Bookshop Spotlight on Falmouth Books

Posted on September 26, 2022 in South West

The SYP South West team caught up with Maisie from The Falmouth Bookseller to chat bookselling in Cornwall, favourite children’s books and the upcoming Falmouth Book Festival.

We love our indie bookshops because they each bring their own personality to bookselling and the wider book community – what is it that you think makes Falmouth Bookseller special? Is there anything that you want to shout about? (Events, or just things that you do that are really great!)

Being in Cornwall has allowed us such special opportunities, especially this summer! We were lucky enough to be quite involved in the making of a Cornish special edition cover for Daisy Darker, a new twisty Christie-esque thriller by Alice Feeney. The book is set in Cornwall, we all absolutely adored it, and an area-specific special edition is something that has never been done before. Falmouth itself is such a special place, and having such a thriving and creative community means there’s almost always something going on – the second-ever Falmouth Book Festival is coming up in October! It also gives us the opportunity to have a varied stock selection, spanning from our collection of art and design books to children’s fiction to maritime history.

All of our staff help to make the bookshop the welcoming place that it is. We spend a lot of time talking about what we’re reading, so our different interests make for a huge range of recommendations. Chatting to our customers to find their next read or a gift for a loved one is one of the best parts of the job and something we pride ourselves on. We’ve also recently launched a subscription box service – Pick & Mix style based on our book of the month picks. That’s been really fun to set up – you know you’re in the right profession when things like ink stamps and tissue paper are the topics of very exciting, lengthy discussions.

It’s so interesting to read your book of the month picks – are there any specific titles/authors/genres/themes that you’re really loving at the moment?

We’ve been particularly lucky with books featuring unashamed, unfaltering protagonists this year. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a shop-wide favourite. Elizabeth Zott is so inspiring and unapologetically herself: despite the outrageous hurdles she is expected to jump, she refuses to bend her own moral compass to suit societal demands. We’d all benefit from being a little bit more like her.

Also, the latest Taylor Jenkins Reid is the perfect chaser for the book-hangover from Lessons in Chemistry. Carrie Soto is Back follows professional tennis player Carrie Soto (who makes a brief appearance in Malibu Rising, if you’re familiar with the TJR-multiverse, but don’t let her characterisation in that put you off..!) as she leaves retirement and battles to the top to reclaim her record. There’s a really interesting assessment of women’s sports and the double standards for male and female athletes, and Carrie is another character who will not squeeze herself into the box she is expected to fit into. Plus, TJR’s ability to write family dynamics and interpersonal relationships is unparalleled.

For our book of the month we endeavour to pick something lesser known. For instance, I absolutely flew through The Very Nice Box by Laura Blackett and Eve Gleichman (our August fiction pick). It’s a satire on office culture and the hollow reality of ‘wellbeing’ language, with a thriller-like twist by the end. Really original and witty but something I hadn’t heard of before we actively went looking for interesting selections, so now we make sure to research as many different titles as possible before our heads explode.

You’ve got such a great selection of children’s books – do you have any favourites? Or any favourites from when you were younger? And why?

We’re lucky to have a connection to Mabecron Books, who publish lovely local picture books that are all set in Cornwall. They are timeless stories that can be passed down to be read again and again, and it is heart-warming when older children come to visit and recognise the books as their old favourites. Christmas in Cornwall by Craig Green has just come back into print and deserves a mention too. It is the most beautiful story, a celebration of family and belonging with incredible artwork by Oliver Hurst that brings the tale to life with a magical dusting of snow. I find a lot of joy in reading children’s chapter books – the Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens and anything by Hannah Gold are favourites that I’d recommend to anyone. Fireborn by Aisling Fowler is a new children’s fantasy that I absolutely adored. I tend to describe it as ‘The Witcher but for kids’: children take a Pledge to become Huntlings and are trained to defend local towns from monster attacks. It’s action-packed, but the story is rooted in found family and friendship and I’m not ashamed to say I shed a tear or two. I think seeing a ‘grown up’ who genuinely loves a children’s book or series helps little readers to feel accomplished and excited to read, because it shows them that these books can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of age.

Find Falmouth Books at 21 Church St, Falmouth, TR11 3EG.