Book of the Week
Bolder by Carl Honore
Carl Honore captured the zeitgeist with his international sensation, In Praise of Slow. In Bolder, he introduces us to another rising movement: a revolution in our approach to ageing. Ageing is inevitable. In this time of longer lifespans, however, we have the potential to age better than ever before. Having travelled the globe to meet the pioneers who are redefining ageing, Carl Honore explores the cultural, medical and technological trends that will help us make the most of our longer lives. He shows us that the time has come to cast off prejudices and blur the lines of what is possible at every age. We can tear up the old script that locks us into learning in early life, working in the middle years and pursuing leisure with whatever time is left at the end. Instead, we can learn, work, rest, care for others, volunteer, create and have fun all the way through our lives. Bolder is a radical re-think of our approach to everything from education, healthcare and work, to design, relationships and politics. An essential and inspiring read to help all of us make ageing a bonus rather than a burden.
Book at Bedtime
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
2016 Vineland. Meet Willa Knox, a woman who stands braced against an upended world that seems to hold no mercy for her shattered life and family - or the crumbling house that contains her. 1871 VinelandThatcher Greenwood, the new science teacher, is a fervent advocate of the work of Charles Darwin, and he is keen to communicate his ideas to his students. But those in power in Thatcher's small town have no desire for a new world order. Thatcher and his teachings are not welcome. Both Willa and Thatcher resist the prevailing logic. Both are asked to pay a high price for their courage. But both also find inspiration -- and an unlikely kindred spirit -- in Mary Treat, a scientist, adventurer and anachronism. A testament to both the resilience and persistent myopia of the human condition, Unsheltered explores the foundations we build in life, spanning time and place to give us all a clearer look at those around us, and perhaps ourselves. It is a novel that speaks truly to our times.
Man Booker Prize 2018
Anna Burns has won this year's prestigious Man Booker Prize for her third novel 'Milkman'.
This is an experimental novel, narrated by an unnamed 18 year old girl, known only as Middle Sister. In the city where the novel is located - also unnamed - to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, and rumours start to swell, middle sister becomes 'interesting'. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed and to be noticed is dangerous.
Milkman is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness. It is the story of inaction with enormous consequences.
Booker’s chair of judges, the philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah, described the book as 'incredibly original', adding “None of us has ever read anything like this before,”
These are the books that were most popular with our customers last week......
1. Becoming by Michelle Obama
2. A Very Murderous Christmas
3. The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre
4. The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair
5. Milkman by Anna Burn
6. The Penguin Book of Brexit Cartoons
7. The Librarian by Salley Vickers
8. Educated by Tara Westover
9. The House Swap by Rebecca Fleet
10. This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
If you would like to read any of these books, please send us a message from our contacts page, and we will reserve a copy for you.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs.
The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer.
Now what Starr says could destroy her community.
It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl's struggle for justice.
Pitshanger Bookshop has been a feature on Pitshanger Lane for nearly 20 years. My name is Fiona Kennedy and I've owned the shop since August 2011.
