14th November Newsletter
What’s On At Veranda
Welcome, welcome! You may or may not know that the Veranda Team are all new to the business of bookselling, and a year into the job, we’ve been reflecting on what’s surprised us the most. Emily has been taken aback by the conversations we have with our customers, and how quickly we can find ourselves swimming in very deep waters. Leo has learned not to judge a book customer by their cover – our readers are diverse, curious and breathtakingly well-read. And Alison is never not astonished by the day-to-day variety (of people, opportunities, ideas) presented by running a bookshop. Which goes to show that bookshops are more than just shops with books in them. Come and see us soon, you never know what surprises await you on our shelves!
Shop News
“Memoir is just translation of the self.” - Xiaolu Guo
The shop has been bursting at the seams this week as we hosted events so oversubscribed, attendees could be found on every chair and stair in the place.
On Tuesday, Alice Vincent rounded off her book tour for Hark, which Emily and Alison have been raving about since May. Alice has a habit of timing her book launches with the late stages of pregnancy but she nonetheless threw herself into an evening of lively conversation with the magnificent writer and poet, Amy Key. Our effusive crowd moved upstairs for book-signings and treats from the ‘table of decadence’ (©AVincent). Signed copies of Hark and of Arrangements in Blue, Amy’s dazzling memoir, are now available in-store.
Wednesday night brought visitors from far and wide, such is the power of author and film-maker Xiaolu Guo. Initially discussing her latest novel, Call Me Ishmaelle, Xiaolu also talked about moving from China to the UK, and how that impacted her creative output (which is, by the way, phenomenal). Language, culture, history, memoir – just some of the aspects of Xiaolu’s life and work touched on in her interview with China expert, writer, and local friend of Veranda, Paul French. Again, we have some signed copied of Call Me Ishmaelle in store, along with a number of Xiaolu’s other books; well worth a visit to sample brilliant earlier works such as I Am China and Radical.
Leo on Flesh by David Szalay
At the start of the year, I read a book that had such a profound effect on me that I found myself talking about it with the proselytising zeal usually reserved for those who find God or fall in love for the first time (apologies, in particular, to my stoical colleagues, Emily and Alison).
On Monday, this book won the Booker Prize, and the thought-loop restarted, pondering the immense skill of David Szalay in occupying the interior of such an emotionally-detached character, while simultaneously creating one of the most tense and propulsive novels I have ever read.
This novel is a masterclass in storytelling. As visceral as a Francis Bacon (who constantly referenced carcasses in his work) painting, concerned only with presenting reality in its most unfiltered and awkward form, and as spare and precise in its presentation as, well, a freshly cleaved slab of raw flesh.
Further reading/watching:
Stoner by John Williams
Ultraluminous by Katherine Faw
Barry Lyndon, written/directed by Stanley Kubrick
Now Booking
Bijal Shah discusses Bibliotherapy
As part of Halcyon International School’s literary festival, we’re delighted to host a very special event at the shop on Thursday, 27th November (6-7.45pm). Bijal Shah is a counsellor specialising in bibliotherapy – effectively, recommending or ‘prescribing’ books to deepen the therapeutic process. Her book Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading tackles some of the mental health themes she deals with in her practice and provides reading lists which readers might find useful. Bijal will be in conversation with poet Sara Fletcher. This promises to be a cosy and intimate evening, and would be great for anyone curious about the transformative power of literature.
Spaces are free but limited – you can reserve yours at the shop, or on Halcyon’s Eventbrite listing.
Our Recommended Reads
It Would Be Night In Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo (tr. Elizabeth Bryer)
After a few weeks of reading (and loving) some VERY long books, Alison’s eye was caught by this 200-page debut from Caracas-born writer, Karina Sainz Borgo, whose background as a journalist positions her perfectly to write about contemporary Venezuela. After burying her mother, Adelaida returns to her childhood apartment in the hope of grieving in peace. This hope is swiftly destroyed by the real-life dystopia enveloping this corner of South America. A brilliant book, whose brevity belies its power.
The World According to Snoopy: A quote for every moment
Flying off the shelves this week, The World According to Snoopy is an essential manual for how to live a more fulfilling life, for young and old alike. This beautiful dinky hardback dispenses bite size wisdom from Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy. A dead-cert stocking filler success for all readers, be they high-, middle- or lowbrow.
What we’re loving this week…
After reading Arrangements In Blue by Amy Key, Emily has been re-listening with nostalgia to Joni Mitchell’s amazing album Blue. A soul laid bare through beautiful lyrics and soaring vocals.
She’s also experienced joy from Selfridge’s window – maybe the best ever??! Kitschy Disney gorgeousness!
Leo has been listening to a new podcast, Old School by Princeton academic Shilo Brooks, who is on a mission to get more men reading. Featuring intimate interviews with men from different walks of life about the books that changed their lives. Start with Nick Cave on The Adventures of Pinnochio, a book which has been with him all his life.
Alison has been staying up late watching Channel 4’s adaptation of Louise Kennedy’s Troubles-set novel, Trespasses. Sometimes book to screen adaptations disappoint, and sometimes they’re pure alchemy – in this case, the latter is true. Gillian Anderson is particularly magnetic viewing as Cushla’s brittle alcoholic mother, Gina.
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