Month: February 2012

The shortlist for the 2012 Salt Publishing Scott Prize has recently been announced – so, being one of last year’s winners, I just wanted to say a quick congrats and good luck to the 11 who have made the cut. You can see who they are here. I recognise a few names on there so it’s going to be really interesting to find out who the winner is, when the decision is made around April. If you want to find out more about each shortlistee, Salt are running a series of interviews on their blog – click here and look at the blog post list on the right-hand side for #ScottPrize – The Shortlist in Profile. There’s a few on there already, more to come. So good luck everyone. From the story extracts I’ve seen so far, it looks like it’s going to be a tough year.

There seems to be a bit of a buzz about bookshops at the moment – those independents which are bursting with individuality and character as well as offering a great selection of reads. The first thing I noticed was The Guardian’s Independent Bookshop guide back in September. Then there was a post by Jen Campbell saying she wanted to write a series of ‘spotlights’ to help spread ‘the joy of physical bookshops’. You can read the first of her posts about Ripping Yarns here, the bookshop where Jen herself works.

Then there was this on Flavorwire showing photos of what were declared to be ‘The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World’. Of these my own particular favourites are Barter Books, Alnwick, the famous Shakespeare & Company in Paris and the Cafebreria El Pendulo, in Mexico City, Mexico, with its stacks of books, greenery and a winding staircase. I can only hope I get to see a few of them in the flesh one day, if not all of them.
Continue reading “Bookshop buzz”

I was interviewed over on Jen Campbell’s blog this week so if you fancy a read click here. Jen’s also running a competition and the winner will receive a copy of my collection. To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is leave a comment below the interview.