Booka
Oswestry’s favOurite independent BOOkshOp!
did You Know?
the last typewriter
The longest common english word which can be typed using only the left hand on a QwerTY keyboard is ‘stewardessess’
it was the end of an era just across the road from the Yattar Yattar office recently as the last typewriter to be made in Britain rolled off the production line and straight into the science Museum in London. 5.9 million typewriters have been manufactured by Brother uk in its factory near wrexham since 1985, but now, with home computers found in nearly every household and business, the age of the typewriter has finally drawn to a close after over 200 years. Machines that most people would recognise as typewriters have been industrially produced since 1874, when machines were first made in the usa. there was, however, a similar ‘writing ball’ machine manufactured in 1870, and the first typewriter-like machine was first made in 1808.
Spring reads l The Yellow Birds, Kevin Powers This debut novel by poet and veteran Kevin Powers is a graphic yet compelling account of friendship, loss and broken promises in the aftermath of war. It follows 21-year-old Private John Bartle in the northern city of Al Tafar as he fights not only hostile insurgents abroad but also his more frightening demons at home. Powers’ emotionally charged style makes for gripping reading. l Ash, JAmes herBerT The latest novel from the undisputed master of the British horror genre, Ash is Herberts’ most controversial work to date and a gift for the conspiracy theorists out there! There are references to a (fictional) abnormal baby born into the modern Royal Family, ‘Lucky’ Lord Lucan’s final resting place and the inner workings of Gaddafi’s warped mind, as well as the macabre elements we’ve come to expect from this author. Although not one of his best, it is thought provoking and well worth a read. l The snow Child, eowYn iveY Alaska in the 1920s finds Jack and Mabel struggling to survive in desolate, unforgiving conditions. Scratching a living from the frozen dirt, their lives are lonely, monotonous and empty. In their deep despair, they have only each other and the memories of the child they lost, until a mysterious girl changes their lives forever. This beautifully written novel, based on a Russian fairy tale, is haunting and mesmerising in equal amounts... l is it Just me?, miranda hart One of Britain’s mostloved comediennes, Miranda Hart’s memoir is full of cringeworthy social faux pas guaranteed to strike a loud and horrible chord with many of her readers. With plenty of laugh- out-loud situations and embarrassingly awkward moments, this is a comically refreshing book, which reminds us not to take life too seriously.
Hello again. We write our column for this issue just after a hugely successful launch event for the 2013 Oswestry Festival of the Word, aka OsLitFest. The launch, which unveiled this year’s programme of events, took place at The Walls Restaurant and was attended by Booker long listed author, Rachel Joyce, whose novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was the bestselling debut hardback of 2012 and one of our favourites from last year. Now published in paperback, this poignant and heart-warming story with a cast of truly memorable characters is one to read and savour. We are thrilled to be a festival partner for OsLitFest helping to bring a glittering line up of internationally acclaimed writers, poets and performers to the town for this year’s festival, which takes place from Saturday 9th to Tuesday 19th March. Headlining is bestselling War Horse author Michael Morpugo who will appear at The Marches School on Sunday 10th March. See the What’s On section on page 25 for further details of this and other OsLitFest events or visit the festival website www.oswestrylitfest.co.uk March is a very busy month for us. As well as the literary festival, we’ll also be supporting Shrewsbury Children’s BookFest authors in Schools Week (4th – 8th March) and celebrating World Book Day on March 7th with school children from local primaries visiting the shop to redeem their World Book Day vouchers. We also have an event with bestselling author Kate Atkinson on Friday 22nd March when she’ll be talking about her much anticipated new ‘stand-alone’ novel Life After Life. We think this will be a big book in 2013! Crime fiction is a really popular genre for us. A couple of new titles we’d highly recommend are Dead Water by Ann Cleeves, the fifth novel in her Shetland series, and Belinda Bauer’s intriguing and original Rubbernecker. Of course, we are more than just a bookshop. We also sell a distinctive range of cards, gifts and stationery to complement our books. So if you are looking for inspiration and gifts to treat friends, spoil family or indulge yourself, we can help. With our cafe selling coffee, teas and delicious homemade cakes we aim to provide a shopping experience you can’t buy online. Why not pay us a visit – you’ll be sure of a warm welcome. Happy reading Carrie & Tim visit Booka on Church street in oswestry or call 01691 662244. www.bookabookshop.co.uk
March/April 2013 yattaryattar magazine 105