Blog

Tell Me About Your Next Debut

While I don’t want to pop the little happy-bubbles of debut authors who are lucky enough to be getting attention and budgets, I worry that in four books’ time that will be them being jostled aside for the latest new thing, abandoned by the industry. Publishers and many industry reviewers can’t seem to stop lusting after the next debut; that distracted boyfriend meme fits them very well!

In The Picture – an interview with Lydia Monks, children’s book illustrator

The much-loved farmyard antics of Lanky Len and Hefty Hugh in What the Ladybird Heard celebrate their tenth anniversary this year, and The Girl, The Bear and the Magic Shoes, Lydia Monks’ latest book with Julia Donaldson, goes into paperback this month. Lydia’s first book with Julia Donaldson, Sharing a Shell, was published 15 years ago, and is still amongst our best-selling and most loved books – and many others have become household favourites and have been adapted into stage and puppet shows. She has also illustrated books for Carol Ann Duffy and Roger McGough, and her on books have on her many awards and accolades too! We sent bookseller, and collector of illustration, Tamsin Rosewell, to find out how one of our most loved illustrator works.

Little Toller

The Day War Came – a letter to Parliament

The Lost Words – for all schools in Coventry and Warwickshire

We’re finalists for Small Business of the Year!

Tamsin Rosewell |

In The Picture – an interview with Lydia Monks, children’s book illustrator

The much-loved farmyard antics of Lanky Len and Hefty Hugh in What the Ladybird Heard celebrate their tenth anniversary this year, and The Girl, The Bear and the Magic Shoes, Lydia Monks' latest book with Julia Donaldson, goes into paperback this month. Lydia's first book with Julia Donaldson, Sharing a Shell, was published 15 years ago, and is still amongst our best-selling and most loved books - and many others have become household favourites and have been adapted into stage and puppet shows. She has also illustrated books for Carol Ann Duffy and Roger McGough, and her on books have on her many awards and accolades too! We sent bookseller, and collector of illustration, Tamsin Rosewell, to find out how one of our most loved illustrator works.

Tamsin Rosewell |

Little Toller

Bookselling, Butterflies and Brexit.. This small independent publisher started in the annex to a farmhouse ten years ago; they now produce some of our favourite, most distinctive and most asked-for books. We sent bookseller, Tamsin Rosewell to talk to publisher, Jon Woolcott and find out more about Little Toller. Little Toller specialises in reviving classics of nature, rural life and British local history; they also bring to our shelves wonderful new writing - but all are elegant, sophisticated little books that add real character and value to what we offer as an independent bookshop....

Tamsin Rosewell |

The Day War Came – a letter to Parliament

We were invited, by writer Nicola Davies and illustrator, Jackie Morris, to organise a project to get 100 copies of a new picture book, called The Day War Came, into Parliament. The purpose is to offer the support of a collective of the country's most prominent and prolific authors, illustrators and poets, for the reopening of The Dubs Scheme to protect 3000 lone child refugees. We set Tamsin to work writing the letter that would accompany the books and, using our connections and many wonderful offers of help, we got the support of the extraordinary list of people (or list of...

Tamsin Rosewell |

The Lost Words – for all schools in Coventry and Warwickshire

We've been working with Coventry University Library over the last few months as they planned their project to fund a copy of The Lost Words by Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane, for every Primary School across Coventry and Warwickshire. All primary schools in Coventry will already have received a letter by email from Coventry University before they broke up, sent through Coventry’s School Library Services. In September, when the schools return, all 280 primary schools will receive a copy of The Lost Words with a resource pack alongside it. We will be co-ordinating the distribution of...

Tamsin Rosewell |

We’re finalists for Small Business of the Year!

We've some brilliant news! We are beyond delighted to say that we are finalists for Small Business of the Year at Touch FM - and they have also shortlisted us for the Customer Service Award!! We knew we were up for one award, but the other was a big surprise! For Small Business of the Year in the Pride of Warwick District Awards, we have got a well-known event management company, an innovative digital marketing firm and an ingenious cycle recycler for company. We think it is brilliant that an independent bookshop is being recognised for its business success and approach to customer...

Tamsin Rosewell |

The Stain of Blood Shed Long Ago – Mythology and Modern Literature

We always keep an eye on the projects that publisher Unbound tells us about, and this one caught our eye! The Arrow of Apollo by Philip Womack is set in the aftermath of the Trojan War; one of the great conflicts of both history and mythology, that saw the city of Troy burned to the ground by the Achaean coalition. Very little has been written about the children of the warring adults who caused this war; in Philip Womack's book three young teenage protagonists face troubles both from the past, and the present. We sent our resident historian and mythology enthusiast, Tamsin Rosewell, to find out more.

Tamsin Rosewell |

Here Be Dragons!

Dragon Daughter, set to be published on October 4th, is a story for our times. On the Isle of Arcosi, torn by politics and intolerance, servant girl Milla finds a bag that cradles the last four dragon eggs. As tensions on the island escalate, Milla realises that if she is to keep the eggs safe, she must also keep them secret. Dragon Daughter is a perfect tale for the restless and troubled times we ourselves live in, and in which our children are growing up. If our own sceptred isle could dream for us all now, it would dream of dragons. We sent our own fiery @autumnrosewell to find out more from author Liz Flanagan.

Tamsin Rosewell |

Scarlett Hart Monster Hunter

Scarlett Hart is the orphaned daughter of two legendary monster hunters - and she is determined to carry on in her parents footsteps. In this supernatural adventure for mid-grade readers, author Marcus Sedgwick and illustrator Thomas Taylor have teamed up to create a fast-paced and fiercely imaginative graphic novel filled with pleasing terror and gorgeous colours. We sent bookseller and folkloric monster enthusiast, Tamsin Rosewell to interview the book's creators

Tamsin Rosewell |

Ghosts and Healing in the Exclusion Zone

While researching his next novel, author Julian Sedgwick arranged to make a journey right into the heart of the lands devastated by earthquake, tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. In our first guest blog, he writes about his travels in Japan, gives us an eyewitness account of a landscape that, eleven years after its triple disaster, hovers between decay and blossoming life. He meets its residents, and its ghosts.

Tamsin Rosewell |