Merlin - the man, the myth, the legend. Book launch

Book launch The Wrathful Traveller – Rhuddem Gwelin

STOCKHOLM | Thursday 9th Nov at 18:30

Welcome to the launch of Rhuddem Gwelin’s latest book The Wrathful Traveller – the Merlin Chronicles Volume 2.

The evening will begin with some reflections by the author on the role the legendary Merlin has played in the historical battle between magic and the ever-more powerful church. She will then read excerpts from the novel to show how Merlin is cast into the madness of the Crusades.

Why Shakespeare? Talk with Ruby Jand


Why Shakespeare? Talk with Ruby Jand

UPPSALA | Tuesday 7th Nov at 19:00

WHY SHAKESPEARE? Shakespeare Calling with Ruby Jand

Who is Hamlet? Is Lady Macbeth really evil? Can Caliban really be a twitchy speeded Goth freak? Why are Shakespeare’s characters so interesting to us even today – 400 years after his death?

Author visit: Brian Kimberling – Snapper

Meet Brian Kimberling

STOCKHOLM | Thursday 19th October at 18:30

A birdwatcher’s guide to the human heart – an unconventional coming of age story from an unforgettable new voice that will appeal to fans of David Vann and Annie Proulx.

With wry humour and real freshness, Snapper charts the disastrous love affair between career birdwatcher Nathan Lochmueller and the place that made him.

Brian Kimberling grew up in Evansville, Indiana, and graduated from Indiana University. As a student he was involved in a major study of songbirds, an experience central to his first novel, Snapper. Subsequently he taught English in the Czech Republic, Mexico, and Turkey. He now lives in England.

Meet Brian in the Stockholm shop on Thursday 19th October at 18:30
Tickets 30:-. Get your ticket today!

Books of the Month for October 2017

Discover the Books of the Month for October – there’s something for everyone!

Modern Fiction – Classics – Short Stories

MODERN FICTION
Transit – Rachel Cusk
In the wake of family collapse, a writer and her two young sons move to London. The process of upheaval is the catalyst for a number of transitions – personal, moral, artistic, practical – as she endeavours to construct a new reality for herself and her children.

”Page-turningly enthralling and charged with the power to move” – Guardian
» Paperback 150:-


CLASSICS
The Whisperer in Darkness and other tales – H.P. Lovecraft
The most important US horror writer since Edgar Allan Poe and a big influence on nearly every major figure in the genre after his day.
» Paperback 130:-

SHORT STORIES
Rotten Row – Petina Gappah
It is just after nine o’clock in the morning. Gidza will die in exactly forty-three minutes and thirteen seconds.

’Rotten Row’ is the Criminal Division of Harare, and the courts and the unfortunates who pass through them are the subjects of this mesmerising collection of stories.

”Does for Harare now what Dickens did for Victorian London, with lethal comic relish and rage” – Observer
» Paperback 150:-

British Mystery – Tough Crime

BRITISH MYSTERY
Death in Profile – Guy Fraser-Sampson
The genteel façade of London’s Hampstead is shattered by a series of terrifying murders, and the ensuing police hunt is threatened by internal politics, and a burgeoning love triangle within the investigative team. Pressurised by senior officers desperate for a result a new initiative is clearly needed, but what?

Praised by fellow authors and readers alike, this is a truly original crime story, speaking to a contemporary audience yet harking back to the Golden Age of detective fiction. Intelligent, quirky and mannered, it has been described as ’a love letter to the detective novel’.
» Paperback 130:-


TOUGH CRIME
Dr. Knox – Peter Spiegelman
Dr Adam Knox returns from the war in Afghanistan a little rougher, a little wiser, and a lot more inclined to kick it to the ones at the top. The ones in charge...

”Dr Knox portrays an all-new Los Angeles, rendered in a wild, all-new style. It's a crackerjack crime novel; everything pop-pop-pops and lures you deeper and deeper into Peter Spiegelman's luminous vision. It's a thrilling book” – James Ellroy
» Paperback 150:-

Sci-Fi – Fantasy – Urban Fantasy

SCIENCE FICTION
Cold Welcome (Vatta's Peace #1) – Elizabeth Moon
Admiral Ky Vatta should return to her childhood home a war hero, but on the way her shuttle is downed by sabotage.

Marooned in a hostile landscape it'll take every bit of wit, skill and luck she can muster to lead her fellow survivors to safety, knowing that the mysterious enemies who destroyed the ship are on the hunt, and may have an agent in the group ready to finish the job at any moment. And was the sabotage an attempt on Ky's own life, or someone else's?

Nebula-Award-winner Elizabeth Moon triumphantly returns to science fiction with this space opera adventure, perfect for fans of Lois McMaster Bujold, James S. A. Corey and Star Wars.
» Paperback 150:-


FANTASY
Roses and Rot – Kat Howard
Imogen and her sister Marin escape their cruel mother to attend a prestigious artists’ retreat, but soon learn that living in a fairy tale requires sacrifices, whether it be art or love in this critically acclaimed debut novel from ”a remarkable young writer” (Neil Gaiman, American Gods).

What would you sacrifice for everything you ever dreamed of?

» Paperback 175:-


URBAN FANTASY
Strange Magic: An Essex Witch Museum Mystery – Syd Moore

Rosie Strange doesn’t believe in ghosts or witches or magic. No, not at all. It’s no surprise therefore when she inherits the ramshackle Essex Witch Museum, her first thought is to take the money and run.
Still, the museum exerts a curious pull over Rosie.

‘Confident, down-to-earth Essex girl Rosie is an appealing character, and there is plenty of spooky fun in this spirited genre mashup.’ – Guardian

» Paperback 150:-

Teen / Young Adult – Non-Fiction (Biographies)

TEEN / YOUNG ADULT
Never Say Sometimes – Adi Alsaid
Never date your best friend.
Always be original.
Sometimes rules are meant to be broken…

Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be clichés so they even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they’d never, ever do in high school.
» Paperback 130:-


NON-FICTION (Biographies)
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood – Trevor Noah
The compelling, inspiring, (often comic) coming-of-age story of Trevor Noah, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

One of the comedy world’s brightest new voices, Trevor Noah is a light-footed but sharp-minded observer of the absurdities of politics, race and identity, sharing jokes and insights drawn from the wealth of experience acquired in his relatively young life.

» Paperback 150:-

Discover the poetry of Emily Dickinson

The Poets light but Lamps - Ann-Marie Vinde

STOCKHOLM | Thursday 12th October at 18:30

The Poets light but Lamps
New poems in Swedish by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
 
Only a limited number of Dickinson’s poems were known to her contemporaries. Today she has long been recognized as one of America’s greatest poets.
 
”Poeter tänder bara lampor/The Poets light but Lamps” is Ann-Marie Vinde’s second collection of translations of Dickinson poems. Like her first one, ”Min flod flyter mot dig/My River runs to thee”, it is bilingual and annotated.
 
Ms Vinde will read from her new volume and provide some background.
 
Thursday 12th October at 18:30
Tickets 30:-. Get your ticket today at the Stockholm bookshop!

Release of the new John Green book!

Release of the new John Green book

UPPSALA & STOCKHOLM | Tuesday 10th Oct at 07:01

To celebrate the new John Green book, the first book from the brilliant author since The Fault in our Stars, we're hosting a EARLY MORNING RELEASE of his new novel Turtles All the Way Down! (We have to stick to American midnight...)

You can pre-book your copy at the shop to make you are one of the first to get your hands on a book.

The doors open at 7 am, and if you are the very first (or one of the first) to buy your book, we promise to add a little extra something! The early bird catches the worm, you know. ;-)

Author reading: The Summer Guest – Alison Anderson

Author reading: The Summer Guest – Alison Anderson

STOCKHOLM | Thursday 5th October at 18:30

What if Anton Chekhov, undisputed master of the short story, actually wrote a novel – and the manuscript still existed? 

Introducing: The Summer Guest by Alison Anderson. This tantalizing possibility drives The Summer Guest, a spellbinding narrative that draws together, across two centuries, the lives of three women through the discovery of a diary. 

Welcome! Free.

Doctor Who Night - Changing of the Doctors

Doctor Who Night - Changing of the Doctors

UPPSALA | Thursday 5th October at 19:00

The Doctor Who-expert Kristina Rudbjer will talk about the changing of the Doctors: regenerations and reactions. Prize for best costume! Dress up as your ­favourite character – or monster! Fabulous prizes to be won.

Tea! Cake! Whovian company!

Tickets 70 kr, sign up today at the bookshop!

Grab your umbrella and leek and let’s get going. Allons-y!

Time That Glitters – Global Poetry Night and Book Release

Time That Glitters – a global poetry night with book release

UPPSALA | Saturday 30th Sept at 18:00 Free

What is happening in contemporary literary exchange between Bangladesh and Sweden?

Together with Litteraturcentrum Uppsala we present four prominent literary talents from different generations:

Books of the Month for September 2017

Discover the Books of the Month for September – there’s something for everyone!

Modern Fiction – Classics – Short stories

MODERN FICTION
Autumn – Ali Smith
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017! Autumn. Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. That's what it felt like for Keats in 1819. How about Autumn 2016?

Daniel is a century old. Elisabeth, born in 1984, has her eye on the future. The United Kingdom is in pieces, divided by a historic once-in-a-generation summer. Love is won, love is lost. Hope is hand in hand with hopelessness. The seasons roll round, as ever.
The first in a seasonal quartet.  
Paperback 150:-

CLASSICS
Kim – Rudyard Kipling 
Kipling’s epic rendition of the imperial experience in India is also his greatest long work. Kim is considered to be one of the first spy novels, and gives a knowledgeable portrait of both India at the time, of the Anglo-Indian relationship and of The Great Game.
Paperback 100:-

SHORT STORIES
How Much the Heart Can Hold: Seven Stories on Love
Love is not a singular concept. In this collection, seven award-winning authors explore seven concepts of love: from Philautia, self-love, to Agape, love for humanity; and from Storge, a natural affection for family, to Mania, a frenzied, obsessive love. Seven authors; seven short stories; seven flashes of love.
Paperback 150:-

British Crime – Tough Crime

BRITISH CRIME
She Be Damned – M.J. Tjia    Longlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger
London, 1863: prostitutes in the Waterloo area are turning up dead, their sexual organs mutilated and removed. When another girl goes missing, fears grow that the killer may have claimed their latest victim. The police are at a loss and so it falls to courtesan and professional detective, Heloise Chancey, to investigate. 
Paperback 150:-

TOUGH CRIME
The Black Country – Kerry Hadley-Pryce
Maddie and Harry: she’s an estate agent, he’s a teacher. They’ll say they live in the Black Country. They’ll say how they met Jonathan Cotard, explain how they later argued, had a car accident, thought they’d killed someone. The Black Country. For Maddie and Harry, it’s darker than it should be.
Paperback 150:-

Science-Fiction – Fantasy – Urban Fantasy

SCIENCE FICTION
All the Birds in the Sky – Charlie Jane Anders
Winner of the 2017 Nebula award!  Finalist for the 2017 Hugo Award Best Novel and Locus Award 2017!

Patricia is a witch who can communicate with animals. Laurence is a mad scientist and inventor of the two-second time machine. As teenagers they gravitate towards one another, sharing in the horrors of growing up weird, but their lives take different paths... When they meet again as adults, Laurence is an engineering genius trying to save the world and live up to his reputation in near-future San Francisco. Meanwhile, Patricia is a graduate of Eltisley Maze, the hidden academy for the magically gifted, working hard to prove herself to her fellow magicians and secretly repair the earth's ever growing ailments. As they attempt to save our future, Laurence and Patricia's shared past pulls them back together.
Paperback 130:-

FANTASY
The House of Shattered Wings – Aliette de Bodard
The House of Shattered Wings is many things. It’s a murder mystery. It’s a post-apocalyptic survival tale. It’s a steel-cold look at protagonists who are antiheroes. It’s a slow-burn Gothic narrative with plenty of tension and a sense of impending doom that retains elegance and poise and never comes crashing down. It is also a story about imperialism, about displacement and belonging, about loyalties and the desperate desire to simply return to your own tribe.
Paperback 150:-

URBAN FANTASY/PARANORMAL
Alice – Christina Henry
Inspired by the wonderous works of Lewis Carroll, this is the tale of Alice, who has been stuck in a mental health hospital for years, although she can’t remember why. All she can remember is a tea party long ago. Long ears and blood. Until one night she escapes, free to uncover the truth about what happened to her. When she escapes, something escapes with her, but the truth she desperately seeks is so much stranger than any madman’s ranting.

Paperback 130:-

Teen/Young Adult – Non-Fiction

TEEN / YOUNG ADULT
This Raging Light – Estelle Laure
A teenage girl falls for her best friend's brother in Estelle Laure’s soulful debut that’s perfect for fans of Gayle Forman, Jandy Nelson, and Rainbow Rowell. A heartbreakingly beautiful book that you'll devour in one sitting, but remember forever. 

Paperback 130:-

NON-FICTION 
Treasure Palaces: Great Writers Visit Great Museums – Maggie Fergusson
A collection of moving, lyrical essays that speak to the enduring power of museums in our cultural life, and will leave you longing to revisit your favourite treasure palace or looking for a new one to explore.

From a stunning villa on sunny Capri with Ali Smith to an unlikely temple in the heart of Copenhagen with Alan Hollinghurst, Treasure Palaces brings together over twenty of the world's greatest writers to give their own personal tours of the museums that have awed, haunted and inspired them.

Paperback 150:-

Books of the Month – April 2024

Alice Winn
In Memoriam
Paperback

Modern Fiction of the month

*Join the reading group

Toni Morrison
Sula
Paperback

Classic of the month

*Join the reading group

Beth O’Leary
The Wake-Up Call
Paperback
Stig Abell
Death Under a Little Sky
Paperback

Mystery of the month

*Join the Crime reading group

Jahmal Mayfield
Smoke Kings
Paperback

Noir of the month

Grace Curtis
Frontier
Paperback

Sci-Fi of the month

*Join the reading group

P. Djèlí Clark
A Master of Djinn
Paperback

Fantasy of the month

*Join the reading group

T. Kingfisher
A House With Good Bones
Paperback

Horror of the month

Rachel Greenlaw
Compass and Blade
Paperback

Teen/YA of the month

Négar Djavadi
Disoriental
Paperback

Queer book of the month

*Join the reading group

Sarah Hart
Once Upon a Prime
Paperback

The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature

Non-Fiction of the month

Books of the Month – March 2024

Ellen Hawley
A Decent World
Paperback

Modern Fiction of the month

*Join the reading group

Edith Wharton
Ethan Frome
Paperback

Classic of the month

*Join the reading group

J.F. Murray
Fling
Paperback
Katie Williams
My Murder
Paperback

Mystery of the month

*Join the Crime reading group

Scott Von Doviak
Lowdown Road
Paperback

Noir of the month

David Koepp
Aurora
Paperback

Sci-Fi of the month

*Join the reading group

Nghi Vo
The Empress of Salt and Fortune
Paperback

Fantasy of the month

*Join the reading group

Stephen Graham Jones
Mapping the Interior
Paperback

Horror of the month

Nic Stone
Chaos Theory
Paperback

Teen/YA of the month

Huw Lemmey & Ben Miller
Bad Gays
Paperback

– A Homosexual History

Queer book of the month

*Join the reading group

Hua Hsu
Stay True
Paperback

– A Memoir

Non-Fiction of the month

Books of the Month – February 2024

Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
A Spell of Good Things
Paperback

Modern Fiction of the month

*Join the reading group

Leo Tolstoy
The Cossacks
Hardback

Classic of the month

*Join the reading group

Nancy Peach
The Mother of All Problems
Paperback

Feel-Good of the month

Catherine Kirwan
A Lesson in Malice
Paperback

Mystery of the month

*Join the Crime reading group

Daniel Weizmann
The Last Songbird
Paperback

Noir of the month

M.D. Lachlan
Celestial
Paperback

Sci-Fi of the month

*Join the reading group

Hannah Kaner
Godkiller
Paperback

Fantasy of the month

*Join the reading group

Cassandra Khaw
Nothing But Blackened Teeth
Paperback

Horror of the month

Jesse Q. Sutanto
Didn’t See That Coming
Paperback

Teen/YA of the month

Eloghosa Osunde
Vagabonds!
Paperback

Queer book of the month

*Join the reading group