The North recommends: Book Corner, Saltburn

I opened Book Corner in a tiny shop unit back in 2014, and moved into larger premises last year. It’s probably one of the few bookshops that have a view of the sea!

I stock fiction, with a particular focus on contemporary novels along with a carefully selected range of non-fiction, with nature writing and local history proving particularly popular. The children’s section is bright and colourful, and I particularly enjoy selecting beautiful and unusual picture books. There is also a small poetry section that focuses on North East poets.

The bookshop holds regular events, including talks, book signings, and poetry readings. I’m eager to encourage more author visits, so if you’re a publisher or an author, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Here are some of the books I’ve been excited to read recently:

How Saints Die by Carmen Marcus

This wonderfully atmospheric debut novel is set on the North East coast in the 1980s, and shows the world through the eyes of ten-year-old Ellie. Her mother has had a breakdown, and the novel follows Ellie’s attempts to make sense of what has happened, while incorporating sea myths into the narrative. Carmen is also a poet, and her lovely writing gives the novel a lyrical, ethereal quality.

 

 

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

This has been out for a while, but I read it just last year after a customer recommended it to me. It follows a diverse crew of characters on a long haul space flight, with each section focusing on one of their stories. It surprised me with its beauty. It also has an equally lovely (sort-of) sequel, A Closed and Common Orbit.

 

 

You Can’t Make Me Go to Witch School! by Em Lynas

Em is another local author, and this children’s novel is her debut. Daisy Wart is not a witch. She’s a Shakespearean actress! But her granny disagrees, and leaves her at the Toadspit Towers School for Witches. Daisy must escape in order to perform Bottom. This is a very funny and quirky adventure, warmly recommended for ages 7 and above. The next book in the series, Get Me Out of Witch School! is published in April.

 

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

Shaun Bythell runs The Book Shop in Scotland’s Wigtown, and this is his very funny record of his experiences there. An absolute treat for booksellers, booklovers, and those who are curious about what running a bookshop entails…

 

 

 

 

I am also looking forward to reading Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig, The Colour of the Sun by David Almond, and The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night by Jen Campbell.

 

Find out more about Book Corner here or follow the shop on Facebook and Twitter.