Bookish Summer Quotes!

We’ve been lucky enough to have weeks and weeks of warm, sunny weather to enjoy, and we’re looking at more ahead of us.

As we set off on holidays, spend days on the beach, take our lunch breaks out in the sunshine and watch the sun set late at night, it’s nice to remember some of our favourite quotes about the summer.

Books provide a wonderful service in that they put into words the feelings that we often can’t quite articulate ourselves; like the optimism that summer brings.

Here’s some bookish words to keep those summer vibes going…

-John Steinbeck, The Winter of our Discontent

-F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

-Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty

-Jeanette Walls, The Glass Castle

-Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

-Junot Diaz, This is How You Lose Her

-Henry James

-Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

-Lisa Schroeder, I Heart You, You Haunt Me

-Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited

-Haruki Murakami, Dance, Dance, Dance

-L.M. Montgomery, Anne’s House of Dreams

If you’re looking for something to do on these long summer days, we are waiting with open arms (and full shelves!). Read about our Summer events here.

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Alternative Nobel Prize: Cast Your Vote!

-By Emma Bilsborough, Front of House Leader

Earlier this year, the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature was postponed, due to sexual assault allegations within the academy.

However, some of Sweden’s cultural figures decided to set up a New Academy, in order to make sure that deserving authors are still acknowledged and rewarded for their work, and the importance of art and literature is not undermined by the upset. They’ll be awarding the winner with The New Academy Prize for Literature in October this year.

“In a time when human values are increasingly being called into question, literature becomes an even more important counter-force to stop the culture of silence and oppression.”

Happy 200th Birthday Emily Brontë!

On Monday the 30th of July, the literary world will be celebrating the 200th birthday of Emily Brontë.

One of the best in romantic and gothic fiction, her work Wuthering Heights is still read, studied and adored by book lovers everywhere.

We decided to put together some of our favourite Emily Brontë quotes, to mark the occasion. We delved into her poetry and into Wuthering heights, to find these gems.

Summer fun at the Bookbarn!

It’s finally Summer Holidays time! This is one of our favourite times of the year, as it brings us lots of lovely new faces.

This year, we’re preparing lots of activities to make sure our visitors enjoy themselves thoroughly, and our café has lots of tasty new summer treats to enjoy.

Here’s what’s in store…

Our Hay Festival Winners!

Through April and May this year, we ran a competition to allow two lucky people to attend Hay Festival, with two nights free glamping in a lovely bell tent, provided by Pillow Adventure Travel.

Our winner, Ross Jeffrey, sent us some photos of his trip, and we can’t help but be a little jealous. Maybe we can go next year?

(Books for sale at Hay Festival, May 2018)

10 of the Best Books About Football

As we approach the quarter finals of the World Cup this weekend, and get ready to spend another 90 minutes sitting on the edge of our seats and biting our nails, hoping that England get through to the next stage, our staff decided to get into the spirit and put together a list of the best books about football.

Never say us bookish types aren’t interested in sports. (Okay, most of us aren’t, but still).

You can search for all the books on this list on our website.

Literary Last Lines

Books are so many things. They are comforting, thrilling, joyful, moving, and too many other things to name. The words on the pages of a book can provide us with not only a story, but a new outlook on things, new information, new interests.

To this end, we put some thought to our favourite lines in literature. Beautiful words spoken by beloved characters. Jane Eyre’s ‘Reader, I married him’. Pride and Prejudice’s ‘What are men to rocks and mountains?’. East of Eden’s ‘and now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good’. All of these quotes wonderfully written and placed within our favourite stories.

We decided to put together a list, of not just good lines in literature, but some of our favourite closing lines. The last line of a book lingers in our heads long after we’ve closed it.

Darwin’s First Birthday!

On June 29th, our team will be gathering together to celebrate one successful year of our Darwin Rare Books Room.

Independent Bookshop Week at the Bookbarn

“The best place to buy a book is a bookshop.”

Next week brings another wonderful Independent Bookshop Week celebration for us to get involved in.

Learn Sugar Craft at Bookbarn!

Beginning this month, we will be running a series of Sugar craft workshops in our café, led by a qualified sugar craft enthusiast.

The first workshop will be from 7pm – 9pm on the 21st of June, and will be £25 per person.

An opportunity to learn and practice elegant classical piping techniques with the guidance and instruction of a friendly qualified sugar craft enthusiast.

 

You will be given a board so you can take your piping home.

Further workshops will include:

Learning how to prepare and cover a cake

Crafting sugarpaste wildflowers…

Various seasonal special techniques…

 

 

Get in touch with us to book on to the workshop, or for any further information:

bookbarn@bookbarninternational.com

01761 451777.

 

 

 

Read more about our events on our website, or check out our facebook page!