I am Henry Finch

I am Henry Finch

Creative collaborators Alexis Deacon and Viviane Schwarz were behind the wonderful ‘A Place to call Home’ plus many other clever picture books. ‘I am Henry Finch’ is a funny and original take on the philosophy of Descartes… ‘I Think Therefore I am’.
One day, the repetitive rhythm of the Finch flock’s existence is turned upside down. Little Henry Finch is suddenly struck by A Thought. The Thought changes everything… in fact, Henry’s Thought saves the day, and before long, the whole flock are buzzing and chattering with Thoughts!

Fabulously funny, quirky and intelligent picture book, perfect for 3 to 6 year olds, whether budding philosophers or not!

Jonathan Unleashed

Jonathan Unleashed

Look no further if you’re hoping to banish the February blues with a laugh-out-loud feel-good novel!

Meg Rosoff, author of many bestselling Young Adult novels including the stunning ‘How I Live Now’, makes her first foray into writing for adults with this charmingly wry story set in New York. I completely fell in love with her confused and hapless hero, Jonathan, fresh out of university and making his first tentative steps into being a ‘proper person’.

Jonathan arrives in New York to begin his new, adult life and is amazed to find himself in proud possession of both an apartment (barely legal) and a job in advertising (soul destroying). He is just about holding it together when the arrival of two doggie flatmates, an ultimatum from his bossy girlfriend, and a strange attraction to a new co-worker of indeterminate gender threaten to overwhelm the delicate balance of his life!

What follows is a hilarious, romantic and wise caper, as Jonathan tries to figure out his philosophical bafflement at life, love, and the mysteries of the canine mind….I found myself laughing out loud on many occasions, and I can already picture the charming Nora-Ephron style rom-com it will no doubt become. But don’t let this put you off – Meg Rosoff’s writing fizzes with life, her observation is sharp, and Jonathan is a most endearingly comic character.
Hardback out 11/2/16.

God in Ruins

God in Ruins

Kate Atkinson’s Life after Life (which won the Costa book award in 2013) introduced readers to the Todd family of Fox Corner and told the multiple stories of Ursula, as she died, or not, countless times. It was a dazzling, inventive book that probed at the dark heart of the Second World War and its effect on those who died and those who survived. A God in Ruins (this year’s Costa winner) is a ‘‘companion’ piece rather than a sequel’ according to Atkinson and takes up the story of Ursula’s younger brother Teddy, the golden boy, their mother’s favourite, the wartime hero who died returning from a bombing raid in Life After Life. He gets another chance here, a wife, a daughter, grandchildren, an ignominious end in a nursing home – the ‘afterwards’ he never thought to have. Although the narrative skips back and forth through time, it is Teddy’s war that is the heart of the book, and his heart remains inside a Halifax bomber. The effect the war had on him and therefore on his monstrous (but amusing) daughter Viola and her own children is played out in subtle, poignant and surprising ways.
From her earliest work Atkinson displayed an exuberant delight in the stuff of storytelling, and in A God in Ruins, as well as its predecessor plays with form in a masterly way with serious intent and to great effect. This is a wonderful, heart-breaking book about life, family, war and its effects on a generation and the lives of those who followed.
Alice

The Illuminations

The Illuminations

Longlisted for the Booker prize, this thoughtful and engaging novel, Andrew O’Hagan’s fifth, explores with a fresh voice universal themes of age, memory, war and love. Former documentary photographer Ann lives in sheltered accommodation in Ayrshire, while her grandson Luke serves in Afghanistan encountering in real life the scenarios that he and his war fodder contemporaries relished on Xbox games. When he returns disillusioned and trying to forget the disturbing scenes that he has experienced (robustly described by O’Hagan), he finds himself tasked with helping his grandmother, in contrast, retrieve past memories and long-kept secrets and questions of veracity in image and recall gain an added resonance.
It’s a measure of O’Hagan’s compassion that after balancing these stories of war and family – braving the battlefield and braving the passing of time – the ultimate note is hopeful and almost gentle, of something that seems real and vital. The Guardian

The Well

The Well

When Ruth Ardingly and her family first drive up from London to view The Well, they are enchanted by a jewel of a place, a farm that appears to offer everything the family are searching for. An opportunity for Ruth. An escape for Mark. A home for their grandson Lucien.
But the beautiful farmstead holds a mystery. While drought stalks the country, The Well’s fields are verdant and heavy with produce, its springs gurgle with water, and the locals begin to suspect foul play. Ruth becomes increasingly isolated as she struggles to explain why her land flourishes whilst her neighbours’ produce withers and dies. As the mystery comes to the attention of the authorities, The Well becomes a place of spiritual pilgrimage, Ruth and Mark become estranged, and Ruth finds herself a reluctant, bewildered spiritual figurehead. Slowly Ruth’s paradise becomes a prison, Mark’s dream a recurring nightmare, and Lucien’s playground a grave.
Catherine Chanter’s brave and unusual novel is written with poetic intensity, and is part-fable, part-thriller, part dystopian-fantasy. Very much recommended for fans of Margaret Atwood’s ‘A Handmaid’s Tale’.

‘I was gripped by Catherine Chanter’s The Well immediately. The beauty of her prose is riveting, the imagery so assured. This is an astonishing debut’ Sarah Winman, author of When God was a Rabbit
‘I loved this book!‘ JESSIE BURTON, author of The Miniaturist.

An Evening with Catherine Chanter

An Evening with Catherine Chanter

On Thursday 18th February at 7.30 pm, we are very excited to welcome Catherine Chanter to the bookshop. Catherine will speak about her critically-acclaimed debut novel ‘The Well’, published by Canongate.
‘The Well’ is at once a post-apocalyptic musing on a society with dwindling resources, a thriller, and a hauntingly poetic fable, with elements of myth and magic. It is both gripping and beautifully written, with echoes of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. ‘The Well’ won the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize in 2013, was selected for the Richard and Judy Book club, and Catherine was named as one of the Observer ‘New Faces of Fiction 2015’.
Catherine Chanter has written for radio 4 and had many short stories and poems published. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes university, and worked in education and as a political lobbyist before becoming a full-time writer.
Tickets are £5 – or free with a purchase of ‘The Well’.
Advance booking advised. Available in store or by calling us on 01903 812062.

The Lion and the Unicorn

The Lion and the Unicorn

Another absolutely exquisite book by bookshop favourite Jane Ray, this is a collection of folk and fairy tales from around the world, some familiar, some less so but all about animals of all kinds ‘growling, snorting, spotted and striped, hairy and scaly, with teeth and claws.’ From Brer Rabbit to the Minotaur to the lovely and little-known Singing Ringing Tree, each tale is retold by Jane in clear, evocative prose , and wonderfully illustrated, her trademark lavish style toned down to a limited palette with glorious results.
Suitable for ages 7-10

Snow Sister

Snow Sister

Every winter, when the first snow falls, Pearl makes a snow girl, a snow sister. It doesn’t bring her real sister back, but for a while, she misses Agnes a little less. This Christmas Eve, a mysterious letter brings the promise of a change in fortune for Pearl’s hard- up family, but a snap decision made by Pearl could jeopardise everything.
A charming story with a suitably Christmassy message.
Suitable for 7-9 year olds

A Boy Called Christmas

A Boy Called Christmas

A joyous Christmas story!
As well as being a best-selling writer for adults, Matt Haig is a gifted spinner of yarns for younger readers, and in this charming novel he tells the merry tale of how a young Finnish boy called Nikolas becomes the Father Christmas we know and love, which is sure to enchant even those beginning to question the magic of Santa Claus.
Sprinkled liberally with jokes, and enlivened by Chris Mould’s humorous illustrations, we follow poor Nikolas as he flees his cruel Aunt Carlotta and sets out on a long trek north to find his woodcutter father, who has gone in search of the land of Elves. He is joined on his journey by a reindeer named Blitzen, and a mouse called Miika.
A dash of magic ( a ‘drimwick’ or Elf-spell) rescues Nikolas and Blitzen from a snowy death, and they are invited into Elfhelm, the fabled land of the elves … but they find it a sombre place, under the thrall of an evil elf-dictator called Father Vodol, who imprisons the boy. Nikolas and Blirzen encounter a truth-pixie, trolls, and kidnappers on their way to becoming heroes of the Elves, freeing them from the grip of Father Vodol and bringing joy, colour and gingerbread back to Elfhelm!
Full of impossible magic and laughter, this full-length chapter book is absolutely perfect to read aloud to 5-7 year olds, or for 7-10 year olds to read alone, and will bring the magic of Christmas winging into your homes!

Steyning Late-Night Christmas Shopping 2015

Steyning High Street Late Night Christmas Shopping evening – Wednesday 2nd December 6-9pm 2015

There is no better way to kick-start your festive season than by coming along to the annual Steyning late-night shopping evening!

We are all really looking forward to the children’s procession with Father Christmas, the lively school choirs, the jolly street entertainment, tempting stalls and of course the funfair. As usual a lot of work and planning is involved, so do come and support your local businesses, particularly those who are Chamber members.

Late Night Christmas Shopping at the bookshop with Julia Donaldson
There will be free mince pies and mulled wine at the bookshop as usual and an extra treat will be a visit from Julia Donaldson who is coming towards the end of the event, at 8.15pm, to sign and dedicate books bought at the bookshop that evening or pre-ordered from us from today onwards.
This time in the evening is of course after a lot of younger children will have been taken home to bed but is a golden opportunity for parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles to secretly choose her books and have them dedicated as Christmas gifts. And it’s always lovely to meet and chat with Julia and Malcolm!