I am not often at a loss for words on how to describe an event, but I must say, I am completely stymied now. New York-based writer, musician and mental health activist Sabrina Chap was at W&T on Wednesday evening to share from the second edition of Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction. I haven't been able to put the book down since. But how shall I describe what Sabrina's talk was -- and the book is -- about without reducing it to meaningless cliches? Yes, it is a book with contributions from various artists - writers (bell hooks among them), photographer Nan Goldin, comedian Margaret Cho, playwright Amanda Palmer (who wrote the foreword) et al - on how they have come through their darkest and yet most creative hours, and have lived to tell the tale. But it isn't just an uplifting reminder that if you hurt, you are not alone. That would be waaaay too trite. Instead, it is an exploration into the multiple shades of gray which make us who we are -- dark sides and all. 'Nuf said. To try and elucidate further would be to render this amazing and complex anthology less than the sum of its parts. My suggestion: Read the parts. Thank you to Sabrina for an awesome event and for soldiering on despite succumbing to the damp London weather. - Fran
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I have to say there are times I really love my job. The event with Canadian author Joseph Boyden was both a treat and a reminder of the benefits of being a bookseller. I learnt a lot at that event. Prior to that evening, I had not even been aware of the term 'First Nations' to denote the aboriginal or indigenous people of Canada. Joseph not only read from his novel The Orenda, he provided an insight into the history and culture of these varied ancient tribes. On top of that, it was a double treat to have his friend, Native American actress and musician Tamara Podemski, sing and play the drum at the closing of the session. Now, how many people can say they experience that in the course of their job? What a lovely and magical evening :) Thank you to Joseph for appearing at W&T while in London, and to the Canadian High Commission for supporting the event. We only have one signed copy of The Orenda left in store -- so come and grab it before it goes! And oh, if you're wondering what 'Orenda' means, we asked Joseph too -- it's the spiritual/life force inherent in people and shared with nature. Keeewl... - Fran Authors Andrew Whitehead, Zoe Fairbairns and Sarah Wise shared background stories on their contributions to the anthology London Fictions at Woolfson & Tay at a Tuesday evening session on 16 July 2013. The evening proved to be a fascinating journey which delved into London's past and present. Historian Sarah Wise's exposition of Arthur Morrison’s 1896 novel A Child of the Jago shed light on life in the Old Nichol slum in Shoreditch during the Victorian era, while Zoe Fairbairns trek through Clapham Common - in an attempt to retrace the world conjured in Pamela Hansford Johnson's This Bed Thy Centre - revealed that while much had changed, much also remained the same. Andrew Whitehead rounded off the evening by exploring the slums of London as evoked in George Gissing's The Nether World. The evening was a celebration of not only London fiction per se, but also the diversity of the microcosmic worlds which coexist in the great historic city of London. To learn more about London's evolution, grab a copy of London Fictions or to explore other readings, visit www.londonfictions.com. Thumbnails by Gregory Norminton Very, very short stories – perfect for reading on the tube, while waiting in a queue… Condensed form means 2 seconds to getting sucked into the guts of the story and yet, the conclusion should be satisfying. Norminton’s play on ideas, words, and forms of delivery conjures multiple worlds in fleeting vignettes that are by turns startling, humorous,or poignant. Enjoyable! - Fran For more recommended reads, click here. The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy If you haven't yet read this modern classic, perhaps now's the time, recommends our team member Cui: “Perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. That a few dozen hours can affect the outcome of whole lifetimes. And that when they do, those few dozen hours, like the salvaged remains of a burned house… must be resurrected from the ruins and examined. Preserved. Accounted for. Little events, ordinary things, smashed and reconstituted. Imbued with new meaning. Suddenly they become the bleached bones of a story.” A heartrending novel about life, love, and loss in the lives of fraternal twins Estha and Rahel, who grew up in a little town in Kerala, India. As children, they saw firsthand how life and society punished the people they loved for breaking the Love Laws, the ones that lay down “who must be loved, and how, and how much”. Roy is a masterful storyteller, weaving layers and layers of poignant narratives in which her characters are inextricably bound, then irrevocably broken, by the Great Stories, Love Laws and the Small Things that are the bleached bones of life. A well-deserved Booker Prize winner, this book will indubitably change your life as it did mine. - Cui For more recommended reads, click here. John Dies at the End by David Wong Think Stephen King meets Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure meets Ghostbusters meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers and you'll understand why this work of fiction will soon hit the big screens. It's billed as a horror story - and there are enough creepy bits in it to warrant that - but on many levels it reads a bit like a satire of the blood-spattering, OTT B-grade horror flicks where the actors know they're in a horror film (think Scream), know what I mean? Author David Wong is the protagonist in the book, which is why David Wong isn't really the author actually; it's Jason Pargin writing as David Wong the protagonist in the book. David and best friend John (yes, the one that's supposed to die at the end) have a special gift for the undead and all things paranormal, on account of a substance (which they call 'soy sauce') they ingested, which was doled out by a Jamaican druggie aptly named Robert Marley, mon, ya feel me? This leads them on a very very strange journey which is told retrospectively, zipping between events that after a while, you feel as disoriented as the heroes themselves. All by way of saying, I couldn't put the book down because Pargon does a great job of keeping the reader guessing. He's got a wicked sense of humour and even grisly stuff feel tongue in cheek. Given, some scenes are a bit cliched, but then Pargon throws in a twist here and there that you didn't see coming. A great fun read, an enjoyable roller coaster ride. Welcome to the dark side hehehehehehehe (evil laugh) :) - Fran For more recommended reads, click here. The Book of My Lives – Aleksandar Hemon In this moving memoir Aleksandar Hemon combines humour, compassion and a deeply felt humanity to create what is ultimately a lovesong to his native Sarajevo and equally to his adopted city of Chicago. It recaptures the exploits of a young boy growing up amid football, books, and an annoying younger sister. But this is no simple memoir. In the end, this book is a heart-breaking portrait of a city under siege and an entire world lost to one of history darkest and most bitter conflicts. For those who have enjoyed Hemon’s fiction, this offers a deeper insight into the man, the writer and the world from which he comes. For those yet to discover him, this is a timely, and intimate introduction. - Shivaun For more recommended reads, click here. So what do Banksiders like to read? Since we opened in mid-April, these are the Top 10 bestsellers at W&T:
Children of the Days by Eduardo Galeano Eduardo Galeano is perhaps best known for eschewing a prevailing Eurocentric perspective of the world. It is unsurprising then that his latest work, Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History, is an attempt to rescue 'human history' beyond well-known global milestones. Within this book's pages, you will find events and incidents that have long been forgotten, in places dotted across the globe that don't often make the front pages of a broadsheet. Written in sparse, yet beautiful prose -- one entry for each calendar day; Galeano's recounting of history reads almost like poetry. Highly recommended :) - Fran For more recommended reads, click here. So anyway, I decided to have a look at what titles were popular at W&T over the last 12 months - after all, it is November and another calendar year is coming to pass...Quite an ecclectic mix, though it's clear that when it comes to adult titles, there's a fascination for the local as well as all things London :)
W&T's Top 25 Adult Titles
W&T's Top 10 Kids Titles
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