Diary of a bookshop
Bookish events
AiB Book Blether – first Wednesday of each month, 7pm, in the bookshop
An informal gathering at the bookshop, where all are welcome to chat about our experiences of a particular book and swap recommendations for others. Promise, no exam questions, just friendly blether over a cup of tea.
We’ll be reading and blethering about the following books over the next few months:
- 6th December: a blether about books we associate with the Festive period
- 3rd January: The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
- 7th February: Paper Cup by Karen Campbell
We have copies of these books in the bookshop or click on the titles to order from our Bookshop.org page.
Some of our previous books have included: A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson; O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker, The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery, The Five:the untold lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold, Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, The Bookseller of Inverness by SG Maclean and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Needless to say, not everyone liked all of them, but they all lent themselves to lively discussion.
Storytime – every Saturday in December at 9.30-10.00am
Come along to hear some cracking, magical and festive tales!5-6
We’re opening early every Saturday morning in December for a special series of Storytime sessions for ages 3 up.
Guest appearances from award-winning local authors Pauline Tait on the 9th Decem
ber and David MacPhail on the 16th December.
A bookshop Wassail – 20th December
Banish the dark with some festive, bookish fun. With readings, poems and storytelling – ghostly and otherwise, possibly aided by a sloe gin or two.
Space is limited so you’ll need to book your place in the bookshop.
We look forward to seeing you on the 20th.
BOOKMARK Festival: 5-6 October 2024
We had a tremendous first day at the BOOKMARK festival in October 2023; and fell victim to the floods on the second day! Good news is, the fabulous line up of authors who had been due to appear that day, will be with us in October 2024.
The full line up will be announced in July 2024 – we can’t wait!
In the meantime, put the date in your diary and keep an eye on BOOKMARK’s website for details of other author events happening through the year.
Some of our recent favourite AiB events
A big thank you to everyone who helped us to put them on and came to join in the fun.
After a hugely entertaining evening last year, author Mark Bridgeman returned in September with a new trial for the jury to consider. Did we guess the verdict and get it right this time? Hum. Some of us did but all of my watching of CSI clearly hasn’t improved my forensic abilities! To read more of Mark’s fascinating tales, take a look at Perthshire’s Pound of Flesh.
In August we welcomed Iain Maloney, who acted as our guide to the Victorian-built lighthouses of Japan and his own quest to visit as many of them as he could. Part travel memoir, part history, Iain’s book, The Japan Lights, took us to isolated regions of rural Japan, uncovering and exploring tales from the past and present day.
As well as greatly enjoying Iain’s new book, I loved his first book, the critically acclaimed memoir The Only Gaijin in the Village.
In April 2023, we welcomed Merryn Glover to talk about her new non-fiction book: The Hidden Fires. The book brings together the author’s fine writing and fresh perspective, and the inspiration of Nan Shepherd’s classic The Living Mountain, which became a companion for Merryn’s exploration of this ancient and astonishing mountain range. Fortunately for me, both books prove you don’t have to be a climber, mountaineer or even much of a walker to enjoy a day out in the hills.
Over the past year, we’ve also loved hosting some of our local children’s authors: David MacPhail (of Thorfinn and Velda fame), Pauline Tait (Fairy in the Kettle) and Molly Arbuthnott (tales of Oscar the Cat and other animals). In December we also welcomed the Newhill Primary School Reading Club: they loved browsing the books (particularly the joke books); and we loved getting their recommendations. Win, win!