A FEW OF OUR FAVOURITE BOOKS

a weekly selection of books for you to discover!From Wymondham’s independent

community bookshop, run by volunteers

ISSUE 113 April 2020

Kett s Books

Wymondham Community Bookshop

Here We Are Graham Swift£14.99, HB, 208ppAvailability: good The latest achievement from the Booker-prize winner, this short novel is being called ‘rich, comic, alive and subtly devastating.’ Starting in Brighton in 1959, the theatre at the

end of the pier is having its best summer season in years. The story of love, trauma and betrayal follows the off-stage drama of three entertainers, and the events which have consequences for all their futures.

Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens £8.99, PB, 384ppAvailability: good Both a murder mystery and a coming of age, this is a book Tracy genuinely could not put down. In the late 1950s Kya was an abused child and then abandoned, left to

nature in coastal North Carolina. As the marsh and the sea had been her parent, teacher and only love, young Kya’s story is told in gentle, beautiful nature writing.

Love After Love Ingrid Persaud £14.99, HB, 416ppAvailability: one in shop; more available to order This was only published 2 April, but has been called ‘glorious’ by Rachel Joyce, and Jessie Burton said it made her cry. A strong mother, a shy son, and a

marvellous lodger form an unconventional household - until one night a terrible truth drives them apart. We’re told it’s hopeful, affectionate, brave and brilliant, asking us to consider what happens at the very brink of human forgiveness.

NEW FICTION

HamnetMaggie O’Farrell£20.00, HB, 384ppAvailability: Published 31 March. Stock ordered for the shop. A limited number currently at the warehouse for delivery by Parcel Force. Volunteers and customers alike are looking forward

to getting hold of this one: Anticipated to be a masterpiece of historical fiction, this is a re-imagining of the lives and relationship between the twin children of William Shakespeare, and the grief that the he and his wife bore upon the loss of their beloved son Hamnet.

The Strawberry ThiefJoanne Harris£8.99, PB, 384ppAvailability: Published 15 April. Stock ordered for the shop. Available only to customers in the Waitrose delivery area. Vianne Rocher has settled down into the southwestern French town that

once rejected her. Along with her ‘special’ child, she runs her chocolate shop in the square and is part of the community. But with the death of the florist, an unexpected inheritance, and a deathbed confession, Vianne’s comfortable life is thrown into turbulence – and perhaps even murder.

The Talented Mr VargAlexander McCall Smith£18.99, HB, 240ppAvailability: Published 9 April. Stock ordered for the shop. Available only to customers in the Waitrose delivery area. The second book in the

new Detective Varg series. In Sweden’s Department of Sensitive Crimes, Detective Ulf Varg has been sent to group therapy at Malmoe’s Wholeness Centre. His new life of self-examination doesn’t lend itself well to professional boundaries, when his newest investigation involves a female detective, and at the same time, exploring who’s blackmailing a novelist.

COMING SOON

Orphans of the Tide Struan Murray £7.99, PB, 352ppAvailability: good A breathtaking fantasy adventure for fans of His Dark Materials. When the tide washes a mysterious boy onto the sharp mountain, the citizens believe

he’s the god who drowned the world, come again to cause untold chaos. Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he’s innocent. But saving him may mean revealing her own dangerous secret.

The Day I Found a Wormhole At the Bottom of the GardenTom McLaughlin£6.99, PB, 176ppAvailability: goodBilly is digging for buried treasure when he finds a wormhole in the garden, and all sorts of people from the past

clamber through it. Now he’s got to get them all back and close the wormhole, before history is changed forever!

The Good Thieves Kathryn Rundell£12.99, HB, 336ppAvailability: goodKathryn Rundell is one of the best things to happen to children’s literature, with truly imaginative stories of children finding inventive ways to solve

problems. This is is the story of Vita, visiting her grandfather in prohibition-era New York. She finds he is being cheated by the Mafia and is set to lose the family home, so she recruits animals, circus performers and pickpockets to help her put things right.

CHILDREN’S READERS

The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How it’s Broken The Secret Barrister£9.99, PB, 320ppAvailability: good A barrister who prefers to remain anonymous tells his (or her?) own stories of how the system often fails

to be fair to those it is meant to protect. The Observer called it ‘eye-opening, funny and horrifying.’

A Bit of a StretchChris Atkins£16.99, HB, 336ppAvailability: good Our volunteer David loves this book. In documentary maker Chris Atkins’ pursuit of exposing corruption in the media, he found himself in HMP

Wandsworth for his part in a funding scandal. His prison diaries form the basis for a

compelling, heart-breaking, sometimes shocking expose of life

in our prisons. An eye-opening must-read.

The Body: A Guide for Occupants Bill Bryson£25.00, HB, 464ppAvailability: two in shop; currently available for Parcel Force delivery £2 Locally-loved master of narrative science Bill Bryson returns to share nearly 400 pages

of facts about the body. Through anecdotes and stories of individuals’ adventures trapped in this physical form, this brilliant and entertaining effort helps us understand… us. A Sunday Times Bestseller and Times Science Book of the Year 2019.

NON-FICTION

A Bit of a Stretch does for prisons what This is Going

to Hurt did for hospitals

How to orderCALL 01953 603663EMAIL orders@kettsbooks.co.ukUse our online form at www.kettsbooks.co.uk/order-books

NEW! Check our stock online at www.kettsbooks.co.uk/shop Please provide a phone number, and we will ring you to arrange for payment over the phone.

A few of our favourite books, now in a weekly catalogue for you to discoverWe hope you are all happy and safe, with enough to read during these strange times.

Now we’re not able to show off our books in the shop, we thought we’d create this little mini-catalogue is to show you some of the books behind the closed sign on our door - Kett’s Books is very much still getting books to our fellow book-lovers out there.

Just like everything else, buying books is slightly more complicated than before. So while we’re showing off some titles we think you might enjoy, we’ve included by each one some information about how available it is.

We still have over 3000 books in stock, and we can get many more, but we get fresh information every day about what we can and can’t order. So do bear with us, if there are changes – we will do our best to do what we said we will.

What you need to know... • If you live near Wymondham, the good

people of Waitrose are helping us out by delivering books to our customers while they’re out on their rounds. We can’t give you exact days or times, but the system seems to be working really well to get books out, and to keep more people safe at home.

• If you live further away, or in some cases if you want a book we can’t get, we may be able to have your book delivered by Parcel Force. We are paying for part of

the delivery costs on this, and asking customers to contribute £2 toward the cost. We regret that our supplier will only provide one book at a time, so that would be a delivery cost of £2 per book.

We appreciate this is different to how things usually work, but we’re all having to cope with daily change. What remains important, now more than ever, is supporting all your local, independent businesses, who are trying very hard to be here for you during the hard time. Thank you for exploring our books!

3 Whartons Court, Wymondham NR18 0UQ t 01953 603663 e hello@kettsbooks.co.uk www.kettsbooks.co.uk

PICTURE BOOKS

The children may be on Easter holidays, but sharing a story together is still a great way to look away, regroup and recharge when everyone gets bored. These are picture books we have in the shop now. Give us a ring if you

want us to set one aside for you! All are currently available for delivery to the Wymondham area; many are available via Parcel Force across the country.

Price: Any of these for £6.99

It’s a No-Money Day Kate Milner, £6.99, PB, 32ppAvailability: very good A young daughter sees all the good in her day: reading, drawing, and sometimes visiting the foodbank. A beautiful and moving story certain to help develop empathy and build conversation about families, need, and our responsibility to show kindness.

Offer: You can purchase It’s a No-Money Day for only £5.50 when you buy any other book. Includes books not in the catalogue. While supplies last.

BOOK OF THE MONTHKett’s Books

would like to thank our generous supporters

Waitrose Community Matters, whose support

of Wymondham’s independent community bookshop means we are

able to continue providing books to

our local area.