Mythos – Stephen Fry Read of the month

Mythos – Stephen Fry

I simply cannot recommend this book enough. Read it. Read it now. Whether you're a connoisseur of mythology, Greek or otherwise, or prefer to merely dip your toe in the world of fantasy this book will sate your appetite. Fickle and capricious gods, daring mortals and creatures beyond belief, this book has it all. Fry's dream is to bring back the joy and warmth of gathering around the hearth; sharing stories within your grasp as you're transported to ancient Greece. Sit back, relax and enjoy the conversational narration offered by one of the country's greatest minds. It might just be…
Al
15 July 2024
The Ministry of Time – Kaliane Bradley Read of the month

The Ministry of Time – Kaliane Bradley

This debut novel is set to be one of the block-busters of the Summer and already slated for a TV adaptation by the BBC. The high-concept sci-fi world allows Bradley to explore weighty themes of identity, immigration, trauma and human nature. The unnamed narrator, who is of mixed heritage, works for the Ministry of Time, “helping” immigrants brought to the present from various pasts, who are now integrating into modern society. Her loyalty to her government employers is challenged as she becomes closer to her assigned “expat”, Commander Graham Gore (a real historical figure, who disappeared from an Arctic exploration…
Al
7 June 2024
My Brilliant Friend – Elena Ferrante Read of the month

My Brilliant Friend – Elena Ferrante

A modern masterpiece from one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena (Lenu) and Lila. The story takes us into a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Naples in the 1950s, into the violence of abuse, power and poverty. The girls rely on each other as a shelter from these hardships and their friendship goes on to bear many secrets and scars and a deep understanding. Elena and Lila have very different personalities; at school Elena is diligent and is encouraged by her teacher to study hard and escape…
Al
3 May 2024
‘Our Wives Under The Sea’ – Julia Armfield Read of the month

‘Our Wives Under The Sea’ – Julia Armfield

I was long anticipating this book coming out in paperback and it easily lived up to my expectations when I read it last month. Miri is glad to have her wife back, after months of separation while Leah was on a deep-sea mission that went catastrophically wrong. But it soon becomes clear that whatever happened to Leah under the sea had a lasting impact, and their home-life is changed forever. The reader sees Miri trying to adapt to these changes, interspersed with flashbacks to Leah’s traumatic journey. This is at once a tense, gradually-unfolding speculative novel about the mysteries and…
Al
15 April 2024
‘The Book Thief’ by Markus Zusak Read of the month

‘The Book Thief’ by Markus Zusak

I loved this book. It's set in the early stages of WW2 and follows Liesel, a young girl who has lost her family and been placed in a foster home. Narrated by Death, it follows her journey from a child to a young adult in the landscape of Nazi Germany and her relationship with books: a love affair like no other and one that provides her hope, courage and comfort. This book is truly heartbreaking yet hopeful and offers a unique perspective like none I've ever read. I think everyone will love this book, it will make you laugh and…
Al
9 April 2024
ULLSWATER’S INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOP WELCOMES THE ‘HIGHWAY CELLO‘ – HADRIAN’S WALL TO ROME BY BIKE AND CELLO! News

ULLSWATER’S INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOP WELCOMES THE ‘HIGHWAY CELLO‘ – HADRIAN’S WALL TO ROME BY BIKE AND CELLO!

Verey Books monthly Words on Wednesday events are back for 2024. The popular Pooley Bridge bookshop kicks off with a Words on Wednesday event with a difference on Wednesday 21 February 2024. The ‘Highway Cello’ is about Kenneth Wilson’s journey, on a bike, and with his cello, from Hadrian’s Wall to Rome. Kenneth will be reading, talking about his journey, answering your questions and playing the cello. In 2022 Kenneth cycled with his cello from Hadrian’s Wall to Rome, performing every day en route. The book of this adventure was published by City Village as Highway Cello, and now this performance tells that story…
Sam Bunting
2 February 2024
‘The Yearling’ by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Read of the month

‘The Yearling’ by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Published in 1938, this recently re-issued classic is rather wonderful. Set in, what feels like, frontier Florida, the landscape of the novel is vibrant, humming with nature. There are panthers, wolves, bears, snakes, all fighting for survival in a mesmerising, kaleidoscopic, and harsh world. Read with our climate-change angst, it’s impossible not to wince as the characters are forced to bring down another bear or wolf or buck, but we also understand these characters are killing (mostly) for their own survival. The novel’s core is a compassionate account of one family’s struggles, their relationships, and a particular focus on Jody:…
Sam Bunting
2 February 2024
A CELEBRATION OF WAINWRIGHT AT VEREY BOOKS THIS OCTOBER News

A CELEBRATION OF WAINWRIGHT AT VEREY BOOKS THIS OCTOBER

This October, Verey Books, Ullswater’s independent bookshop welcomes author on Chris Butterfield for a celebration of Wainwright on Wednesday 18 October at 7pm. Wainwright Memories chronicles three little-known stories involving Alfred Wainwright that took place over three consecutive years, 1988-90. The stories are based on reminiscences by Wainwright’s former publisher Andrew Nichol and include illustrative maps by Pictorial Guide reviser Chris Jesty. Chris Butterfield takes Andrew Nichol on a journey to revisit several locations featured in each story. Andrew reminisces about Wainwright, and they recreate many photographs taken over 30 years earlier. A lifelong love of the outdoors and admiration…
Sam Bunting
3 October 2023
‘ALL MY WILD MOTHERS’ – ONE WOMAN’S DEBUT MEMOIR ABOUT LOSS, LOVE AND GROWING A WILD GARDEN News

‘ALL MY WILD MOTHERS’ – ONE WOMAN’S DEBUT MEMOIR ABOUT LOSS, LOVE AND GROWING A WILD GARDEN

This July, Verey Books, Ullswater’s independent bookshop welcomes author Victoria Bennett to read from and discuss her memoir, All My Wild Mothers on Wednesday 19 July at 7pm. An intimate weaving of memoir and herbal folklore, ALL MY WILD MOTHERS is a story of re- wilding our wastelands, and the transformation that can happen when we do… On October 19th in 2007, Victoria Bennett was looking forward to new motherhood. At seven months pregnant, she was excited about what was to come. But when the telephone rang, the news she received changed everything. Her eldest sister had died in a…
Sam Bunting
4 July 2023