#the book was the bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

[notetakingnonsense]

Just finished my first book of 2024!

[paperhound]

Untethered as it is to a fixed date, Canadian Independent Bookstore Day is a moveable feast that we only remember when confronted by its imminent approach and the subsequent realization that we’ve invited everyone over for a (metaphorical) grand banquet and haven’t even assembled a grocery list. Luckily we’ve done this before! On the menu for this coming Saturday, April 27th, we have the usual fare:

A basically festive mood.

Bring a wire clothes hanger and we will twist it into a unique bookstand for you, à la balloon-man.

For the fourth year in a row, champion swimmer, binner extraordinaire, and Hound habitué Murray White will be on hand to do the end-of-day draw for two excellent prizes.

Gallery Hound will be open for anyone curious to see our remarkable collection of framed poetry broadsides and/or use the loo.

In addition:

We will have our resident poodle Shelly K on shift from 10-12. He will be happy to shake a paw, kiss a baby, pose for pictures and generally campaign for the elected office of your heart.

Poet and longtime Friend of the Hound Kevin Spenst will be on deck from 2-3 for an “Ask Me Anything, I’m an Open Book” session. Ask him to read from his latest collection from Anvil Press “Bouquet Brought Back from Space”, ask him what a chapbook is and how are they made, ask him to summarize Finnegans Wake in one elegant sentence sung in a persuasive baritone: he is an Open Book and he is at your disposal.

Finally, this year’s draw will ask you to decide whether you are a Bookstore Nostalgist or a Bookstore Futurist. Cast your ballot in the fishbowl associated with your chosen attitude for a chance to win one of two intriguing prizes:

A) For the Nostalgist: a tote bag with copies of The Art of the Literary Poster and Penelope Fitzgerald's bitter and brilliant "The Bookshop", a selection of vintage bookmarks from defunct Vancouver indies, and a wee bottle of vodka to pour out for our fallen indie brethren (or sip while you read Gogol, whatever).

B) For the Futurist: a tote bag brimming with Destination Bookstore vouchers. This is The Seafarer’s Special, so named because you’ll need to catch a ferry, or at least a SeaBus, to redeem your gift certificates to our fabulous friends at Helicon Books in North Vancouver, Reasons to Live in Gibsons, and Sorensen’s Books in Victoria.

Whew! Being an indie isn’t always easy, but at least there’s never a higher-up in corporate telling you to keep your communications coherent and brief! See you on Saturday!

[lifewithaview]

The Bookshop (2017)

England, 1959. Free-spirited widow Florence Green (Emily Mortimer) risks everything to open a bookshop in a conservative East Anglian coastal town. While bringing about a surprising cultural awakening through works by Ray Bradbury and Vladimir Nabokov, she earns the polite but ruthless opposition of a local grand dame (Patricia Clarkson) and the support and affection of a reclusive book loving widower (Bill Nighy). As Florence's obstacles amass and bear suspicious signs of a local power struggle, she is forced to ask: is there a place for a bookshop in a town that may not want one? Based on Penelope Fitzgerald's acclaimed novel and directed by Isabel Coixet (Learning to Drive), The Bookshop is an elegant yet incisive rendering of personal resolve, tested in the battle for the soul of a community.

"Old age is not the same thing as historical interest. Otherwise you and I would be far more interesting than we are."

[knowledge-lost]

Book 20 of 2023: The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald. Apparently I’ve seen the movie, but have no recollection of it and I also have no idea how this would work as a film. This is a novel about the small town bitchiness and not much about the bookshop.

[blogthefiresidechats]

"The Bookshop" by Penelope Fitzgerald

Well, I finished reading this last night and thought I would share. I loved Florence Green in this book. She was a character with courage………she had enough gumption to open up a bookshop where she did, despite the fact that she was met with some resistance. I also liked Mr. Brundish because he seemed to be the only person who was somewhat supportive of her endeavor to open a bookshop, even though…

[laceyrowland]

2022 Reading Wrapped Part II

In the Spring I got a part time job at the local library which was great motivation to kick my reading into high gear. It's hard to be around books all day and not want to take them all home. Let's just say my TBR list stretches farther than my lifetime.

Being surrounded by books is great motivation to read, but so is being surrounded by nature. My partner and I both enjoy the outdoors, and I've been known to spend hours lounging around outside with a good book. We got a hammock stand to bring with us on camping trips which has really spoiled me when it comes to travel.

Tips for squeezing in more reading:

Bring a book with you when you're away from home. Or have an audiobook downloaded on your phone with some earbuds handy. Case in point, last night I was picking up a birthday gift at the bookstore and was stuck in a long line with nothing to do. I pulled out my headphones and listened to a few minutes of my audiobook (Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King, in case you were wondering) while waiting. If you're riding public transit, stuck in an airport during a layover, or even just waiting at the doctor's office - having a book makes the waiting less annoying.

Find a cozy, but not too cozy, spot to read. I've found that reading at the kitchen table is great when I'm waiting for something to finish baking, but if I sit too long on the hard kitchen chairs my butt goes to sleep and I get uncomfortable. If I read in bed, it better be a compelling book or I'll go right to sleep. Reading in front of the TV is not recommended. A coffee shop can be a good place to read if you need to get away from the laundry piling up. Libraries are free and quiet and generally have comfortable (but not too comfortable) seating. A blanket on the lawn is also great.

Take advantage of the resources around you for reading recommendations. While working at the library I met tons of avid readers who had loads of recommendations, and folks would come in and ask for suggestions from me as well. It's a community built around readers! Libraries are a unique space - they're free, they're protectors of democracy and intellectual freedom, and they're open to everyone. Patronizing them is critical to their survival.

Here's what I read April through June of 2022:

Harlem Shuffle - Colson Whitehead*

My Monticello - Jocelyn Nicole Johnson*

The Honjin Murders - Seishi Yokomizo

My Sister, The Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite*

Things We Lost in the Fire - Mariana Enriquez*

The Bookshop - Penelope Fitzgerald

Autobiography of Red - Anne Carson

The Incendiaries - R.O. Kwon*

The Lost Daughter - Elena Ferrante*

Infinite Country - Patricia Engel

Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin

The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead*

From Chaos to Creativity - Jessie L. Kwak

Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys*

Katie the Catsitter - Colleen AF Venable

Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu

Parasite - Mira Grant

Pachinko - Min Jin Lee*

Taproot - Keezy Young

The Book of M - Peng Shepherd

*Books that blew my hair back

Catch up on Part I of my Reading Wrapped, and stay tuned for Part III!

[the-art-librarian]

These artworks by Tracy Savage

feel similar to: Penelope Fitzgerald’s The Bookshop

[darkacademiacontent]

The Bookshop(2017)

We NEED give more attention to this movie!!!!!!!!!!

England, 1959. Free-spirited widow Florence Green risks everything to open a bookshop in a conservative East Anglian coastal town. While bringing about a surprising cultural awakening through works by Ray Bradbury and Vladimir Nabokov, she earns the polite but ruthless opposition of a local grand dame and the support and affection of a reclusive book loving widower. As Florence's obstacles amass and bear suspicious signs of a local power struggle, she is forced to ask: is there a place for a bookshop in a town that may not want one?

Based on Penelope Fitzgerald's acclaimed novel and directed by Isabel Coixet, The Bookshop is an elegant yet incisive rendering of personal resolve, tested in the battle for the soul of a community.

[godzilla-reads]

“You can tell a lot about a person by the book they’re carrying.”

—Joseph Patrick Pascale

[confessions-of-areader]

[shelveswithstories]

The Bookshop - Penelope Fitzgerald

Oooh boy, did I love this book!

I went to the library to pick up The Great Gatsby (of which I got the wrong version, but shh) when I saw this little book right next to it. Talking about judging a book by it cover, or rather title, I was already halfway out the building when I read the blurb.

Our leading lady is Florence. Recently widowed and living in a small town on the Northsea coast in England, she decides she wants to open a small bookshop. The only one since forever. She buys a small building that’s been on sale for years, not in the least because it is supposedly haunted, and makes her way into the world of retail.

But a small, sleepy town is full of hidden and not so hidden relationships and agendas, and soon enough Florence finds herself in a stand-off with the most influential person in town.

The Bookshop is only a short novel, but it turned out to be a perfect autumn read. The shop and Florence ooze coziness, kindness, and tenacity. I found myself rooting for her as if I was her neighbour, hoping she could withstand the powerfull forces swirling around her.

100% recommend.

[wilhelmina-may-marlene]

^^Everything I read in the month of July ... 

Don’t judge me too harshly? (and for sure message me if you want to chat about any of these titles!)

The books pictured above, from top to bottom, right to left:

1) Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard 

2) The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

3) The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

4) Kulti by Mariana Zapata

5) The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

6) Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

7) The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

8) The Keep by Jennifer Egan

9) Well Met by Jen De Luca

10) The Reasons I Won’t be Coming by Elliot Perlman (short story collection)

11) The Girl With all the Gifts by M.R. Carey 

[redwineandblackstockings]

Florence had noticed one or two eccentricities in herself lately, which might be the result of hard work, or of age, or of living alone. When the letters came, for example, she often found herself wasting time in looking at the postmarks and wondering whoever they could be from, instead of opening them in a sensible manner and finding out at once.

Penelope Fitzgerald, The Bookshop

[ofallingstar]

The Bookshop (2017)

[bookswithrita]

Title: The Bookshop Author: Penelope Fitzgerald Publisher: Mariner Books Published in: 2013 (first published in 1978) Pages: 163 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Bookshop is a remarkable book that teaches the reader that some times the end is not always what you expect. Sometimes there is defeat after a long battle. Our main character, Florence, decides to open a Bookshop in the small village of Hardborough. However, she quickly realised that the idea might not be as welcomed as she initially thought it would be. Hardborough, a village isolated from the rest of the land, cannot be seen as a portrait of the real word; Penelope Fitzgerald, more often than not, exaggerated its shallowness, which helped the reader understand that this is harsh place to live and socialise. Its inhabitants are petty, selfish, insensitive people (take Mrs. Gamart for example) but there are also decent characters, like Christine and Wally, who represent the least pompous and selfish people in the village. The Bookshop is a book that ended up being very different from what I thought it would be. It's a book where our characters are visibly flawed; there is rancor, discussions, legal battles, clear class distinctions, ideological differences, which end up being very obvious as we go on reading. In such a short book (less than 200 pages), Fitzgerald was able to create something that not only makes you think about people's nature but it deeply touches you by the end. The last paragraph, more specifically the final sentence, is one of the saddest I have ever read in a book; it bleeds disappointment and defeat. I never read anything from Penelope Fitzgerald and now I definitely will because her writing and storytelling are incredible. The eye for the details of the quotidian and the heightened character characterisation were something I appreciated in this compact novel. The prose is very plain, not in a bad way, and straightforward. I am not surprised this was shortlisted for the Booker Prize because it is truly wonderful. If you're a fan of historical fiction, give this a try. If you like books that are character driven, I believe you will enjoy this.

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[ordinaryrealities]

‘I don’t know that men are better judges than women,’ said Florence, ‘but they spend much less time regretting their decisions.’

The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald