Hello!

Leaves are beginning to fall, the mornings are cool and crisp, and the books are threatening to curl - that means it must be autumn! This September we've got some exciting things lined up, including a visit from bestselling author Tan Twan Eng! Find out more down below. 

Emily, Charlotte, and Heather have also shared their most recent exciting reads in this month's Reading Roundups. We have a classic, a crime (fictional, not real life...), brand new fiction not-yet-out, and even a cosmic horror!  Scroll down to find out what they've been reading.

And to finish, we've included some brand new hardbacks out in September! You can access these all through the usual channels - website, email, phone or pop in.

We look forward to seeing you in the shop soon!

The Haslemere Bookshop Team 

From Emily:

"Intermezzo is my favourite Sally Rooney yet! As Rooney matures as a writer so do her characters and I felt this added a new dimension and a freshness. Following two brothers reeling from their father’s death, Intermezzo is a portrait of a fractured family and an examination of how grief affects us all differently. I found the story to be completely absorbing and I rushed through it in a few days, I plan to revisit it and do a more considered re-read - just as soon as I get it back from the long list of friends who have asked to borrow it! Click here to buy it!

Before I begin, I will add a caveat to this review by saying that I found this book quite hard to get into, but by the middle I was very much invested in the story and the end left me in tears - a rare occurrence with a book! Beginning in 1980’s Chicago, Hello Beautiful is very much a modern day retelling of Little Women (there are several self aware references by the characters themselves!) and the heart of the story revolves around the four Padovano sisters, who have grown up in a chaotic Italian-American household, and William, whose childhood could not have been more different. The multigenerational aspect made the story feel epic and the characters were brilliantly written - I was always rooting for Sylvie!" Click here to buy it!

From Charlotte:

"Full disclosure, I am only half way through this wickedly delightful classic, but I’m enjoying it so much I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk about it in this month’s newsletter! The Master and Margarita is like a drunken waltz, where nothing is quite what you’re expecting even though you’re sure you know the steps. It’s hilarious and teasingly clever, with some ‘devilishly’ thought out characters, but remains a stark reflection of the realities living under Stalin’s reign in Soviet Russia. It’s not a book I would usually pick up, so thank you to the customer who recommended it! Click here to buy it!

A cosmic horror with an absolute reverence for the natural world, Annihilation captures all that it means to love - and fear - our ecosphere. VanderMeer weaves this love and fear of nature with a unique manipulation of linguistics and evolution as his protagonist encounters discovery after illusive discovery, and although my feelings of dread and foreboding were almost palpable throughout Annihilation’s story, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the world VanderMeer had created. It will stay with me for a long time (and I welcome it to!)" Click here to buy it!

From Heather:

"I was lucky enough to get hold of a proof copy of Richard Osman’s latest crime thriller, We Solve Murders.  Written in his inimitable style the new characters – Steve Wheeler and his daughter in law Amy (not forgetting the cat, Trouble!) - drew me in immediately and it was certainly a page-turner!  As the pair race around the world trying to escape murder and catch the murderer, you will not be able to put it down! Click here to buy it!

I am about half way through this exciting novel, Weyward by Emilia Hart. Telling the story of 3 witches spanning several centuries, it is so clever how the stories of the 3 women begin to spin together like an ever-growing spider’s web, each having their own story which becomes intertwined.  Written beautifully, the characterisation is wonderful – a truly spellbinding story – I can’t wait to see how it turns out in the end!" Click here to buy it!

We're so excited to annnounce that bestselling author Tan Twan Eng is visiting The Haslemere Bookshop! Twan will be here from 11am on Saturday 21st of September to meet customers and sign copies of his latest book, The House of Doors. There will be copies to purchase at the bookshop, but you are also welcome to bring your own for Twan to sign!