BESTSELLERS
FEBRUARY 2009
There was quite a change in book-buying habits at The Book Case in
February, with novels being the popular choice, a pattern we saw last year too.
But a book about Sowerby got the top spot, a colourful book about local pubs
also sold well, and Barack Obamas autobiography, a locally-based
childrens historical novel and a teen read made up the
remainder.
1. Growing Up in Sowerby ... and more - Jean
Illingworth, £9.99. Jean Illingworths engaging history of
the ancient hilltop village has been boosted back to the top by a mention in
The Dalesman - orders have been coming in from all over the country
and further afield!
2. Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry,
£7.99. Costa Book of the Year. Nearing her one-hundredth birthday,
Roseanne McNulty faces an uncertain future, as the Roscommon Regional Mental
hospital where she's spent the best part of her adult life prepares for
closure. She talks with her psychiatrist and her story becomes an alternative,
secret history of Ireland's changing character.
3. Dreams from my
Father: a story of race and inheritance - Barack Obama, £8.99.
Barack Obamas black African father walked out on the family when his son
was only two. The adult son set out to learn the truth of his father's life and
reconcile his divided inheritance.
4. Revolutionary Road - Richard
Yates, £7.99. The story of Frank and April Wheeler, a bright,
beautiful, and talented couple whose empty suburban life is held together by
the dream that greatness is only just round the corner. Now a successful
film.
5. Cheers! A History of Hostelries in the Upper Calder Valley
- Issy Shannon, £6.95. Lavishly illustrated book about all the
pubs between Colden and Luddenden with photos past and present, fascinating
facts and gory details.
6. Gold Pieces - Phyllis Bentley,
£5.95. This historical novel for young people tells the story of a boy
who gets involved with the Cragg Vale Coiners - while his father is helped by
the invention of the flying shuttle. A Royd Press publication.
7.
Q&A - Vikas Swarup, £7.99. Aka "Slumdog Millionaire"!
Eighteen-year-old Ram Mohammed Thomas is in prison after answering twelve
questions correctly on a TV quiz show to win one billion rupees. The producers
have arrested him, convinced that he has cheated his way to victory.
8. One of Us - Melissa Benn, £7.99. A leading
journalist and a woman meet at a London cafe in the aftermath of the invasion
of Iraq. Anna Adams has a story she is burning to tell, one that goes right to
the top of the Cabinet. Daily Mail Book of the Month.
9. When Will
There Be Good News - Kate Atkinson, £7.99. A Richard & Judy
choice. In rural Devon, six-year-old Joanna Mason witnesses an appalling crime.
Thirty years later the man convicted of the crime is released from
prison.
10. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer, £6.99. The
first in the phenomenally successful romantic vampire Twilight Saga series for
young people.
JANUARY 2008
Once again the honours were split between the new US
president and local interest (with a particular emphasis on pubs) at The
Book Case in January. Alan Bennetts entertaining story about the Queen in
a public library also gets a look in.
1. Dreams from my Father: a story of race and
inheritance - Barack Obama, £8.99. Barack Obamas black
African father walked out on the family when his son was only two. The adult
son set out to learn the truth of his father's life and reconcile his divided
inheritance.
2. Halifax and Calder Valley Memories,
£12.99. Photographs and descriptions of scenes in Halifax, Elland,
Brighouse, Hebden Bridge and Todmorden from Edwardian times on, covering
events, street scenes, the war years, royal visits, the shops, leisure and
transport.
3. Halifax Pubs - Stephen Gee, £12.99. An
illustrated tour of the most interesting pubs, inns and taverns of Halifax with
lots of old photos.
4. Cheers! A History of Hostelries in the Upper
Calder Valley - Issy Shannon, £6.95. Lavishly illustrated book
about all the pubs between Colden and Luddenden with photos past and present,
fascinating facts and gory details.
5. The Adventures of Tom Leigh
- Phyllis Bentley, £5.95. First young Tom, newly arrived in the
Calder Valley from Suffolk in 1722, loses his father; then he himself is
threatened when as a weaver's apprentice, he uncovers a crime. The third of the
popular Halifax author's historical novels for young people that we are
publishing and the furthest back in time.
6. Portrait of the
Pennine Hills - John Morrison, £14.99. From the ex-local author
and photographer, 144 pages of atmospheric colour photos including some very
nice and new local ones.
7. Small Town Saturday Night: More Pop
Music Memories of the Halifax in the Sixties 2 - Trevor Simpson,
£16.95. Another look at the dance halls, groups an music festivals from
1954-1970. Includes Donovan, Lulu, Screaming Lord Sutch - and the Mytholmroyd
group, Jay West and the Sinners!
8. Uncommon Reader - Alan
Bennett, £6.99. Back in the limelight, this entertaining story
about the Queens enthusiastic exploration of a travelling library in
defiance of the equerries and politicians.
9. Hebden Bridge Town
Centre Trail, £2.00. A colourful guide to a 45-minute walk
around the town, with points of interest and photographs of the same scenes in
times gone. You can see a display of more photos on screen in The Book
Case.
Joint 10: The Audacity of Hope - Barack
Obama, £8.99. The new US President sets out his plans and values
in his "Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" and
Hebden
Bridge: a short history of the area - Peter Thomas, £5.99. This
illustrated history of the town and area by a well-known local author published
by our own Royd Press remains popular.
Bestsellers of 2008
Bestsellers of 2007
Bestsellers of 2006