Have you read and loved The Rosie Project, like me?
Maybe you have read Graeme Simsion's other books? Or Anne Buist's Forensic Psychiatry mysteries?
Well, they have a new book out very soon - The Glass House and are touring bookshops to talk about it and to celebrate the amazing people working in mental health.
Come along on 14th April and hear Graeme and Anne, in discussion with Barbie Robinson, grab a copy of the new book and have it signed by the authors.
Local business supporting each other
Thanks to Margot who gave The Yass Book Store a shoutout in her latest Merchant Campbell newsletter and listed her holiday reads:
All the Broken Places by John Boyne- a sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The Offing by Benjamin Myers - a beautiful read about relationships and friendships, set in post WWII rural England
Wifedom by Anna Funder - a controversial read which might make you a bit cross with your husband and very cross with George Orwell
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann - an important read about the Osage murders and the birth of the FBI which covers uncomfortable, current topics that warrant discussion
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran - a book which covers family, tradition, racism, war, love and understanding
I also loved All the Broken Places and sold a copy as a recommendation to a regular customer recently. I am looking forward to Boyne's latest book Water.
We have just read Wifedom at book club and all agreed it made us angry :-) A couple of members are now reading 1984, Animal Farm and earlier bios of both Orwell and Eileen.
Our current book club read is Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens and I loved it. Shankari Chandran has a new book out in May - Safe Haven.
New releases
There are a few books coming out in the next few months that I am looking forward to:
Death of a Foreign Gentleman by Steven Carroll.
Galah - Annabelle Hickson (Merchant Campbell stock the gorgeous magazine)
Black Duck - Bruce Pascoe and Lyn Harwood
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Until August
Also out now:
One Another - Gail Jones
The Revenge Club - Kathy Lette
What Happened to Nina? - Dervla McTiernan
The Mystery Writer - Sulari Gentill
Events
Tania Blanchard at Goulburn Library 6pm Thursday 11 April
The Great Australian Bookshop Tour in Yass at 11am on Sunday 14 April
Join us to meet Graeme Simsion author of The Rosie series and Anne Buist author of the Forensic psychiatrist Natalie King series.
Autumn reading guide
The latest Independent Bookseller reading guide will be out tomorrow, along with the Indie Book Awards winner announcement. I'll have posters up in the windows with the winning books and reading guides in the shop.
The Stella Shortlised books are also on display in the shop along with many of the 100 must-read Australian Novels. This is the last week to enter the competition to win all 100 books!
My petition
Independent bookshops in Australia are struggling. Not because people don't read anymore, but because international, online retailers and discount department stores are selling new release books at reduced prices in Australia.
While this may seem good for customers, it puts comptetitors (bookshops) out of business, reducing competition in the long run. Why does that matter? Local bookstores employ locals, spend at other local businesses, provide services to the community like author events and book clubs and promote local, diverse, Australian and first time authors.
We curate our collections for our communities and customers. We LOVE books and authors.
Fixed-price laws apply in many countries and it works. If we value the arts, Australian literature and writers, small business and local bookshops we need to do this.
How it works - a publisher sets the price a book can be sold at for a set time after publication. That price applies to every bookseller in the country, large or small, and to books being sold online.
“Without independent bookstores, there is effectively little market for Australian literature and no future for Australian writers,” Richard Flanagan to Raymond Bonner in The Age/SMH 10 Feb 2024 - If you love discount books, you don’t love their authors.
Please consider signing - click the blue box.
Meri Collectables and The Yass Book Store have been in the Liberty Theatre for 2 years now. Can you believe it!!?? It has been perfect for us - lots of space and affordable.
I'll be looking at other lines to stock in the shop over winter, as many other bookstores are doing. It has been great to hear from customers and family that children are getting more non-chocolate gifts at Easter these days - including books, pj's and toys.
We have bunny and egg related items in the shop window, after a fun scarecrow Yass Show window display.
I will be in the shop every day over Easter from 10 - 2 with chocolate and maybe kittens...
Have a great Easter break
Jo
xx