Saturday miscellany

    - The Telegraph magazine is always my Saturday breakfast reading, and one of its highlights is Mary Portas's shop review column. Today she casts her critical eye over Daunt Books, specifically the Marylebone High Street branch, and you can read what she has to say here. I've never been to Daunt's so I can't comment on her impressions, but I find it very interesting that one of the key areas in which they can compete with online retailers and other shops which sell books at large discounts is service, and that's exactly were Mary marks them down.

    - For anyone who missed Wednesday's post, I've postponed our CBG discussion of The Good Soldier by a week to Saturday 30th. July. Meanwhile, I've got our next book - or possibly even next two - in hand, so more news on those very soon.

    - If you glance over to the arrivals list on the right there you'll see at the top a new novel by the excellent Sally Gardner (her brilliant I, Coriander was a favourite of mine a few years ago, and The Red Necklace was equally impressive and imaginative). The Double Shadow is a book for older teenage readers, due out in early November. I read the opening chapter yesterday and I had to force myself to put it down - I'm reading too many books just now to add another one to the mix - but it was compelling and promises much. Here's the gist:

"In a bluebell wood stands a picture palace. Arnold Rubens built it to house an invention of his that could change the war torn world forever. It is to be given to his daughter, Amaryllis, on her seventeenth birthday. But it's a present she doesn't want, and in it is a past she has to come to terms with ... Who knows what her past has been, or what the future might hold for Amaryllis, lost as she is in this place with no time?

Against the tense backdrop of the second World War, Sally Gardner explores families and what binds them, fathers and daughters, past histories, passions and cruelty, love and devastation in a novel rich in character and beautifully crafted."

Comments

[m]

I've always found the staff at their Holland Park branch very friendly and chatty. Whereas my local Waterstones is like shopping at Tesco.

[The Time Sculptor's Secret]

Oh dear, it's a rather damning indictment of the staff and there will be a few bent ears after that write up! Very interesting post and thanks for the link to the Telegraph article. I had heard of Daunt Books, but only by name, and I had a look at their website after reading your post. The reading lists are absorbing and I like the way the beautiful Edwardian stained glass windows of the original Marylebone branch are echoed in the frontages of the other branches.
I agree with you about Sally Gardner's I, Coriander; I invested in Juliet Stevenson's wonderful audio version for my daughter a few years ago,and borrowed it to accompany me on a few long walks! Jane G

[Dark Puss]

I have shopped in my two local Daunt bookshops for over twenty years; I've been three times to the Marylebone branch. I like Daunt in many ways, but I think Portas has a point and more recently I have been a much more frequent customer at England's Lane Books. The latter has more friendly and engaged staff and is a more inviting in the way it is laid out to my untutored eye. There is no denying that the Marylebone shop does indeed have a wonderful back room to gaze longingly at from the narrow balcony. I also possess a Daunt Book bag, given to me when I bought an expensive book so certainly some customer friendly kudos for that.

One real negative of my local branches, and one I have remonstrated with Daunt about, is their energy wasting insistence on having the front door fully open even when it is below zero or raining outside. Apart from the outrageous waste of heat it means that I'm not going to browse the first 3m worth of bookshelves nearest the door!

[Jo]

I have never heard of Daunt Books, and thanks for the links. Makes very interesting reading.

If I am in London I may well pop in just to admire all the books.

[Rhys]

In today's Observer there is re-printed a Postscript E M Forster wrote to A Room With a View......it must be online somewhere too....

[Dark Puss]

Rhys, you might also be interested in this article:

"Edwardian Perspectives on Nineteenth-Century Music in E. M. Forster's A Room with a View"
Michelle Fillion, 19th-Century Music
Vol. 25, No. 2-3 (Fall/Spring 2001-02), pp. 266-295

[LizF]

I have never been to Daunt's although I have heard of it. Sadly where I live we only have WH Smith and Waterstones, and in both of them the lack of knowledge of the staff is alarming!

I will add the new Sally Gardner to my list as I very much enjoyed both I,Coriander and The Red Necklace and it sounds intriguing!