Tilly's

My last post (made, I'm ashamed to say, over a year ago) commented on the changing face of Tilly's. Well, I'm very pleased to say that our favourite tea shop is again in good hands and thriving. This, despite the noisy Cotswold Bookstore shower creating chaos there every Tuesday at around 11 am. Last Friday there were seven of us so do look in if you are passing (though Friday 23rd might be a problem)

We miss you all.
Tony.

Tilley's loss

Since the shop closed, David and I have met up, most Friday mornings, in Tilley's. This excellent little café has, through three different ownerships, been a provider of sticky buns and coffee to David, Nina and I at Cotswold Bookstore.

We were therefore upset to discover that Clive, the latest to run the place, has left for retirement. For years we have enjoyed his insults and rudeness and the place won't seem the same with out him. To sit with a cuppa and not have someone ask when we're going or demand payment in advance because one of us looks a little off colour is a little boring.

All the best then Clive and if you see us out and about, do stop and have a word, especially if it's rude one.

From Weymouth

Also in Tilley's this morning were two lovely old friends who were looking forward to calling in at the shop.

Sue and Mervyn Gale, having traveled all the way up from Weymouth, were disappointed to find the bookshop had closed.

Nice to see you again folks. Coffee's on its way.

Tuesday at Tilley's

On most Tuesday mornings, about 11am, you may find some of the Cotswold Bookstore staff having coffee and giggles at Tilley's, next door to the shop.


Here is a shop regular, Linda, Nina (the boss) and David.


Here is John who seems to be of interest of all, even the guy outside, Tony with a mad grin and Dee, that's Nina's lovely Mum. Of course Nina's Dad was behind the camera.

The Second Life of Amy Archer

Sorry, no image yet as this book is not released till July 17th. However, as the author lives quite close, I scrounged a proof from him and here are my thoughts.

The Second Life of Amy Archer by RS Pateman.
Hardback at £18.99. Large format paperback at £12.99

The central character in this most unusual psychological thriller is a young woman, Beth, whose daughter was snatched from a playground ten years before the novel starts. Beth has never recovered from her loss and the event and her reaction ends her marriage. She sufferers from bouts of depression relieved only by a hope that she can contact Amy through a medium. Then, Amy turns up on her doorstep, looking no older than when she disappeared. Is this a con or reincarnation?
   This tale  is remarkable both for its quality and the for the convincing voice of a woman in turmoil  for the author is male. Beth continually flips between mistrust and belief, between despair and elation and her tale will keep you guessing up to and beyond the last page and, I’m certain, will cause heated discussions in book groups across the land.

Rebecca Tope Signing

Just because our shop has closed it doesn't mean that Rebecca Tope will turn her back on The Cotswolds.

In fact, she will be signing her latest Thea Osborne book, (set in Winchcombe) at The Borzoi Bookshop in Stow-on-the-Wold on Saturday 30th March at 11am.

As well as launching her new hardback, Shadow in the Cotswolds, her latest paperback, Malice in the Cotswolds, will also be available.

I'll be there and perhaps Nina and David may make it too, but don't let that put you off!




If you are new to Rebecca, give her site a look - http://www.rebeccatope.com/ 

Blog back on Air

OK We're back in the driving seat now. After a slow re-assembly of the computer and peripherals (small choux pastry balls filled with cream and topped with chocolate) we're now back in charge of the blog.

So here's our first review for a while -

A Game of Thrones: by George R.R. Martin

Paperback at £8.99

With a link to the history of fourteenth century Europe and perhaps our own 'Wars of the Roses', this sprawling epic is just the start of a huge and gripping saga. This first book runs to 800 pages (what value!) and describes the lives of Kings and Princes, knights and traitors, as various families vie to rule the land. There are few men of honour, in these pages. Everyone plots to satisfy their own ambitions. Perhaps everyone, that is, but Eddard Stark, called away from his family to virtually rule while the King enjoys the hunt and too much wine. However, there is a suspicion of murder at court and, at the King's death, Eddard must take command only to find that he can trust no one. As his control slips, the country spirals into war. I was soon gripped by the lives of the vast list of characters as they dance around each other. You'll soon find your favourites among them, some of them are very amusing, and there are plenty to hiss and boo as the plot develops. The non-stop action, secrets, plots and battles spread across a brilliantly imagined landscape rush you to the last page. Much better than the TV series starring Sean Bean as Stark, this is superb. I've already rushed to the next in the series, A Clash of Kings, which I'm enjoying just as much. 

I know it's an oldie but for years I've read for the shop while my favourite authors output piled up in the 'library'. (Large box under the bed!)

More from Peter Gibbs

Those of you who bought (and for certain enjoyed) the excellent cricket novel, Settling the Score by Peter Gibbs, might be interested in Arthur's Hallowed Ground starring Jimmy Jewel which is one of Peter's most enjoyable plays.

It's on Film 4 at 15.20 - short notice this but I've just spotted it. There's always I-player.

Father Brown - Mark Williams

Hits from all over from folk looking up Father Brown after today's first screening. I thought it most enjoyable.

Good to see Mark Williams on top form and various Cotswold villages in the sunshine.

The former was expected but however did they manage the latter in the wet and miserable summer, just past.


Despite the shop having been closed for two weeks now, we still receive requests for copies of Justin Thyme and Thyme Running Out. I have my own store of 'em!

I will endevour to put something on our blog, now and again

Schools - WBD freebies

Calling local schools.

There's not much time as we're clearing the premises at Cotswold Bookstore, quite quickly.

However, we do have boxes of  World Book Day books stored up over the past 10 years.

They were given away in exchange for a token or there was a price of £1.00 on them.

Free to schools for library or small prizes.

Please give us a ring on 01608 652666 if you think you can use them.

Happy New Year

A belated Happy New Year to you all.

There's a few books that I've enjoyed recently and, when I can make the time, I'll knock up my thoughts on them.

Of course, if you like the sound of them, you'll have to go to The Borzoi Bookshop in Stow or Jaffe and Neale in Chipping Norton for them. We're fresh out of books.*

The poor old shop really looks a wreck as we've been busy fetching down years of accumulated junk from upstairs and either getting folks to take it away or piling it in the skip outside.

Someone wanted the scrap wood but we cannot remember who that was. If you know - get in touch.

The same applies for our large rug. Someone asked for it but who?

Lots of kind people still arrive to tell us how sorry they are to see us closed. It would have been great if someone had taken over but it's not that kind of world any longer. Sad.

(* Might have a few Justin Thyme's around the place somewhere)

Cotswold Bookstore - the end

Today was the last trading day at Cotswold Bookstore and what a day!

I intended taking photos but we were, all three of us, too busy accepting gifts, getting handshakes, hugs and kisses, offering drinks and mince pies and even serving a customer now and again.

Thank you all for all your gifts, for your often moist eyed thanks and for your company on this, our last day.

Running a bookshop must always be a pleasure. With friends as wonderful as you all, it has been a perfect joy.

Thank you, thank you from David, Nina and myself,
Tony.

Dear John

Our very good friend, poet/cartoonist and tea and biscuit advisor, John Curtis, mailed us with the following. Some of it isn't true!

Cotswold Bookstore.  I feel that someone should write a heart-felt appreciation of a decade of dedicated bookmanship at C.B.S....But I couldn't be arsed and so I'm writing this instead.

Tony, David and Nina came into my life two or three years ago - 'breaking and entering' is probably nearer the mark - and much tea, coffee and bickies has flowed under the dental bridge since then. To begin at the beginning; Tony and David worked together before they took over the bookshop but seeing a golden opportunity they threw up their jobs at Septimus Lackwind's horse-meat emporium and took over the ailing business in Moreton in 2002. The book shop had been experiencing financial problems for some time....largely because Tony and David, who ran a thriving local protection racket on the side, had driven the proprietors to the brink of bankruptcy.......so seizing their chance they bought out the owners - Well, I SAY "bought out" - and enjoyed many years of success.

David was the tidy one, some said 'annually retentive',that is to say he kept most things for a year, he was a dab hand with the vaccuum cleaner and a scourge of rubber bands, paper clips and all the detritus of shop life. His aversion to 'mess' often led to the disappointment of customers who had ordered books as he tended to shred all paperwork in a deranged blitz on 'disorderliness'. David had returned to this country from South Africa where he had worked in the advertising industry and he brought with him his experience in africa. Unfortunately, that experience was a traumatic one involving a large mooli and an enraged Colobus monkey, which when combined with David's unorthodox taste in 1930's retro wide-legged tropical shorts led to a painful and embarrassing disaster in down-town Durban from which he never really recovered. So much for experience !

Tony, by contrast, was the bright, busy one, greeting customers with a fixed and glassy gaze and the engaging grin of the classic psychopath. He was always a 'Goons' fan and a great lover - or so I have been reliably informed by several ladies of a certain profes.....age - of the works of the sainted J.R.R.Tolkein and the history of Middle-earth. This, combined with an artfully concealed tendency to homicidal rage when crossed, DID lead to several unfortunate incidents in the shop. The one seared forever into my memory concerned the unsuspecting customer who chanced to opine that "Hobbits were hairy-footed lay-abouts who needed to get a proper job and not batten on the hard-working, honest tax-payer for their baccy, birthday parties and fireworks...."

To this day I don't know how such a small man as Tony managed to overpower a 6' 6" retired mud-wrestler and insert several volumes of 'Bradshaw's Guide' (The annotated version) into an orifice designed by a merciful creator for nothing more wieldy than a proctologist's forefinger......I can only put it down to strength of character......and total insanity, of course.

Nina joined the business some years after and immediately brought something exotic into the atmosphere of the shop....It was a large anaconda called Fifi which had been part of Nina's act in her younger days.....Nina joined the company after tiring of her position at Madam Osiris' House of Joy (an olympic gymnast of the soviet era would have tired of THAT position in five minutes) and she took to the book trade like a duck to concrete. Emanating an indefinable aura of eroticism and chocolate eclairs, Nina brought a certain professionalism to the shop - the training at Madam Osiris' will do that for a gal - and she soon exercised iron control over the till, which until then Tony had looked upon as a magic piano to which he could turn whenever the shop was short of cakes or biscuits, She insisted on I.O.U's.....which Tony pointed out was simply an anagram of 'Oui' which means 'Yes' in any language....Well, only French, really Tony.... Nina was the only one who could snap David out of his states of catatonic shock whenever he was faced with a decision, or two people talking to him at the same time. She was also a dab hand with the Tarot cards - inventing a variation on the art which she termed "Strip Tarot" -  She'd have the shirt off your back before you could say "What do you mean 'The Well-hung Man' I thought it was called 'The Hanged Man'....." and I wasn't even AWARE that you COULD lose money at Tarot. Nina also dabbled in horoscopes or 'horrorscopes' as we called them. She once informed me that my water-carrier was in conjunction with my Aries.....I itched for a week.

Still, you could always say this of Nina...she always had a cheery word - although it wasn't a word I could put in  print without fear of prosecution - and so it saddens me that I must now write 'finis' on our connections, particularly as it takes weeks for the ink to wear off so lets hear it for the Moreton Three :- Hip, Replacement hip, Replacement hip, Hooray !!! *

* Nina's hips are in first rate condition due to certain secret and mysterious eastern practises. The other two.....Well, who can say ?

John s, Curtis

 

Nina pass on to David and Tony. It's another small gift to my friends. On second thoughts don't put it on the shop blog as their are a lot of humourless buffoons out there who wouldn't know a joke if it bit them in the arse.

Love John.   

Version: 2012.0.2221 / Virus Database: 2637/5482 - Release Date: 12/23/12

Orders. Closing date

Just time for a big thank you to all of our friends who have come in and bought books from our shelves in our closing down sale.

However, just in case there are those of you who don't like to 'take advantage' when we are closing, we'd love to see you.

You'll be a great help if you can take a few cut price books off our shelves and leave us with some cash for the bank manager

The shop is looking very sad now but we've tried to maintain parts of the children's section because Santa would like it that way.

The military section has also been topped up and there are many good paperbacks at only £2.99 at the sale price.

We are still ordering books but to be sure of receiving them before Christmas, tomorrow is the cut-off date.

After that, it's down to luck.

Our last day of trading is looking like Saturday 29th December so do come in and say goodbye.

Sale Success

Sorry folks, we've been so busy keeping pace with our customers taking advantage of our

 25% Off Everything Sale

that we've had no time for our blogs.

The sale has been a huge success,

so much so that if you want to buy your Christmas books, you had better hurry.

Not only books, of course.

All the Games Workshop games, models, books and paints
are also flying out at the 25% discount.

GW orders placed and paid for in advance also qualify.

25% 0ff Sound Sellers

Our 25% Off Everything* Sale has gone so well that we are having to re-order certain children's books.

We can't let Santa down.

Big sellers have been the Sound and Pop-up books from Templar.

There's a whole range of them including Night Time, Ocean, Dinosaurs, Wild West and many more as well as those shown.

A big box of them came in on Thursday and here we are on Saturday, needing more.

The price is silly for we deduct £3.99 from the price and then take ANOTHER 25% off!

The other big sellers have been the three-D Jig-Saws.

They have nearly all gone but more should arrive Monday.





* This reduction in price does not include staff.

Closing Down Sale

With much regret we announce that today we commence our

25% off closing down sale.

Justin Sheep

Still nonplussed about the interest shown, world wide, in our 'Sheep in the Window' post of 2nd September.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1440309638559471922#editor/target=post;postID=5422178259133075064

However, I decided to take advantage of it by adding a comment about our favourite book, Justin Thyme and the sequel, Thyme Running Out.

Hobbit - the music

On www.theonering.net you can see Hobbit news updated almost daily. This is one you shouldn't miss however. The complete music for 'An Unexpected Journey'

See - http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=35757

19/11/2012 Sorry, it's no longer available.

Hobbit - new books

Tony has already booked his family seats for the film of The Hobbit.

Indeed, he will be having a Hobbit weekend with the film on one day and a home showing of Lord of the Rings on the next with first and second breakfasts (nice crispy bacon) where he can fit them in.

In the shop we have the complete Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, of course but there are also two great film books.

The Visual Companion is a hardback containing copious notes about the characters in the film and plenty of background information with pages devoted to 'Hobbit', 'Wargs' and 'Goblins'.

The Official Movie Guide is by Brian Sibley (co-writer of the wonderful 1981 radio version of LOTR among many other treats). This is packed full of great film shots and interviews. Worth it just for the page on 'Dressing Galadriel'.

Meanwhile, Tony is waiting to get his hands on the first Games Workshop models based on the film characters.

Did you know we have another blog for our GW fans? - cotswoldbookstoregamesworkshop.blogspot.co.uk/