interesting. Am not sure that a Life of Lenin is likely to be Kelso's favourite book but then you never know for sure what people are reading behind closed doors. If you want to enter and cannot get to the shop to fill in an entry form just post your choice on the website and email it to us.

We've got some some new brochures in the shop for so called summer reading. These ones are produced by Bertrams one of our two main wholesalers. The cover shows some bright yellow sunflowers which is great on sunny days like today but very inappropriate on some days when the rain sets in and the clouds come low. Of course as a mere book seller we get no say in what goes into the brochure but I do query how many sales there are going to be for a a Life of Harold Larwood. How many people under say 60 have even heard of him? (*see below). The same wholesalers produce a very good (and free!) monthly magazine about books which we give to customers. Apart from reviewng some recent books it also has useful ideas for Book Clubs. Do make sure you pick up a copy when next in the shop.  

Am trying a new diet ahead of next family gathering in August as photographs taken at last such gathering (two weeks ago) seem to show a rather portly geezer which is not how I see myself at all. So no more morning buns from Greggs, no baguettes full of prawns and mayonnaise from the other shop for lunch and definitely no scones for tea. Makes one wonder if life is really worth living.

* Harold Larwood was an English bowler who in the 1930s caused a huge row between Australia and Britain by bowling in a controversial manner. The fact that he was working class added to the furore.

Thursday 10th June

Whilst waiting for the 7am news on the radio was alarmed to hear National Anthem being played, apparently to mark the birthday of Duke of Edinburgh. What fun. Initially I thought it was to mark downfall of coalition governnment and then where would we be? Watched some footage of the Labour Party leadership hustings last night. Seemed very jolly. Poor Mrs. Miliband. Who does she vote for? Someone said that she'll vote for Dianne Abbot. Well, if she does, that's one vote in the bag for Dianne then.

Am now halfway through my Open Uni course called "Approaching Literature".Thankfully we have now moved away from the Romantic Poets onto a fascinating study of Gender and Literature. Not quite sure how race and religion get muddled up in this but hopefully time will tell. I just hope the budget cuts do not impinge too  much on the OU. If anyone reading this blog has never seen the OU prospectus it is marvellous. The course materials are really good and so are most of the tutors.

We're going to call this year the Year of the Wasp. So far we've discovered three nests in sheds and outbuildings which is very unusual. None fortunately at the shop but  in the trees where we are building the new house we can hear a swarm of bees. Have had it confirmed that we have badgers on the so called starvation paddock by the burn. Huge entrance hole to their set(t) with smaller holes to allow air in and out. Very clever on the part of Mr Badger but it's ruining the grass that Jane sowed last year.  Some people say that we should kill them but I think that they are protected. Cannot kill everything that upsets us can we?

And now to books. By way way of relaxation I'm re-reading Barchester Towers by Trollope. Harold Macmilian, according to his biographer, used to read Trollope each night and one can quite see why. Such cynicism. Perhaps every politician should read it and then they might understand why we generally do not like them very much.

Now that life has for us returned to normal with the last of the family having gone home we shall redouble our efforts to relocate the shop. In the meantime new signs are being prepared to help people find us where we are. We are busy organising more events in the shop and of course we shall be at the Borders Union Show at the end of next month. 

Ah yes and at last an apology to Hans. His time in the London marathon was much much better than I blogged a while ago. Next blog I'll give readers the exact and correct time. 

Wednesday 9th June

We shut the shop on Friday lunchtime as we've just had a wonderful weekend celebrating my birthday. Blazing hot sunshine. All five children here and the three grandchildren. We had a family meal for 14 outside in the courtyard on Friday evening and the Saturday evening we were joined by 40 or so friends for a hog roast. It was great and the sun continued to shine. By Tuesday the last of the family guests had gone leaving the house very empty. Now the dogs have gone back to snoring in their usual places and the shop demands our attention.

Because of the party I missed reading the book reviews in the papers on Saturday and Sunday so will have to catch up with what's new via the wholesalers. The wholesalers reps only visit us one every two or so months but we also have visits from the publishers reps. All are a source of trade gossip. All are worried about the future of traditional book shops like ours. But we hang on. Interestingly enough it seems to be the specialist book shops that are shutting. We just hope that the government does not impose Vat on books in the budget on June 22nd. 

And so to last night's episode of the Archers. How clever to keep it secret and what dramatic radio it made. Perhaps the producers of TV shows who are constantly trailing their programmes might sit back and reflect on the effectiveness of a real surprise. An unexpected death is always good drama.Frankly I find it diificult to understand the need for a TV licence but  BBC radio has to be financed somehow and that more than justifies the licence fee. Someone told me in the shop the other day that people spend an average of 4.5 hours a day watching the silver screen. Can that be right?  

I'm writing this blog from home as Jane is in the shop today. All round the house the house martins are making nests or have made them so they sweep up to the windows and then swoop away.The cat sits on a window shelf trying to catch them but of course the glass pane in the window stops any contact. Poor cat must be exhausted. After staying up so late at the weekend I know how she feels. 

Monday 1st June

Well not exactly a blazing hot June so far but we can but hope for better things Have engaged a new sign writer to redesign our signage. Something to catch the eye without being too garish is the brief. If anyone reading this has any bright ideas don't hesitate to contact us.

Have ordered some very interesting new blank cards each being a photograph of a different rock formation. Sounds slightly strange but in fact they are very colourful and extremely unusual. They will sell for only £2.99 which is incredibly reasonable considering the quality. Have also ordered a trial run of some A5 diaries for 2011. Only June and already thinking of next year!

From the customers in the shop it's obvious that the tourist season has begun. People want books on local history to try and trace ancestors. Some expect us to be able to help which sadly we cannot. Some want us to act as a Tourist Ofice little realising that the official Tourist Office is only 50 yards away.

Later in the week we are closing the shop on Saturday and next Mondy as we are having a large family party at the weekend to celebrate the writer's birthday. All five chidren are arriving with partners where appropriate and the three grandchildren. Will be fun I am told. I just hope that they don't mind being quiet whilst I listen to the Archers. 

The weather forecast is getting better by the hour. I just hope that they are right. As with everything else in life the good weather has its downside and that is the dreaded hay fever. There's quite a lot of rape being grown outside the town so hay fever sufferers are having a bad time at present.

I'm about to read Alice Walker's "The Color Purple". Should have read it years ago but didn't so am now catching up. Trouble is I always worry when a book is recommended by the Mail on Sunday. I suspect that I'm not the only one who reads the reviews on the back page of a book and then takes a view. Just finished reading " The Secret Scripture" by Sebastian Barry. Well worthy of its inclusion in the Man Booker short list last year. Jane guessed the ending before I did. I must be losing my touch.

Saturday 29th May

Jane was celebrating her birthday yesterday so Happy Birthday to Jane. We went out to dinner last night and whilst the food was very good the entertainment provided by the four fellow diners at a nearby table was amazing. The two couples clearly did not like each other. First couple declared (loudly) that they had spent a wonderful week in Algeria, Second couple capped that with (louder) description of their tremendous two weeks in the Carribean but first couple then went one better with over lengthy description of their three weeks in Mexico. Silence then reigned for a while and then they started on their (brilliant) children and very clever grandchildren. Einsteins all them apparently. I regret to say that we started laughing out loud. It was like reading out loud those ghastly family round robins that some people send at Christmas. Still it provided us with some fairly harmless amusement. Cannot imagine the foursome will ever go out out together again. We will, I hope.

And so back to the shop this morning. For some reason the town is full of people on Vespas. Very noisy but obviously great fun. There's some sort of Vespa rally here this weekend.If no one else the garages will make money out of the invasion.

The new book by Alastair Campbell arrived today. It's being serialised in the Guardian and getting quite a lot of coverage in the other media. He claims it is his unexpurgated diary. How do people like him find the time and energy to write up a diary each night? 

We're expecting a large delivery of new books shortly but we have a major problem. We keep scissors on the desk to cut open the boxes and to cut through the packaging but they have gone. Where to, we do not know. Have we inadvertently put them in the bin or has some customer taken them and if so why? A real mystery.

Our attempts to find other premises are not going as well as we had hoped but we shall keep on trying. In the mean time we're getting some new signage to assist people to locate us. Trouble is that there is so much so called street furniture that signs sometimes simply get overlooked. If you don't know where we are just find Boots the Chemist on the Square and then walk a few yards down the Wynd besides Boots and there we are.

We will not be open on Bank Holiday Monday. Not sure what we will do but the forecast is good. We hope that whatever you are doing this long weekend that you get suitable weather and manage to enjoy the great outdoors. 

Saturday 22nd May

Jane has been asked by so many people to consider selling some of her Japanese Embroideries that she has now agreed to price up the ones that are in the shop. Each one represents months  of intensive work and the prices obviously have to reflect that amount of work. She's preparing some explanatory notes as well, as each, though beautiful in its own right, also contains a lot of Far Eastern symbolism.

At supper last night one of our neighbours said that we had not had any proper rain for three months. Looking at the state of the rivers and burns I can well believe her. Some local farmers are already irrigating their fields of new crops.

Sad news is that we still cannot get either printer to work. Might have to handwrite letters which would doubtless cause some headscratching for the recipients. Computers and laptops and cars are all fine when they work. Disasters when they don't. Still it's difficult to get too vexed on such a nice day.

Friday 21st May

A very strange week at the shop with our normal trading pattern seemingly reversed. Very busy early in the week not so busy later on. We're still trying to find other premises so we can move and expand. We've located the ideal place but we need to find another occupier for our present shop. Hopefully something will happen shortly.

Home news is mixed. One of us left garden gate unlocked and sheep from adjoining field broke in and ate Jane's herb plants. Very healthy sheep, very cross Jane. Eldest son had his car stolen which is very irritating and at the same time his company was subject to an expensive scam which has cost him quite a lot in lost commission but on the other hand youngest daughter has now launched her new business at www.thecamdenstore.co.uk Worth a visit if you're likely to be in north London.

The very nice people at the Borders Writers Forum have told me that I got their website wrong. It is www.borderswritersforum.com 

Jane was in touch with someone at Harper Colloins only to discover that they were sitting opposite one of Pip's best friends. Small world.

The reviews that we did for the Independent on Sunday last week have generated quite a bit of interest locally. After two years and quite a lot of publicity we are still amazed that some people do not know of our existence. There are signs in the Square pointing to us but still people manage to overlook us. What else can we do apart from move to a more prominent position?  

The  local council who apparently have money to waste want to change the traffic flow here in Kelso. At considerable expense they have arranged an exhibition of their proposals inviting the public's response. The traders oppose it so their views are being ignored. It seems a very great pity that the council does not spend the money making better use of the cobbled square which at present is used just as a parking lot. The Square is wonderful.We ought to make far better use of it. The council perhaps could sponsor a competition for some bold ideas. Okay- rant over.

What a strange world we live in. A friend who has recently moved to Dorset has discovered that she cannot get broadband in her cottage and so she has just phoned and asked me to check her emails. She had over 4,000 emails in her inbox. Obviously a very,very popular lady.

When Daisy my eight year old grand-daughter comes up in a couple of weeks we're gong to see if we can actually observe the badgers that are doing so much damage to the ponies' field. Daisy thinks that badgers are sweet. I'm not sure and of course a lot of cattle farmers are convinced that they carry TB to cattle. Whether that's right or not they certainly destroy grassland with their digging.

Tonight we are off to the local film club which meets in the village hall at Southdean. We're watching "The Reader" having read the book at book club some months ago. Hope the film is as good as the book. Weather looks good for the weekend so whatever you are doing enjoy yourself. I'm in the shop tomorrow whilst Jane is running a book stall at the LIvingBeing Fair which is to take place here in Kelso at the Tait Hall. Lots of therapists apparently will be there. Not my scene but I know that such things are very popular with many people.    

 Monday 17th May

For some unknown reason the blog I did in the middle of last week managed to lose itself in cyberspace. Obviously I pressed the wrong button somewhere along the line. Sorry

So what has been happening? Well we appear to have new government. Talk in the shop has moved away from poitics to the vagaries of the weather (in other words back to normal) and of course the re-appearance of the vocanic ash cloud.

After a few initial teething problems the new way of issuing and redeeming Book Tokens at last is working well with most people happy with the electronic cards. For local customers who prefer the old ways we still have traditional Latimer Books paper book tokens which can be redeemed only at our shop.   

Recently we had supper with Hannah Myervitch who has written a book for children called "Crisis at the Castle". It features two dogs, Moonshine and Shadow and it makes a very good read. It's slightly zany which is what chidren love. She's already on the successor volumes and if you're passing the shop you can always have a look at the book and see if you think it is for any 9 year old you know.

Sadly we forgot to get the Independent on Sunday yesterday but we know our selection of books appeared in it as a new customer came into the shop today and mentioned it. Although she lived locally she had not realised that we were there so that really does show the power of the press.

We are hoping to put up our hanging flower baskets soon. The Chamber of Trade has engaged someone to go round the town watering all the baskets which will save us the job.

On Saturday 22nd Jane will be at the Livingbeing Fair in the Tait Hall here in Kelso with a bookstall. She'll have lots of books to sell. The fair is open from 10.30 to 4.30. Call in and see if there is anything that appeals. There will be various therapists giving talks and demonstrations and we have flyers in the shop giving more details of the other stalls that will be there.

For anyone reading this and who has not been in the shop recently you'll find some changes have been made. We've introduced a discount table so as to move slow slow moving stock and to clear the shelves for new stock. We are actively looking for bigger premises and I hope to be able to say more about that in the near future.  

Our daily comments can of course still be followed on Twitter.

Saturday 8th May

A very exciting day yesterday at our little bookshop. Struggled in at 9am having had very very little sleep because we were so late to bed as we were following the election results. Strong coffee(s) followed by a meeting with some members of the Borders Writers Forum who have responded very positively to the idea of a Bookfest being held here. It looks at though this concept has caught their imagination. We're hoping to hold the first Bookfest in the early autumn. More details to follow but if you want to be involved look at their website at www.borderswritingforum.com  .or contact us.

The next meeting was with some marketing gurus www.brightquarter.co.uk who think amongst other things that we should personlise our web site. They suggest that we put our photograghs on it so you have been warned.

Then the Independent on Sunday rang and asked Jane to do some book reviews and then we had the great pleasure of seeing the youngest daughter Pip at her election declaration on the television. Hers was almost the last one in the country so we had to wait all day.

In between all this excitement we sold some books and continued our May exercise of weeding out slow moving stock to make room for new entries. We really do need bigger premises but the thought of moving is quite daunting. It will probable take months to sort something out but clearly a presence in the Town Square would help our customers and if we could get big enough premises the ability to serve coffee and cakes might also assist people buying books. It will all depend on what is available. The search starts on Monday. If you know of anything suitable please contact us. Perhaps you know of someone who might be interested in our present premises.

Harper Collins have just sent us the a proof copy of Barabara Erskine's new book "Time's Legacy". One of us will read this over the weekend and we'll comment in the next blog.    

Looking out from the bookshop the weather looks fine but as people come they are talking of the cold north east wind blowing so I think I'll stay here for the time being. Where ever you are and whatever you're doing I hope that you have a good weekend.

Election Day 2010

Very unusual to see men in suits and ties here. Most of us have moved on a bit since we had to conform like that. So very surprised when two such dressed men came into the shop early today. 

Had I voted wrongly and were they the thought police come to take me away? They each had a brief case and were clearly very important. Bankers perhaps? Stockbrokers? Financial advisors to seriously rich people? I was intrigued. Had they come far I asked. From Fife I was told. We're visiting local agents in the town. Oh, how very disappointing. Just two men selling advertising material to estate agents in the Borders.

We're having a big sort out. Slow moving stock is either being put on the discount shelf or being sent back to the suppliers. This is allowing us to bring in yet more new stock. Ideally we'd like bigger premises but that may just be a pipe dream at present. We've relocated the audio cds. and repositioned the Book Seats. The Penguin mugs we have now placed on the top shelves above the fiction. That would seem to be more sensible. It'll be interesting to see how many people comment on the changes.     

The Borders Writers Forum might be having a "bookfest" here in the shop. The committee are coming here tomorrow to discuss the idea. But Jane has made the appointment for 9.15 forgetting that we expect to be up all night watching the election results come in. So it could be an interesting meeting with very little input from me.  

New month

No rain (yet) but quite cold here in the Borders this weekend. In the shop we've had three separate instances of people coming in whilst still talking on their mobile phones. And even stranger they continue to use their mobiles whilst choosing books to buy. Seems people have to keep in touch all the time. Must be very important.

As I walked the dogs this morning I noticed in the woods how the colours of the wild flowers are changing. The yellow aconites have long since gone as have the white snow drops. The yellow daffodils and narcissi are going but now everything that replaces them is blue. The hairbells, the blue bells, the forget me nots-all are blue. Is there some good botanical reason for this?  Perhaps I could find the answer in a book. 

When Alexander McCall Smith wrote his books about life in Botswana I, like many others, enjoyed them hugely but after a while the saintliness of "the traditionally built" proprietor of the No.1. Ladies' Detective Agency began to pall so I was very pleased recently to discover his books featuring, not Africa but another tribal homeland namely Edinburgh. The Sunday Philosophy Club series is a delight. People who have lived in Edinburgh say that the characters are drawn from life. Is that really true? Last night I finished reading "The careful use of compliments". For a philosopher the main character, Isabel Dalhousie has an intriguing way of justifying her conduct.

And so we wait. Will it be Lib/Lab, Lib/Con, Con on their own, Con with a minority or perhaps with support from the SNP? That last scenario at least does not seem too likely. What happens if the BNP get a seat and that is the deciding one? Maybe we''ll know by this time next week and then the media schedules can revert to normal. Perhaps. All I know is I 'll be pleased for Pip, who's standing in St. Ives Cornwall, when it's all over. Her constuency result is not declared till Friday morning. She sounded very tired on the phone and win or lose she has worked extremely hard these last few weeks as have most of the candidates. Be bit rough on them if they have to go through it all again in a few months time but perhaps a coalition government for a time would be no bad thing.Clearly the country must learn to live within its' means. It's all going to be quite a shock to some.

As I finish this short blog the skies are still blue here so maybe we'll close early and head off to the vegeatble plot. Growing one's own may soon become a necessity rather than as at present,a hobby. If it rains I'll read a good gardening book.   

End of month blog

Not quite sure when this will go live, hence the slighly vague dateline above.

Pip who is in Cornwall hoping to win St Ives for her party mentions the rain in her latest twitter. It's making her election leaflets damp, she says. Ah, we say, she should have stood for Parliament here in the Borders where the sun (almost always) shines and where we are now worrying about the low levels in the river courses. 

In this small book shop with no open affiliation to any of the main parties we are fascinated by what people say to us and to other customers about the debates, the stature of the different leaders and the candid views that are expressed about politics and many politicians generally. We hear a consensus view that people are assuming that there will very deep cuts in public spending soon and would appreciate more honesty about where these cuts will fall from the contenders for high office. Perhaps less about the wives of the leaders and what they wear from the media and more appearances by female politicians would be better. It's a sad fact that no party is making much use of its' female candidates. I wonder why? Are all the men in the grey suits scared of the ladies. Surely not.     

From our somewhat parochial viewpoint we gather that Vat is likely to be raised but will it be extended to books. A tax on reading sounds very draconian. If it is put on books what about periodicals and papers.Would children's books be exempt much like chidren's clothing is exempt now? Would that mean we all start to read(re-read?) Enid Blyton? So many questions but someone will have to deal with them after May 6th. It is clear that whoever wins is going to have a very hard job to do.

Like many book shops we use two or three main wholesalers. The two national ones are Bertrams based in Norwich and Gardners based in Eastbourne. Despite their distance from us, books we order from them before 5pm are generally with us the next day which we think is remarkable. We also use Bookspeed in Edinburgh who have a very wide selection of Scottish books. The carrier system seems to work so very well that it is very galling when something goes wrong. Other suppliers find it difficult to compete but we support them when we can.

The new brochure for the BBC proms has just arrived in the shop. Whatever one thinks of some of the "stuff" on some of the BBC channels on either radio or television the fact that we have a public service broadcaster of such quality has to be good for the country. Like any other institution it makes mistakes and by all accounts is very much over staffed  but on the whole it is a good thing. Whatever happens after May 6th we must hope that it does not lead to the death of the BBC.

We've had a couple of books waiting for collection since before Xmas. We assumed that they were ordered as Christmas presents but for whatever reason they were no longer required. To our great pleasure once we had put them out on the shelves they were sold quite quickly. So far so good. Then yesterday someone came in to collect one of these books which had been here waiting for collection since late December. That's quite a long time.   Happily the customer understood the situation and we've re-ordered the book so everybody is happy all round. Perhaps in future we ought to impose a time limit on book orders but on the whole we prefer not to impose too many conditions and we don't generally require customers to pay a deposit. We are reluctant to adopt a more rigorous system.

And finally our award for the best request of the week goes to the gentleman who came in and asked for  copy of the 1938 (yes1938) A to Z Guide to London and seemed genuinely surprised that we did not keep a copy on a our shelves. What was it someone  nearly said. "You can please all of the customers some of the time, and some of the customers all of the time but never can you please all of the customers all of the time". We try, but sometimes it's beyond us.

Have a nice weekend and try to find some good weather wherever you are .  

28th April

Already it's Wednesday and nearly half the working week gone. I think that it is true that once you get to be 21 time moves more quickly. Until not so long ago Wednesday was early closing in Kelso but nowadays most of us stay open all day although when the weather is a bit dreary as it is today we do find that things can be quieter than usual after lunchtime. Some shops and offices still close for a lunch hour which seems to hark back to a golden age when things were slower and to go without a proper break at lunch time was very unusual. Does every generation look back with envy?

Quite often we have people in asking for books that they have seen reviewed but when we check it out the book has not yet been published. Sometimes, as in last Saturday's Guardian, it's the other way round and  a book is reviewed months after publication. It's all very irritating and annoying both for the general public and us. Publishers are notorious for shifting publication dates and it does the whole industry no good at all. If any publishers are reading this you might like to comment.

At our local book club last night we "reviewed" "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen". Curiously topical with the very recent assassination attempt on the British ambassador in the Yemen. Everybody had enjoyed the book. Some had drawn different interpretations from it but there was uniform delight at the way the Alastair Campbell figure was satirised. Some had not read Ghost by Robert Harris so were encouraged read that. Perhaps we will combine that with seeing the new film at Film Club. When the history of the Blair years comes to be written properly in future years it will be interesting to see if the popular perception was right or not.

Which leads us naturally onto the election which at some dinner tables locally is now a taboo subject. We would like to be in Cornwall supporting the youngest daughter, Pip in her campaign but she has told us to keep away. It's amazing that the children are still worried that their father might embarrass them! Even from far off Scotland we're supporting her. Sadly her count does not place till the day after polling so we will have to wait an extra day to find out whether or not we have an MP in the family. We very much hope so.       

Jane, my senior management, is off to Cambridge on Friday for a few days to visit Hans and Estelle's in their new new home which they bought last week. That means that I will be left in charge of everything. Dogs, horses, cat, the shop and the house.Doubt if everything will be perfect but if I get two out of three things right that will good. Monday is a Bank Holiday but we will open the shop as people will be about and what better way to spend a Bank Holiday Monday than browsing (and buying a book) in our shop.

24th April

Some more domestic news as it's Saturday morning. Middle daughter,Anna, works for a huge PR firm in London and one of her accounts involves the promotion of Kenco Coffee. Ben Fogle was due to assist with the launch of something called the Young Eco Designer but he got stuck abroad because of the volcanic ash crisis so the shoot was to be abandoned. Anna then spent hours cancelling all the arrangements only to be told that after all that Ben Fogle had mananged to make it back to the UK. She then had to, in her words, uncancel the cancellation. Happy she was not. However she told us that Ben Fogle was very pleasant, much nicer than some of the celebrities she has to work with and that made all the hassle worthwhile. So when you eventually see the advertisements think of our poor Anna and the trouble she had getting it all together.

In our small village there are often times when events conflict. Last night's choice lay between the Film Club and a Pub Quiz. We had intended to go the Pub Quiz but a supper party we went to ran late so instead we went to Film Club and saw "The Railway Children".It was the Lionel Jeffries version. Very hammy by todays standards but nevertheless a good evening out. 

In the shop we learn something new everyday. For example a local farmer was in  yesterday telling me it was her first day away from the farm for a very long time because she had been stuck there because of lambing. Much to my astonishment she said that some of her ewes had had quins. I had no idea that such a thing was possible.

The 25% discount table that we introduced at the start of the month has proved so popular that we've had to expand the area devoted to new books that we are selling at a discount. We're very happy to do this as we are finding that customers are not just buying from the discount table but browsing elsewhere as well. What we find so annoying is that publishers insist on pricing books as though they were items in an old fashioned haberdashery store with the final figures always being .99p. It's annoying for us because we have to keep lots of penny coins in the till and it must be very aggravating for the customer as well.

Local authors continue to contact us with a view to arranging an event for them which is good.On this blog I'll keep you posted on what's happening next.

I'm off to Edinburgh soon but Jane is in charge at the shop today. For her it'll be a bit of a rest as she has spent quite a lot of time over the last few days starting to shift 13 tons of hardcore that was delivered to form the base of a new field shelter for the horses. I just hope that in due course the horses appreciate how much hard work will have gone into making their winter quarters secure. I'm told that my Sunday will be devoted to continuing what Jane has started. Just cannot wait. If you're reading this and heading towards Cornwall please do look out for daughter number three, Pip, as she she is out and about persuading the electors to support her on May 6th. Clearly judging by what the polls are telling us the race is not for the weak hearted and anything could happen. It's great that so many more are showing an interest. That has to be good for democracy. 

22nd April.

For obvious reasons we do not publicise our own politics in the shop as our job here is to sell books and not push a party line but we often find that customers are only too happy to engage in discussion with other customers in what might be called spontaneous debates where we find ourselves acting as referees. Have to say that listening to our customers the anger about the expenses scandal does not yet seem to have made politicians understand the old way of doing things was not the best way. Also from the Scottish perspective this reluctance to engage in a meaniful debate about a balanced or so called hung parliament sounds quite strange as for 8 years we had a LIb-Lab coalition running our affairs from the Scottish parliament and it seemed to work quite well. In recent years we have had a minority SNP government which again seems to function satisfactorily. Locally we have a Lib-Con council and again that seems to function reasonably well. Perhaps the men (and occasional women) in grey suits who appear to dominate the airwaves should recognise that consensus and not confrontation is the thing of the future.

We are pleasantly surprised how many books by local authors we sell.Sometimes getting any decent publicity is hard and the local press can sometimes seem to be very unsupportive. Not quite sure why week after week a whole page is devoted to the wrong doings of some otherwise quite unimportant people. Usually the crime page is dominated by a picture of the local judge though why I know not. If his picture is supposed to scare young criminals it doesn't seem to work. LIkewise there is often a picture of a local criminal advocate though I cannot believe he relishes his photogragh being in the paper quite so much. More space devoted to local cultural activities might be better.

At home we are following with great interest the activities of the youngest as she fights her party's cause in Cornwall.Quite envious of her waking up each morning to the brilliant sunshine in the west country whilst we have to wait for the frost to clear. Just hope that no-one throws an egg at her. Seems a rather silly (and wasteful) tradition.

The publisher's new summer catalogues are here, full of "must read" books.Maybe some are but some definitely are not. There seems to be some natural law which states that the degree of hype about a book is inversely related to the value of the book.   

Whoever you are and wherever you are reading this blog we hope that you have a very good day.  

21st April

 A very nice gent comes in asking for books by John Buchan but it transpires that he has already read all that we have. Suggest that he tries a more modern author but he is adamant that only Buchan will do. I recall a book written by Tom Sharpe which featured such a character. Maybe some years ago Sharpe met this gentleman and based his novel upon him. The subject of from where authors derive their characters would make an interesting study. Has it yet been done I wonder?

So the ash crisis is no more. I'm very pleased for two reasons. Firstly we will no more have to watch or listen to whinging people saying that they cannot get home when Europe has a wonderful rail system and secondly and perhps more importantly the "a" key on this lptop is dying so it is very tiresome trying to type "ash" all the time. So goodbye ash and hello to the second debate tomorrow night. How to play it must be exercising all three main political parties. If nothing else the first debate generated a great deal of interest in the whole political process which has to be a good thing. Not sure that I fully understand why a so called hung parliament would be a "bad thing" as Cameron would have us believe. Surely if that what we want we, the electorate are entitled to it. Such a thing worked quite well here in Scotland with a LIb-Lab coalition for 8 years.

As the spring advances we have more and more tourists coming into the shop seeking books on where their ancestors lived. Some are surprised that we did not know personally their great great uncle so and so who had a shop nearby a humdred years ago but most are pleased with the selection of books we carry. Choosing stock is one of the most difficult tasks but we seem to get it right much of the time or at least that's what the customers are kind enough to say.

On the home front our neighbour's ewes continue to give them sleepless nights whilst our two horses must be wondering why they shed their winter coats in anticiptation of a warm spring. However a customer in the shop was adamant yesterday that this summer temperatures would reach 40 degrees. Now that would be something to blog about. 

20th April

Am trying to make sense of people complaining about the volcano erruption in Iceland. It's not as though anyone has control over it but to listen to some it's (yet again) the fault of "them" whoever "them" might be. On the other hand some folk are showing wonderful enterprise getting home to the UK. So far have not sold any books connected with volcanoes(spelling?) but worryingly some on dragons. Do dragons come out of volcanoes?

We are beginning to plan next author event in May. We might in the meantime organise a  Bookfest for the Local Writers Forum which could be fun. We also intend to update our customer data base so that more people can be more aware of what we are doing in the shop.

Today we are meeting a marketing guru which will be interesting for us and hopefully not too discouraging for her. Running a small independent bookshop and having to compete with the likes of Waterstones and Amazon means we should be using every marketing skill we can. But the problem is that marketing can be an expensive business. However we shall see what she has to say.

On the home front invitation cards are now being sent to the party of the year. The family is organising what was going to be a surprise birthday party for the writer of this blog in June but the secrecy was blown by accident. Still it sounds as though it will be great fun. Various members of the family will sensibly travel by train and not fly here.

The last of the local flocks are now lambing. Our immediate neighbours had a very disturbed night last night getting very little sleep because one of their ewes was having a very difficult birth.They did not have their ewes scanned so every birth is a surprise as they do not know if it will be one, twins or even triplets. The weather, though bright, is very cold here today so we hope the new lambs survive their first few days. The dogs are not at all interested in the new lambs gamboling in the fields by the house. Out for as short a walk as possible and then back inside in front of the wood burner.

My bank made a mistake and wanted to charge me £20 for telling me I was overdrawn which I wasn't so I complained about the charge (which the Bank has now rescinded), I also wanted an apology which I've got but best of all the Bank will send Amnesty International a donation equivalent to the proposed charge. Excellent result. So it pays to complain. Literally.

17th April

Quite rightly senior management told me off for going live with yesterday's blog without first checking it for spelling and grammar. Apologies all round.

Had a great morning with Anne Prentice here in the shop promoting her book "Born under a wandering star". Some good sales made which was good for Anne, for the charity she is supporting through this book and for us.

In the square today there were canvassers from the Conservatives and Labour parties. Bit surprised not to see the Lib Dems out in force as it is clearly going to be a very tight race between them and the Conservatives. Maybe they were still celebrating the result of the TV debate. 

Over the last few days there has been an accordionist playing in the Square. No problem with that save for the fact his repertoire does seem to be very limited. Also he apparently knows only one tempo which is very very slow so it does sound rather mournful. Perhaps he'll speed up next week and cheer us all up.

Two weeks ago we started selling some slower selling books at a 25% discount. We've been amazed at the response to this. Clearly everybody likes a bargain. Maybe we'll extend this idea to increase other sections of the stock.

Interested to see this morning that one innovative publisher has put out a circular describing all the books on Volcanoes that are available. Would it be trite to say that every cloud has a silver lining?

16th April

My first attempt at blogging. Having been tweeting for some time I am at last being allowed to try my hand at the grown up blog. Will seem strange not being limited to 140 characters.

So far as the shop goes we have been re-organising this. The desk has been moved from it's previous position by the front door. That has opened things up a bit. We've introduced a new table where we are selling new books at a 25% discount and we trying to adjust the stock so we will not have to use the bottom shelves of the bookcases which should them more user friendly. That will take a while. We are meeting with a marketing guru soon to see what else we can do to make the shop even more attractive.

Our next so called author event is on Saturday 17th April when Anne Prentice will be here to talk about her book "Born under a Wandering Star. We know Anne because she attends the same film club as we do in Southdean.Her book is one of the best of its genre. Part autobiography part travelogue it is an extremely good read. Do try to come and meet Anne. We supply food and drink, Anne will will supply the recollections and it is free.

Spent some of yesterday evening watching the Leaders Debate. A clear winner and two equally clear losers. Great stuff. Who'd have thought that the position of each speaker could have such an effect. In Kelso today we have live hustings with local candidates of the major parties. This will be broadcast. Sadly cannot go but will listen in.  

So far as family news is concerned, the second son completed the Paris marathon in a personal best of well under three hours 45 minutes and he celebrated by completing the purchase of his first house. The youngest daughter is in Cornwall standing as a candidate in the general election so for us election night will become very personal. We might not support her party on all things but we support her in her endeavours. Eldest daughter's new jewellery shop in Bideford appears to be beating the recession whilst second daughter is making the most of her recent promotion in her firm promoting amonst things, Wrigleys chewing gum. Eldest son has recently joined local cricket team though whether for social or sporting reasons we are unclear. (Check:have i mentioned all 5?)

12th March

Well there is signs of spring now a month on from my last blog and the tourist season is on the way. People are emerging from their winter "dug ins" with smiles and optimism. Now the sales of maps and walking books will take off and the must have holiday reading will bring the people in. Goody!

Our next author event ( see events page ) is on Saturday week the 20th. All are welcome and there will be the usual refreshments.

9th February 2010

This has to have been the quietest day since we have opened! Many of the retailers in Kelso take their annual holiday this month and I'm begining to think they have the right idea! It has snowed on and off most of the day and I think anybody with any sense is tucked up indoors toasting their toes by a nice fire and reading  a good book. Can't even spend the time usefully painting the outside of the shop!

30th January 2010

Twitter is now a live feed onto our web page as you may have noticed. Norman does the twitters and I have the job of blogging!!

As from 1st February we will be open until 5.30 so anybody leaving work at 5pm can still pick up books or come in and browse. 

20th January 2010

Happy New Year to all our customers and potential customers.

Well having been nagged by media savvy children the blog is up and running again.  We are at present trying to get a live link to Twitter so that you all get an up date daily.

Talking about Twitter a couple of weeks ago when we got snowed in at home Norman put out a Twitter asking that if anybody was in Kelso could they please put a notice on the door saying that we were unable to open because we were cut off in the snow. Low and behold later the same day up went a notice. I find that amazing and well done to "Allerley" who performed the deed.

We had our first 2010 Author event on Saturday which was very well attended. Our Author Steve Smith read from his book of poetry and I think made a good collection for his charity which is raising money for children in Africa.

What is going to happen to Waterstones?