by Gudrun Bowers | 1, Nov 2019
On Thursday November 14th from 7pm until 9pm we are really delighted to offer a Christmas Card lino-cut workshop led by Sarah Burns and Alice Garner.
Sarah Burns is a textile designer and woodblock printer who creates beautiful hand printed textiles, runs natural-dye / print-making workshops and has teamed up with Alice Garner as Steyning Imprint, producing delightful lino-cut tea-towels, hand-made notebooks, and other items – you may have seen their lovely Steyning tea-towels on sale in the bookshop. Both of them moonlight from their creative endeavours as part-time Steyning Bookshop staff!
Sarah and Alice will teach participants how to use lino-cut to produce lovely Christmas card designs. No experience is necessary, all levels from beginners up are welcome, and all materials are provided.
Wine / tea / coffee and nibbles will be served to help the creative juices flow.
Places are strictly limited to 14 participants, so please book your place asap. This event is for adults.
£20 per person.
Call 01903 812062 to book, pop into the shop, or book online here .
by Gudrun Bowers | 30, Aug 2019
Very last minute but Julia has just kindly agreed to come for a signing for her brilliant new book The Smeds and the Smoos!
This will take place on Saturday 7th September here at the Steyning Bookshop, from 10.30 am till 12.30 pm. If you wish to attend, you must pre-order and pay for your copy of The Smeds and the Smoos (£12.99) by phoning us on 01903 812062 or popping into the shop. For queue management, we will divide the 2 hour period into 30 minute time slots, and let you know your time slot when you pre-order. As always, all Julia’s other books will be on sale and available for signing, you can shop for these when you arrive. We must ask that you do not bring books purchased elsewhere, or books from home to be signed. If the weather is warm the signing will be in the garden. Free activities and refreshments for children will be provided.
*Local customers who are not able to attend the signing but wish to obtain a signed and dedicated book can pre-order a book to be picked up at a later date*
The Smeds and the Smoos is an out of this world intergalactic love story from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
In a distant galaxy, far far away…The Smeds (who are red) never mix with the Smoos (who are blue), so when a young Smed and Smoo fall in love, their families strongly disapprove. The star-struck lovers elope on a cosmic rocket trip around the universe, meeting all manner of curious extra-terrestrials. Eventually, a bouncing purple baby brings the two tribes together, and love and unity prevail!
This wonderful picture book is a joyous celebration of inclusivity and diversity, with Julia Donaldson’s humorous rhymes exuberantly brought to life by Axel’s colourfully hilarious illustrations. A real treat for bedtimes!
![Summer Holiday Kids Event: ‘Super Duper You’ with Sophy Henn]()
by Gudrun Bowers | 18, Jul 2019
We are so pleased to welcome the wonderful writer/illustrator Sophy Henn to our bookshop garden tent for a fun kids event!
Sophy will get busy with stories plus drawing, cutting, sticking and making activities based around her lovely picture book Super Duper You, a gorgeous rhyming picture book which celebrates the difference and uniqueness of what makes you YOU!
This event is perfect for children aged 4-8. All materials will be provided, free refreshments will be served, and the £4 ticket price is redeemable against a purchase of one of Sophy’s books.
Sophy Henn is a Sussex-based writer/illustrator who is a real rising star! Where Bear?, her first picture book, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize in 2015, and she was selected as the official World Book Day Illustrator for 2015 and 2016. Her jolly, bright and charming picture books which include Pass it On, Edie and Almost Anything have earned her widespread acclaim, and now she has branched out into chapter books with her hilarious Bad Nana series!
Wednesday 14th August starting at 10.30am.
by Gudrun Bowers | 1, Oct 2018
Monday 29th October, 7.30pm at the Gluck Studio.
A fitting literary celebration for the week of All Hallow’s Eve – it’s time to dive into the dark side with Elly Griffiths!
We are delighted to welcome Elly Griffiths (aka Domenica de Rosa) back to Steyning, to introduce her bewitching, terrifying new standalone novel. ‘The Stranger Diaries’ is a contemporary Gothic thriller, described by Louise Penny as “Goose-bump spooky, smart, and haunting. At once a re-imagining of, and a homage to, the great Gothic thrillers of the past.” Elly will tell us more about the book, her inspiration, and her fascination with the great Victorian Gothic novels.
Clare Cassidy is no stranger to tales of murder, as a literature teacher specialising in the Gothic writer R.M. Holland. Then Clare’s life and work collide tragically when one of her colleagues is found dead, a line from an R.M. Holland story by her body.
The investigating police detective is convinced the writer’s works somehow hold the key to the case. Not knowing who to trust, and afraid that the killer is someone she knows, Clare confides her darkest suspicions and fears about the case to her journal. Then one day she notices some other writing in the diary. Writing that isn’t hers…
Elly Griffiths was born in London. She worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer. Her bestselling series of Dr Ruth Galloway novels, featuring a forensic archaeologist, are set in Norfolk. The series has won the CWA Dagger in the Library, and has been shortlisted three times for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Her other popular series, the Stephens and Mephisto stories, is based in 1950s Brighton. She also writes romantic fiction under her real name of Domenica de Rosa.
Ticket price is £15 to include a copy of ‘The Stranger Diaries’ (£12 for Steyning Bookshop book group members), wine, and nibbles.
by Gudrun Bowers | 30, Aug 2018
On Saturday 20th October at 2.30pm fans of Julia Donaldson will get another chance to meet her as she celebrates the release of not one, not two, but THREE new books – a delightful alphabet of animals: Animalphabet, a new story with the fabulous illustrator Lydia Monks: The Girl, the Bear and the Magic Shoes, and a beautiful new illustrated hardback edition of Julia’s play about the second World War: Bombs and Blackberries. The book-signing is an amazing chance to buy one of these wonderful new books in first-edition hardback, and get it personally signed and dedicated by Julia.
In order to make the signing an enjoyable experience for everyone
- Entry will be strictly by prior booking only, and limited to under 100 families.
- You can book your place by calling the shop on 01903 812062 and purchasing any of Julia’s new books (or her older titles!)
- Your pre-order allows entry of 1 family group (1/2 adults and up to 4 children).
- You may purchase additional books on the day – all Julia’s books will be available for purchase and signing.
- There is no way to host a Julia D signing without some queuing, but we will attempt to reduce the queue time by staggering the entry times: 2.30 pm for the first 30 families to book, 3.30 pm for the next, and 4.30 for the final group. You will be advised of your recommended signing time when you book.
- The signing will take place inside the shop /the back room of the shop, there will be refreshments and activities for children, but space is fairly limited.
- Please do not bring ‘books from home’ or books purchased elsewhere for signing.
- If you are unable to attend the signing but would like to order and pay for a book to be signed/dedicated by Julia, to pick up in person later, please call in/ phone the shop and we will be happy to arrange this for you.
- Don’t forget – for those who live further away – you can get a signed Julia Donaldson book anytime from our website store!
JULIA’S NEW BOOKS
Animalphabet is Julia’s delightful alphabet of animals with stunning illustrations by Sharon King-Chai.
Julia’s cleverly written, rhythmic text invites children to compare one animal to another, and ingenious hints and peep-through holes within the artwork make the book a hugely entertaining guessing game as well! Each intricately cut page draws you further into a beautifully vibrant world of huge elephants, slithery snakes and growling tigers, and the book will make a gorgeous gift. £14.99 in hardback.
The Girl, the Bear and the Magic Shoes is an exciting new story illustrated with glittery magic by Lydia Monks. When Josephine leaves the shoe shop after buying some new running shoes, she hears an unusual sound – Click-click! Click-click! A bear with a backpack is following her! Luckily for Josephine, her new shoes are anything but ordinary – these are magic shoes. But can they help her escape the bear when there’s a mountain, a bog and even a lake in her way? £12.99 in hardback.
Bombs and Blackberries is a dramatic and touching play which brings Manchester during the Second World War and its people to life.
World War Two has been declared and the Chivers children are sent to the safety of the countryside. They are delighted to be brought back home when it looks like the Germans aren’t going to invade after all. But the air-raid siren goes off and this time it’s frighteningly real. It is perfect for class reading as well as performance, also includes helpful tips on staging and costume. Beautifully illustrated by Thomas Docherty. £12.99 in hardback.
Page 9 of 10« First«...678910»
