Our Books
We stock a range of over 6,500 titles, with our largest sections devoted to children’s books, fiction, cookery and biography. Rosamund de la Hey was formerly children’s marketing director at Bloomsbury Publishing so there is an understandable bias towards this area of publishing. She likes nothing better than being asked for advice on what to buy for children, or better still discussing this with the children themselves. Not to be outdone, Bill de la Hey is always on the lookout for new and exciting cookbooks, although it will take some doing to beat his favourite, the Women’s Institute SOUPS, the source for many of the in-house soups of the day.
If we don’t have the book you are looking for in-store, we would be happy to order it for you. If our wholesaler has it in stock they supply on a next day delivery service to collect in-store (which works out quicker than amazon). Just email us on info@mainstreetbooks.co.uk if you’d like to order a book.
BOOK GROUP:
Next Meetings:
Daytime Group:
- February, Tues 7th @ 11am – A Choosing by Liz Lockhead and First Love, Last Rites by Ian McEwan
- March, Tues 20th @ 11am – Patronage by Maria Edgeworth
Evening Group:
- Feb 15th @ 7pm - My Dear I Wanted to Tell You by Louisa Young
INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR BOOK GROUP? If you are interested in joining the group please email info@mainstreetbooks.co.uk to join our mailing list. Meetings for the Daytime Group are normally monthly on a Wednesday at 11am, and Evening Group at 7pm, but information will be emailed in advance to those on the mailing list. Follow the Daytime Group through The Southern Reporter's Book Group column.
Book Group Reads:
Before I go to Sleep by SJ Watson: While some felt it was easy to poke holes in the set up, the majority agreed that the pace and tension of this dark thriller pulled you through the narrative at some speed, and the author's portrayal of memory loss was very effective and disturbing.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: The group clearly relished the excuse for a re-read of this much loved classic. It has now prompted us to read Patronage by Maria Edgeworth - Jane Austen's great, but now forgotten, rival.
The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys: It was very interesting to read this in tandem with Jane Eyre and cast a very different, and far less flattering, eye on Mr Rochester. In the works of Pru – "It seemed so modern to me, the style and the look at colonialism and the sort of leaving things uncertain, the ability to get into another person’s mind."
Aphrodite's Hat by Salley Vickers - It's always good to revisit the short story genre, and this proved to be a popular collection, in the words of Sandra, 'It really encapsulates the small moments of human relationships.'
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - both groups read this for October and the feedback was generally very positive – in particular the touching depiction of Jacob’s life as a feisty old man in the care home, and the window onto the harsh life of a travelling circus in the Great Depression.
Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon - Many of the group were re-reading this classic novel. Some felt it was harder to get into than they'd recalled, but most were full of praise for the beauty of the writing and the powerful sense of place.
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin - An intelligent slow burn thriller, which grew on most people after a slow start. By the end, most people were sad to leave the characters, the atmosphere of the deep south lingered on.
Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton – one or two people struggled briefly with the high concept of the narrator (think Lovely Bones), but any doubts were quickly swept away by this gripping thriller. Excellent red herrings kept most of us guessing right until the end.
My Kind of Traitor by John le Carre – unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for the group’s response to this rather clunky spy story. It took quite a while to get into the story and not everyone was sure it was worth the effort.
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - that rare bird, a book everyone loved. Greta – I think it is an extraordinary book, set in Nigeria, but the story’s themes are universal. When you look at the words on the page, it’s almost a kind of magic. Pam – The writer is economic with words, each one carefully chosen, but seemingly effortless.
Indian Summer by Alex von Tunzelmann – there was a very positive response to this extraordinarily informative book about the end of empire in India. Many hadn’t quite finished by the time of meeting, but speaking as one who has now done so, it’s well worth the effort. Packed with fascinating behind the scenes detail about those in power carving up the British Raj from all sides, much horrifying detail as well. Highly recommended
Any Human Heart by William Boyd – all bar one loved this witty, beautifully told story of Logan Mountstuart who had the good fortune to encounter so many faces from history (spanning the worlds of literature, art and politics).
Sum by David Eagleman – a quirky collection of short stories that found some fans – most agreed they worked better read individually rather than as part of a collection in one hit.
Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey - Despite it's Booker shortlisting, I'm afraid this one proved rather unpopular with the group, one person commenting that it really got going after page 400...
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - a powerful book, not a comfortable read. Lots of us wondered why the characters didn't just escape their destiny by running away. In some cases, pre-knowledge of the basic plot prevented the element of shock and surprise.
Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela - there was some criticism that the social and cultural context of the Sudan wasn't really developed, but in the end, most agreed that they would recommend this as a good holiday read.
Brixton Beach by Roma Tearne - Beautifully written, this felt very topical, and has the advantage of including everyone's ideal grandfather. Many of the group felt as bereft as the characters when they fled the heat and colour of Sri Lanka for gloomy London.
The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell - this proved one of our most popular reads, resonating with almost all the group. Quite a few of us read it too quickly but with the knowledge that it would be a pleasure to return to again and savour the descriptions and incredibly touching relationships between the two mothers and their boys.
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - the group's first reaction was that this story was perhaps too far on the light side, but it didn't take long for much discussion about the darker side to emerge. In general it did what we wanted it to for a dark February - a nice easy read, with lots of humour.
My Last Duchess by Daisy Goodwin
I’m afraid this had a less favourable response in the Evening Group – some people actively disliked the context, most felt the style and story lacked substance with too many cameo roles going nowhere. It was very readable, but just as easily forgettable.
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld - Lots of interesting chat about this, most felt it could done with some strong editing, and most agreed that it was perhaps more aimed at the teen market - not sure everyone wanted to be reminded of teenage angst.
Sister by Rosamund Lupton - a huge hit with the group, strongly recommended to other readers. A literary thriller/mystery of the first order.
Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory - all but one of the group enjoyed this vivid journey through gardening and politics during the reign of Charles I and James I.
A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly - Universally loved by the group, written for teen girls, it is a coming of age novel that can really be read by all ages from 12yrs upwards. The book every young woman should read.
One Day by David Nichols - A big commercial hit in 2010, it's easy to see why. It'll make you laugh and cry in equal measure, and there are plenty of excellent one-liners.
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry - Those in the group who weren't familiar with this modern classic are now converts to the Rohinton Mistry fan club. A heartbreaking novel that you have to give to all your closest friends. One member of the group even read it while in hospital - she loved it - put life right into perspective!
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver - a viseral novel, no one found this a comfortable read, but most still found it gripping - the audio was also highly recommended.
As If by Blake Morrison - We read this with We Need to Talk About Kevin - it was equally unconfortable, honest, perhaps necessary, but very grim.
An Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim - the group loved this to a person, it was considered a tonic to everyday life and one of those books everyone would like to re-read when in need.
Stone's Fall by Iain Pears - After much dicussion this was voted our winner for the Walter Scott Historical Fiction Prize. As Pam said, "It is a darn good story - what more can you ask for in a novel? To characterize it as "historical fiction" is totally irrelevant! It is more detective story set in the past, with so many twists and turns it keeps you interested even if you do not like the discussion of capitalism."
Lustrum by Robert Harris - This was generally popular as a good read. Thomas felt it suffered from the fact that Harris is sticking to true events, while Vivian though it was fantastic as popular fiction and plans to pass it to her son (once her husband has had a chance to read it).
Hodd by Adam Thorpe - The general feeling seemed to be that the plot was obstructed by the many footnotes. Keith enjoyed the reading of it and Rhona found she needed to read on, but overall, it seemed that the style got in the way of the story.
The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds - Interestingly this also seemed to suffer from an untidy plot - too many characters none of which seemed to have enough 'air-time' to capture our interest. The writing was very elegant and poetic - this was popular with some, but others felt he should stick to poetry proper as the style somehow held up the story.
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant - This made for a very interesting group discussion, with most loving it, but some very much the opposite! Here's Greta with her reaction, "I romped through it, it’s a great story, but there is also a huge amount about life in a convent at that period, on history and the position of women in that period, within this confined structure they had some power, a whiff of the political."
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer- This is a big favourite in the group, perhaps our front runner along with Wolf Hall. Here's Karin, "It’s a fascinating story, particularly the early days, before the exile. I loved the way the house took on a personality of its own."
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - almost everybody enjoyed this very much, although there was some discussion about her stylistic quirk of using 'he' rather than the character's name. According to the author, this was intended to keep the reader in the moment, and try to force them to forget pre-knowledge of the history of the period. After all, at this stage Henry didn't know he was going to marry six times. Our full discussion appeared in The Southern Reporter on 20th May.
Lady's Maid by Margaret Forster - Everyone enjoyed this, and there was much discussion about the lot of a maid in service, leading us to the position of women in society today. The use of 'real' people within the story, and thoughts on the difference between fact and fiction led us to our choice for the next month, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.
A Scattering by Christopher Reid – Many of the group are not regular readers of poetry, hence one of the reasons for choosing this collection. There was a universally enthusiastic response to this very heartfelt work - he manages to avoid any hint of self pity or depression, if anything, it reads as a long love letter.
BOOK LISTS:
Whether a teacher or a parent, if you would like advice on book lists for children, please feel free to book a time with Rosamund, she would be delighted to help.