Wilding by Isabella Tree and A Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks, have been two of our most popular books at Mainstreet, so we are delighted to welcome journalist and blogger, Patrick Laurie who shares much in common with both in his approach to landscape, agriculture, science and folklore.

It is always a great pleasure to welcome one of our very favourite authors to the shop. This April, Maggie O’Farrell joins us to discuss her first historical and arguably, most accomplished, novel, Hamnet. The story reveals for the first time in fiction, the heartbreaking loss that inspired Shakespeare’s most celebrated play.

A masterful performer on paper and in person, we’re delighted to announce that Costa award winner, Sebastian Barry will be with us at Mainstreet on 2nd April in conversation with Nick Barley of the Edinburgh Book Festival.

Dear Customers,

We have a treat in store on Tues 17th March as we welcome bestselling author, Joanna Trollope to Mainstreet to talk about her new book, Mum & Dad.

We are delighted to announce that up and coming star of the cookery world and one of our own, Borders local, Suzanne Mulholland, will be with us to launch her first book, The Batch Lady, with a cookery demo at Mainstreet on Tues 3rd March.

In February 1945 the Allies obliterated Dresden, the ‘Florence of the Elbe’. Explosive bombs weighing over 1,000lbs fell every seven and a half seconds and an estimated 25,000 people were killed. 75yrs later, historian and bestselling author, Sinclair McKay will with us on Wed 5th Feb to talk about his new book, Dresden: The Fire and the Darkness.

PLEASE NOTE, WE DON’T KNOW AT THIS STAGE IF THE EVENT WILL BE RESCHEDULED, PLEASE JOIN THE MAILNG LIST IF YOU WISH TO BE NOTIFIED

We are delighted to announce a surprise ‘end of year’ author event.

See below for our choice of Books of the Year 2019.

Please join us at Mainstreet on Thurs 5th Dec, to celebrate publication of Edinburgh Revisited with an illustrated talk by photographer, Gordon Hunter.

Have you ever found yourself gazing up at an extraordinary sky, wanting to know a bit more about why it looks like that? Help is at hand. We are delighted to announce that Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society and author of A Cloud A Day, will be with us at Mainstreet on Wed 27th November to talk us through a beginners guide to cloudspotting.

A London courier with a taste for adventure, Emily Chappell entered an extraordinary new race – The Transcontinental – in which riders must find their own way, entirely unassisted, across Europe in the shortest time possible. On her second attempt, she won the women’s event, covering nearly 4,000 miles in 13 days and ten hours, sleeping in short bursts wherever exhaustion took her. We experience the crippling self-doubt of the ultra distance racer, the confusing intensity of winning and the desperation of losing a dear friend who understood all of this.

As the nights draw in, please join us for a delicious evening of baking with Flora Shedden (of Bake Off fame) on Thurs 14th Nov.

Last November, eight million people in Britain were enthralled by the BBC TV documentary, Dynasties, about emperor penguins, narrated by Sir David Attenborough. The media loved it too – Simon Mayo on BBC Radio 2 called it “as close to art as television can get”. 

SAS hero, Danny Black is back in action in a brilliant and powerful new thriller that grips from the very first page. A series of gruesome killings in Dubai, Ghana and Florida have left three former SAS soldiers dead. Once soldiers leave the Regiment they frequently work freelance, often in threatening environments, so at first it is not thought that the killings are linked. But as one of the dead, Ollie Moorhouse, was a good friend of Danny’s, he begins to wonder if there is a connection.

We were very proud to host Jessie Burton at the beginning of her incredible publishing journey with The Miniaturist back in 2014, so it is with great pleasure that we welcome her back to Mainstreet on Tues 24th Septto tell us all about her brilliant new novel, The Confession.

Aspiring novelists are often told to write about what they know. Well, BBC broadcaster, George Alagiah has done just that with his brilliant debut novel, and we’re delighted he will be joining us at Mainstreet on Mon 26th Aug to tell us all about it.

One Day by David Nicholls was published soon after we opened Mainstreet, it was one of our bestseller in 2009 and became the iconic love story for a generation. Ten years on, we are delighted to be hosting David to talk about his new book, Sweet Sorrow, on Wed 21st August.

This summer we are delighted to welcome back the wonderful, effervescent Clare Balding. She will be with us on Tues 20th Aug to tell us all about her new children’s novel, The Racehorse Who Learned to Dance. 

At Mainstreet, we have long been fans of Karen Campbell’s work, so we are delighted she will be joining us on Thurs 1st August to talk about her new novel, The Sound of the Hours. 

This year, as part of our Independent Bookshop Week celebrations (15-22nd June), we will be welcoming a very special guest, Julia Donaldson.

FRESH VOICES – June

Mainstreet is of course, situated in the path of St Cuthbert’s Way, so we are delighted to be hosting an event to mark publication of Cuthbert of Farne, written by Northumberland author Katharine Tiernan on Tues 28th May.

Please join us on Fri 24th May to experience an Andalusian feast created by award-winning chef, Jose Pizarro.

We are delighted to announce that our next author event will be with Johnny Scott, a well-kent face in the Borders. He will be joining us at Mainstreet on Tues 14th May talking about his new book, The Countryman.

FRESH VOICES – May

Master storyteller John Connolly will be back with us at Mainstreet to celebrate 20 years of Charlie Parker novels on Fri 26thApril.

FRESH VOICES – April

As you probably know, we love books and cheese at Mainstreet, so we are really delighted to announce that our next author event is with fellow cheese enthusiast and Sunday Brunch expert, Morgan McGlynn. She will be talking about her beautiful new book, The Modern Cheesemaker.

Who was the real Wallis Simpson? Join us at Mainstreet on Tues 12th March to find out, when Anna Pasternak will be talking about her startling, intimate new biography of the most vilified woman in British royal history.

Please join us on Thurs 31st January to meet Charlotte Runcie who brings a brilliant new voice to nature writing. No one else has approached our relationship with the sea in quite this way;  her beautiful book, Salt On Your Tongue, brings a new perspective to a much loved subject. We can even claim her as a local author – Charlotte now lives in Galashiels.

What better way to kick start the New Year than listening to the amazing Ruby Wax at Mainstreet on Fri 18th January 2019, as she tells us How to be Human.

See below for our choice of Books of the Year 2018.

We are delighted to announce that cycling legend and multi-gold medal-winning Olympic champion, Sir Chris Hoy, will be joining us on Thurs 29th November to talk about his new book, How to Ride a Bike.

Former Scotland fly-half and legendary BBC radio commentator, Ian Robertson, will be with us at Mainstreet on Wed 28th November talking about his autobiography, Rugby: Talking a Good Game.

Do join us on Wed 21st Nov for an Autumnal treat – Kate Humble, talking about her new book, Thinking on My Feet.

What an amazing birthday present! At an awards ceremony in the Houses of Parliament last Tues, 13th Nov, Mainstreet was named as Britain’s Best Small Shop 2018 from a shortlist of 25 businesses (and 600 entries). The Best Small Shops competition, managed by the Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC), celebrates the commitment and creativity of independent retailers on the UK’s High Streets and the central role they play in their local communities.

One of our bestselling books last year was The Thirty-One Kings by Robert J Harris which Allan Massie described as ‘A loving tribute to Buchan…. and thoroughly good fun.’  So, we are delighted to announce that Harris will be with us at Mainstreet on Thurs 8th Nov to talk about his next ‘Richard Hannay’ novel, Castle Macnab, a sequel to John Macnab.

As the nights draw in, do join us at Mainstreet to hear all about our local literary star, Thomas the Rhymer. Singer Poppy Holden will explore the medieval account of Thomas and how the seemingly inexplicable events of the story can be linked to the real-world geography and history of the Scottish Borders.

We are very proud to announce that our next author event celebrates a landmark publication – Scotland: Her Story by Rosemary Goring.

We are delighted to announce that the Queen of Crime herself, Val McDermid, will be with us on Fri 12th Oct to talk about her new novel, Broken Ground.

After the success of our first pop-up dining event last Autumn with Olia Hercules, we’re delighted to announce that this October we welcome another of our favourite chefs, Gill Meller, to ‘pop-up’ at Mainstreet. He will be cooking for us from his beautiful new book, Time.

2018 marks 20 years since the first No.1 Ladies Detective Agency was published, so we are truly delighted to announce that Alexander McCall Smith will be at Mainstreet on 4thOctober to talk about his most recent work.

We are delighted to announce that globe-trotting national treasure, Michael Palin will be joining us at Mainstreet to talk about his new book, Erebus on Tues 25th September.

This Autumn we are delighted to welcome back a Mainstreet favourite… Clare Balding will be with us on Mon 24th Sept talking about her bestselling children’s books.

We’re delighted to announce that Ann Cleeves will be at Mainstreet on Tues 18th September to celebrate publication of Wild Fire, the eighth and final book in her hugely popular Shetland series. 

It is with great excitement that we announce Kate Atkinson will be with us on Wed 12th September to talk about her magnificent new novel, Transcription. Her many fans will be delighted to hear the book is once again set in wartime London, this time exploring the murky world of British espionage.

We are delighted to announce that novelist, Claire Askew, will be joining us on Thurs 30th August to talk about her new thriller, All the Hidden Truths. Brought up in the Scottish Borders, Claire’s first novel won the Lucy Cavandish Prize for Fiction and, among several other accolades, she also received a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award.

We are delighted to announce that Elspeth Turner and Donald Smith will be with us at Mainstreet on Wed 25thJuly talking about their new book, Tweed Dales.

Itamar Srulovich & Sarit Packer went down a storm when they visited Mainstreet back in 2015 and their delicious food has often informed our menu. So we are thrilled they are back on Wed 11th July, to mark publication of their beautiful new book, Honey & Co: At Home.

Sat 23rd June saw Mainstreet transformed into a mini street party/festival for the day, with bunting, balloons, cake, books and masses more – all to celebrate the past 10yrs.  We hope you enjoy this photo diary of all the fun…

Our very first event at Mainstreet back in 2008 was with the wonderful Michael Morpurgo, so it is with very great pleasure that we welcome him back during the week of our 10th birthday on 20th June 2018.

Many of you will be familiar with Emma Healey’s debut novel, Elizabeth is Missing, which won the Costa First Novel Award in 2014. We are delighted to welcome her to Mainstreet on Tues 5th June to talk about her new book, Whistle in the Dark.

On a sunny day in the middle of May with Bill de la Hey…

Regulars at Mainstreet will know that we were a touch evangelical about Maggie O’Farrell’s extraordinary memoir, I Am, I Am, I Am which came out in hardback last year. We are therefore delighted to announce that Maggie, our very own Mainstreet Makar, will be joining us on Thurs 31st May to celebrate publication of the paperback edition.

This May sees the release of a major three part TV series on the landscape of Scotland, telling the story of our nation from a completely different angle. Viewers will be guided through a century of aerial photographs, charting the ever-changing face of Scotland’s rural and urban landscapes.

ALLIANCE WINES LAUNCHING OUR SPRING LIST

Many of you may be familiar with Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, published to huge acclaim a few years ago…

We are often asked to recommend books to cheer up friends and family – the response, quite often, is to reach for Nancy Mitford, but now we have another contender, Dear Mrs Bird. Better still, its author, A J Pearce, is coming to Mainstreet on Wed 25th April.

Set in 1940, when neither swearing nor violence were casual and written in a pastiche of wartime language, Dear Mrs Bird is a breath of fresh air, particularly for readers who have not yet become inured to profanity!  Henriette Bird is a particularly stringent agony aunt whose newest recruit, our heroince Emmy Lake, cannot resist the temptation to inject a little compassion into her boss’s brusque replies.

Moss’ description of the sheer terror which, for the fortunate amongst us, only occasionally breaks through the monotonous surface of daily parenting, is breathtaking. I came to this book late – but I now aim to read Sarah Moss’ backlist. Her writing is honest, and tender, and just gorgeous.

Madeline Miller’s first novel, The Song of Achilles, took the literary world by storm when it was published in 2011, and we were lucky enough to host her first event in Scotland. Her second book, Circe, returns to the ancient world, this time with a heroine for modern times. A child born to the house of Helios, she is spurned as neither beautiful nor talented. Love drives Circe to a malicious act of revenge resulting in her banishment to the island of Aiaia. A woman alone, she must defend herself from many who cross her shores, finding love and power as she nurtures skills forbidden to Gods, witchcraft.

We’re very excited to announce that Tara Westover will be joining us at Mainstreet on Thurs 19th April to talk about her remarkable memoir, Educated. It’s a book we first heard about back in September and is, without doubt, going to be one of the biggest books of 2018.

What feels like many moons ago I was invited to sit on a panel to judge an award which went by the catchy title ‘The Award for outstanding Contribution to Children’s Literacy in Scotland’. Ok, so it probably wasn’t that but something similar. The panel consisted of six people with one thing in common – we ALL LOVE BOOKS and are passionate about promoting reading for pleasure among children.

Join us on Thurs 5th April to hear award winning, much loved food writer, Diana Henry, in conversation with Stuart Kelly.

We are delighted to announce that historian, Graham Robb will be with us on Thurs 29th March to talk about his new book, The Debatable Land – a subject very close to home…

We were fortunate to host Sally Magnusson at Mainstreet to launch her very moving memoir, Where Memories Go, so it is with great pleasure that we welcome her back to talk about her first novel, The Sealwoman’s Gift.

A searing memoir of the author’s seventeen brushes with death, from a childhood illness she wasn’t expected to survive, to a terrifying encounter with a stranger on a remote hillside.

Bantam is Jackie Kay’s first collection since she became Makar. It is an intimate collection celebrating family, from the grand-father who sustained a shrapnel wound in World War 1, through her parents whose fierce political beliefs have not been diminished by ill health or age, to the birth of her beloved son.

For fans of A Little Life, this is not for the fainthearted, but it is certainly one of my books of the year. Beautiful and brutal in almost equal measure, this is a terrifying examination of a father/daughter relationship. Fourteen year old Turtle Alveston knows how to fire, strip and clean every gun in the house, but is she brave enough to make a friend, and is she willing to do what it takes to escape?

With liberal use of teen language(!) and a rucksack full of essentials (belVitas, Dundee cake) the eponymous hero of Sal removes her younger sister from the danger lurking in their family home and heads for the woods. Her voice is distinct, her story tragic and you will root for her from the first page. An exceptional debut novel from Mick Kitson.

Victor Forde is instantly engaging. Alone in a new area of town he finds himself drinking each night at his local bar. Approached by a man who seems to know him, his past starts to unfold in stories told between them. With masterful writing Roddy Doyle elicits easy sympathy for Victor, his irritants become ours and his sorrows too, which leads us to an uncomfortable and stunning denouement.

–A searing, ‘hold your breath’ brilliant memoir of how Tara Westover, despite never attending school, decided, aged 16, to educate herself, ending up with a PHD from Cambridge. This, against the background of her extreme ‘End of Days’ Mormon upbringing in Idaho.

What better prospect in the depths of winter, than the wonderful Celia Imrie? We’re delighted to announce that she’s coming to Mainstreet on Wed 28th February.

Difficult though it is to believe, there was life prior to The Beast from the East. It was possible to wear normal shoes and walk along the pavements of Edinburgh without disappearing into an eight foot snowdrift. I did exactly this last Thursday and was rewarded with a day surrounded by publishers, booksellers and the odd author. The Annual Scottish Book Trade Conference was in town…

Regulars at our events will be familiar with Stuart Kelly for his elegant author interviews from Rick Stein to Maggie O’Farrell, so it is with great pleasure that we welcome him back, this time as the star of the show, talking about his new book, The Minister and the Murderer. Stuart will be ‘in conversation’ with the director of the Edinburgh Book Festival, Nick Barley.

Join us at Mainstreet on 31st January to meet a woman who managed to give up drink and keep her sense of humour, oh, and beat cancer and lose two stone at the same time.

Following our highly competitive Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Quiz in the summer, we are thrilled to announce that Olivia Lomenech Gill, illustrator of the beautiful new edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander’s (aka JK Rowling), will be at Mainstreet on Wed 6th Dec.

Children’s books are at the heart of Mainstreet, so we are incredibly excited to announce that legendary autor and illustrator, Judith Kerr, will be with us on Friday 1st December. She will be in conversation with her editor, Ian Craig, talking about her work and celebrating publication of Katinka’s Tail.

Michel Roux’s love affair with cheese began at the age of 7 with trips to his local market, St Mandé in Paris, to buy cheese for his family to share as a precious Sunday treat. A lifetime of international travel has served only to increase Michel’s passion for cheese, and inspired his latest book.

Olia Hercules visited Mainstreet a few years ago with her first cookbook, Mamushka. We are delighted to welcome her back for our first ever ‘Pop-up Dining’ event. Olia will be cooking for us from her new book, Kaukasis.

Is coming to St Boswells!

We are delighted to announce that Jackie Kay will be at Mainstreet on Wed 1st November to talk about Bantam, her first collection since becoming Scottish Makar. It is a book about the fighting spirit that Kay argues we need now, more than ever.

This year on Bookshop Day (Sat 7th Oct), we are delighted to be celebrating 25 years of a modern classic and Mainstreet favourite, Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Patrick Benson.

Meet Adam Kay and the funniest book ever written about the NHS – This is Going to Hurt. Few memoirs have inspired so many snorts of laughter, spiked with an aftertaste of pathos. Do not miss this chance to hear Adam’s first-hand account of life as a junior doctor in all its joy, pain, sacrifice, hilarity, horror and maddening bureaucracy.

After more than nine years, it felt like we needed an update in the Books, Café and Home departments at Mainstreet. So, in September 2017, we took the plunge and announced that the shop would be closed for two and a half days to allow time for building works. It sounded so simple – moving the Café counter nearer the kitchen door, building a new Book till and moving the existing Home till to an improved position. But, as anyone who’s taken on renovations will know, you always have to go through the pain barrier before things start coming together.

Rarely has a book felt more relevant. Jodi Picoult’s publisher sent out early review copies of her new book with the message #readwithoutprejudice, and nothing more. No mention that the book was by one of the highest selling authors writing today. The feedback has been phenomenal. An unmissable event with one of the greatest novelists of today, join us at Mainstreet on Friday 25th November.

In a year where politics have dominated the news, who better to hear from than one of the UK’s least divisive political figures. We are delighted to announce that Alan Johnson talking will be talking to Stuart Kelly about the third volume of his memoirs, The Long and Winding Road

Join us to welcome in the new season’s flavours with a cooking demo by Gill Meller on Friday 30th September. Gather is the first book from the River Cottage chef, celebrating his unique style of simple cooking with seasonal ingredients at heart. Gill showcases 120 recipes inspired by the landscape in which he lives and works.

If you are a fan of the Antiques Roadshow, you will be familiar with the charming and knowledgeable Judith Miller. Who better to guide us through the highs and lows of ‘good, better, best’ in the world of antiques?

Calling all armchair foodies, Elisabeth Luard, one of the most entertaining and evocative food writers, will be with us at Mainstreet on Wed 27th July to talk about her enchanting food memoir, Squirrel Pie.

It’s been three years since we last had the pleasure of hosting the wonderful Maggie O’Farrell at Mainstreet. Some things in life are worth the wait – she’s back with us on Sat 4th June to tell us all about her new novel, This Must be the Place. Meet Daniel Sullivan, a man with a complicated life. A New Yorker living in the wilds of Ireland, children in California he never sees, a father he loathes in Brooklyn and a wife, Claudette, who is a reclusive ex-film star given to shooting at anyone who ventures up their driveway…

We are delighted to announce that Sabrina Ghayour, author of Persiana (Observer best new cookbook 2014), will be with us to celebrate her new book, Sirocco, with a cookery demo on Tues 3rd May, 3pm.

In the year of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, please join us at Mainstreet on Thurs 21st April, to celebrate the bard in the company of Benet is a two time winner of the World Public Speaking Competition, his sell-out Edinburgh and London one-man show, The Brandreth Papers, was described as “heroic storytelling” in the Sunday Telegraph’s five star review and he as “one of our nation’s most accomplished raconteurs”.

“No one understands pattern and design quite like Emma does. This gem of a book celebrates not just her beautiful designs but also the vision that channelled her craft into a global business. She is a remarkable woman and a national treasure.” Kirstie Allsopp

How does a writer find their detective? Agatha Christie her Poirot, Rankin his Rebus? Join us at Mainstreet on Thurs 11th Feb to hear from two masters of crime writing, Sophie Hannah and David Mark. While their subject matter may be dark, these two writers have a strong line in humour, they will make a raucous pair to brighten a gloomy February night.

Her first book, Deliciously Ella, took the food world by storm in early 2015, becoming the fastest-selling debut cookbook since records began – the new queen of healthy eating, Ella Woodward, will be with us on Wed 27th Jan to talk about her new book, Deliciously Ella Every Day.

Last year we were proud to host an event with Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist. We are delighted to announce that Paula Hawkins author of this year’s publishing sensation, The Girl on the Train, will be with us at Mainstreet on Tues 24th Nov.

The master storyteller is back at Mainstreet!

Please join us at Mainstreet to meet TV presenter and lifelong dog lover, Ben Fogle, on Friday 2nd October. He will be talking about a subject close to many of our hearts, Labradors.

We are thrilled to announce that bestselling, Booker prize-winning author Margaret Atwood will be joining us at Mainstreet on Wed 23rd September. She will be discussing her wickedly funny anddeeply disturbing new novel, The Heart Goes Last, about a near future in which the lawful are locked up and the lawless roam free.

Continuing our foodie theme, we are thrilled to have ‘the Honeys’ joining us at Mainstreet on Sat 11th July. They will be talking about, and cooking from, their gorgeous new book on baking. Their first book, Honey & Co, won The Sunday Times Food Book of the Year 2014 and was recently announced as Fortnum & Mason’s Cookbook of the Year. Don’t miss the chance to taste their amazing food and hear their story.

Many of you will be looking forward to the Borders Book Festival which has a strong foodie theme this year. To get you in the mood, we are delighted to welcome the Observer’s Rising Star for 2015, Olia Hercules, to Mainstreet on Wed 10th June.

“Quite simply the best debut novel I’ve ever read” Tess Gerritsen

We are delighted to announce that Victoria Hislop, author of bestselling novel, The Island, will be at Mainstreet to talk about her new book, The Sunrise, on Thurs 6th November.

We are delighted to announce that, fresh from the Commonwealth Games, Clare Balding will be joining us at Mainstreet on Monday 29th September to talk about her new book, Walking Home: My Family and Other Rambles.

We are very excited to announce that Andy McNab will be at Mainstreet on Wed 21st May to talk about Fortress, the second in his Tom Buckingham series. This is a man who writes from personal experience, he is renowned for his energetic and exciting events.

The ridiculously talented Kirsty Wark has published her first novel. Having just heaved a sigh of satisfaction as I turned the last page, I can highly recommend The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle (esp. to fans of Maggie O’Farrell). Do join us on the 20th March to hear more when Kirsty will be visiting Mainstreet.

Join us at Mainstreet to hear Rachel Joyce, who shot to fame with her novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, talk about her new novel, Perfect.

Join us at Mainstreet with Sally Magnusson on Tues 25th Feb for our first event in 2014. It will be something quite different and very special, likely to make you laugh and cry, though not perhaps in equal measure.

Olia Hercules

We are feeling full of inspiration after a wonderful event with the beautiful Olia Hercules. Her debut cookbook Mamushka, published this month by Octopus, is brimming with delectable recipes and mouth watering photography. We were lucky enough to have Olia with us for her first cookery demo, she cooked Kurka Tabaka (Garlicky Georgian Poussin) for our hungry audience and we assure you – it was delicious!

More below!

HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY 
PENGUIN!
To celebrate 80 years of publishing, Penguin have released the
LITTLE BLACK CLASSICS
Pocket size snippets from 80 classics, for 80p each!

Check out the website – www.littleblackclassics.com

After scouring through the stacks, picking the ones we wanted for ourselves – we decided to continue the penguin party throughout the shop. Including a window display filled with books and coffee from another OCC (Ouseburn Coffee Company) whose coffee we sell in our DELI. We like to think coffee plays a big part in fueling classic literature! Click the link for more.

Hardinge’s previous novel, The Lie Tree (winner of the Costa Book Prize) was read by adults and teens alike. The same should apply to this excellent, atmospheric and utterly gripping story. Living a perilous existence at the beginning of the English Civil War, Makepeace is a strong young woman forced to live with dark secrets from an early age. A perfect wintery read.