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The Bookseller Industry Awards 2012

We're delighted to announce that Mainstreet was voted WINNER of Independent Bookseller of the Year 2012 at a glittering awards ceremony in London on 14th May.  The judges commented...

"This is a local bookshop with a national reputation and the values and qualities of a world-class retailer."

A big thank to you all our fantastic staff, Thomas (shortlisted for Young Bookseller of the Year), Vivian, Emma, Phillippa, Shaun, Mary, Rowena & Ella.  And, of course, our lovely customers.

The Telegraph Best Small Shops Awards 2012 - WINNER Best Bookshop

Lorna Bradbury, Telegraph Magazine Deputy Literary Editor and a judge in the Telegraph Magazine Shop Awards, said: “Here you will find an eclectic collection of books, carefully selected and elegantly displayed. But you will also find a bustling cafe – and a vast, and growing, programme of events. The thing that really sets this bookshop apart is its personal touch. The books are displayed on large tables, allowing for more of a curated selection than is usually possible.”

Based in the beautiful Scottish Borders village of St Boswells (just off the A68), we are passionate about books, coffee and the pleasure of shopping for beautiful things. Whether you are based locally, visiting the area on holiday or just passing through on the way to Edinburgh or Newcastle, there are lots of reasons to visit.  The bookshop is the heart of what we do, with over 6,500 titles in stock (and space for many more as we grow). We believe that reading should start from the earliest possible age, so our children’s section is particularly important to the shop, from Edward Ardizzone to Harry Potter. That said, we cater for readers of all ages and tastes, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for we can order it from a range of over 750,000 titles often for next day delivery.

"A bookshop so perfect you might have dreamt it."  Maggie O'Farrell

“Among the attractions of this airy artistic venue, which include cupcakes and rustic gifts, is its emphasis on children’s books, which is its special niche, and an excellent reason for a detour off the A68.”  Rosemary Goring, The Herald

Follow us on twitter: @mainstreethare

• Scottish Independent Bookshop of the Year 2011 & 2012 
• Independent Retailer of the Year 2011 - Scottish Borders Business Excellence Awards
• Children's Independent Bookseller of the Year 2010 - The Bookseller Industry Awards
• New Business of the Year 2010 - Scottish Borders Business Excellence Awards
  

News and author events:

BOOK GROUP:

We run two book groups at the shop, see the books homepage for more information.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

WED 30th May - SARAH FRASER talking about THE LAST HIGHLANDER- see our Events page for more details

RECENT EVENTS:

SAT 21st APRIL - WILLIAM SITWELL gave a very entertaining talk about his new book, A HISTORY OF FOOD IN 100 RECIPES.  Looking forward to Radio 4 picking up on this excellent book and commissioning William to do a 'Neil MacGregor' (100 Objects) in the Autumn.

THURS 8th MARCH - LEAVING ALEXANDRIA by RICHARD HOLLOWAY - this event was a complete sell out so apologies to those unable to make it - we do have lots of signed copies at the shop.  It really was a very special evening with Richard Holloway seeming almost to conduct his audience, from shouts of laughter to 'you could hear a pin drop' moments of emotional tension.  What a speaker and what a big heart.

THURSDAY 1st March - WORLD BOOK DAY - TAMARA MACFARLANE, author of AMAZING ESME, and her infamous sidekick, leading children’s comedian, Gilbert Giggles, blew the socks off 130 children.  A high energy show, with lots of audience participation and plenty of inspiration for the children to go back to school and create their very own 'Bad-mannered tea party'!  The latter inspired by Tamara's childhood - for full details see Amazing Esme.

SATURDAY 26th Nov - HOW TO COOK by ISABELLA BEETON and GERARD BAKER - Gerard Baker proved very convincingly that some men can multi-task.  He gave a wonderful, informed talk about Mrs Beeton and food history, all the while cooking up a some delicious food.  The goodie bags of chocolate cake were also well worth waiting for.

Tues 15th Nov -  JANICE GALLOWAY blew us away reading from the second volume of her memoirs, ALL MADE UP.  When she threatened to read more (and about sex no less!)  if no further questions were asked, the room fell silent - I think we could have listened to her all night.

Sun 30th October – JEREMY PAXMAN entertained a packed house with a fascinating talk about his new book, EMPIRE: WHAT RULING THE WORLD DID TO THE BRITISH.  Anyone posing a question certainly had to be ready to have one asked in reply.  When asked by his friend in the audience, writer Tom Fort, what type of colonial he might have been, some were surprised to hear 'missionary' as Jeremy's response.

Sat 1st Oct – CRESSIDA COWELL taught a crowd of 150 children the basics of Dragonese while explaining the inspiration behind her bestselling (and huge in-store favourite) HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON series. 

Thurs 29th Sept – Australian PAUL CARTER played a blinder and turned the air blue talking about his third book, IS THAT BIKE DIESEL MATE?  “The Andy McNab of the Oilfields rides again.” The Telegraph

Wed 14th Sept - Lunch with an Author - MADELINE MILLER -  We were very lucky to host Madeline Miller's first ever reading of THE SONG OF ACHILLES.  What a delightful author, she wears her erudition lightly both on the page and in person.  We're all just hoping that she emulates Donna Tartt's success, but not the ten year wait in writing a second novel.

‘To rewrite Homer’s Iliad as a modern novel was a bold move, but it has paid off superbly. ... If I were to give a prize for the best work of fiction this year, this would be the runaway winner.  As a first novel it heralds the arrival of a major new talent.’  A. N. Wilson

Saturday 3rd Sept, 7.30pm - Bestselling crime writer, JOHN CONNOLLY gave us a masterclass in crime fiction, talking about his writing heroes, keeping the audience laughing throughout, meanwhile his Charlie Parker novels deprived some of us from sleep.

BOOKS, BORDERS & BIKES 20/21st Aug - Another stellar line up at this unique literary festival set in front of the magical Traquair House, with writers ranging from DAVID STARKEY to MARK THOMAS.  We very much enjoyed providing the bookshop once more.  

Thursday 21st July - Local author and seasoned jounalist, Mark Douglas Home gave us excellent insight into the rigours of writing his first novel, THE SEA DETECTIVE - the secret was writing 1,000 words per day and being able to hear his characters voices.  Good advise for any aspiring writer.  The good news is that he's working on his next novel so we will meet sea detective Cal McGill once more.

Saturday 18th June - BOOK GROUP AUTHOR LUNCH with Maggie O’Farrell and Bella Bathurst
Maggie O’Farrell and Bella Bathurst charmed over 90 people at our first Mass Book Group Lunch.  The sell out event was held as part of our celebrations for Independent Bookseller’s Week and National Reading Group Day.

Talking about her book THE LIGHTHOUSE STEVENSONS, Bella admitted her lack of skill with maths hadn’t put her off approaching the subject of lighthouse engineering, it just meant she had to be quick on her toes with well-informed audiences. Maggie, meanwhile touched a familiar nerve with some of the audience when she recalled delaying delivery of the manuscript of THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE until her vocabulary returned after the birth of her daughter.

A very enjoyable afternoon was had by all.

Thursday 2nd June - AND THE BAND PLAYED ON  by Christopher Ward
Everyone knows the story of the Titanic, but what happened afterwards?  Christopher Ward is the grandson of Jock Hume, the band’s 21-year-old violinist, who died leaving an unborn child – the author’s mother. On a beautiful sunny evening at Mainstreet, Christopher entertained a well informed audience with his personal journey to discover the full impact of his grandfather's death.  As a very special touch, we were treated to a haunting rendition of Nearer my God to Thee played on one of Jock's own violin's by Catriona Price. 

Thursday 19th May - Esther Freud, Helena McEwen  and Alison Gangel in conversation with literary agent, Jenny Brown. 

This made for a fascinating evening looking at the different ways of writing using personal history.  Like many writers, Esther Freud and Helena McEwen have creative lives beyond the pages of their books, this is reflected in both their new novels set in the worlds of drama and art school respectively.  Alison Gangel is the author of a powerful memoir of her Glasgow childhood where music talent provided her means of escape. 

Thursday 24th March - ALISTAIR MOFFAT gave a fascinating talk about his new book, The Scots: A Genetic Journey, recently serialised in The Scotsman.  Luckily Alistair is an author in command of his subject - the audience wasn't taking any prisoners with a lively Q&A session.

Thursday 3rd March - we were very lucky to have author, JASPER FFORDE speaking at the shop in the week his new novel, One of Our Thursdays is Missing, hit No.1 on the bestseller charts.  He kept the audience highly amused with a wry journey through his road to publication, ten years of rejection leading to sales of over 2 million books worldwide (and now a No. 1 bestseller).

Tuesday 23rd Nov - local author, SYLVIA LOCH gave a fascinating talk about her first novel, An Algarve Affair.  The story takes it's inspiration from actual events, and Sylvia made it clear that some people had to die before she could publish! 

THURSDAY 11th November - IAN RANKIN and RICHARD HAVERS - Rock and Writing.  We had an excellent evening with Richard taking Ian through a quasi music/lit desert island disks.  It was hard to call a halt to the chat with an audience keen to ask many more questions.

THURSDAY 21st October:  JUDY STEEL was 'in conversation' with Nicholas Watson to discuss her new autobiography, charting her life in politics (through husband, David) and the Borders.

WEDNESDAY 27th October: JONATHAN STROUD kept over 90 local school children entertained talking about his writing, in particular his sardonic creation, Bartimaeus the irascible djini.  His new novel charting Bartimaeus' adventures, The Ring of Solomon, is out now.

“Not since Gulliver's Travels has a children's writer managed to combine a thrilling tale of magic and adventure with such deliciously pointed comedy.” Sunday Times

Shortlisted for Scotland and the North Independent Bookseller of the Year 2010

Shortlisted (and Highly Commended) for Independent Bookseller of the Year 2009 (Bookseller Retail Awards) and The Scottish Countryside Alliance Rural Enterprise Award 2009

'The Judges loves the energy and innovation at the heart of this bookshop in the Scottish Borders which began in June 2008 and is already achieving great things. "From a standing start, they have built an incredibly professional business," enthused one judge. The store's family-friendly layout, lively front-of-house children's area, free storytelling for pre-schoolers and the numerous author events were just some of the store's praiseworthy achievements." ' The Bookseller magazine

Shortlisted for Scottish Independent Bookshop of the Year 2009 (The British Book Awards)