Palm Sunday Edition ... nearly and some reviews!

In case you didn't know it this Sunday is Palm Sunday - so just one week to go until Easter! (Of course judging by the weather we wouldn't blame you for thinking it might be Christmas that was coming instead!)
So anyway just to let you know that we do still have a few Palm Crosses left, Paschal Candles there are too, but not many, and sadly all the Fairtrade Real Easter Eggs are all gone - but the plastic Gospel Eggs are still in stock and really good fun! and if you really do want chocolate then the TraidCraft Fairtrade Brownies are really quite delicious - I personally taste tested them just for you all, Stem Ginger Cookies might have to be checked for quality control purposes next!
Oh and when you do come in please do check out the rather nice National Book Tokens stands and displays around! remember they are a great gift and can also be used at http://www.hive.co.uk/shop/lincoln/unicorn-tree-books-crafts/ to purchase ebooks with too - don't forget to register us as your fave bookshop whilst visiting Hive - we really need you to do that for us!
(if you can't make it into the shop to see the nice new displays then hop over (like and easter bunny!) to www.facebook.com/UnicornTreeBooks and take a sneak at the pics on there (and if you haven't already liked us then please do!

Right that said now for the reviews! just a short few this week! sorry but enjoy all the same :D

All these reviews and indeed a geat many more can be found on the excellent Good Book Stall Website www.thegoodbookstall.org.uk - well worth checking out :D
All the books reviewed here (and don't forget to check out the review page we have on here as well!) and those found on www.thegoodbookstall.org.uk can also be found at or ordered from Unicorn Tree Books too, both in the shop and online at either www.lincolnbookshop.co.uk or www.lincolnchristianbookshop.co.uk or at the wonderful www.hive.co.uk (but please do remember to make us your favourite shop when you visit Hive! the online bookshop where every sale supports independent physical bookshops!)

Indeed all these reviews are the property of The Goodbookstall and me - please don't use them without ascribing them to me as the author and also to www.thegoodbookstall.org.uk (who they should also be linked to if used online!) and yes that does include if you cut and paste bits of them and add a few words here and and take a few out there too! 

Title – As A Fire By Burning – Mission As The Life Of The Local Congregation

Author – Roger Standing

Format – Paperback

Price – £25

Publisher – SCM Press

Date of Publication – February 2013

ISBN – 978-0-334-04370-6

Reviewer – Melanie Carroll

A very good comprehensive but easy to read book that collects together contributions form a diverse range of people and churches across a number of differing fields and church styles that highlight the many different mission experiences and ideas in and around local congregation settings and experience. It also has good general conversation and consideration within it of what mission is, how it can be practiced, how it has been practiced and why it should be practiced. There are times when the jargon is a strong presence, but nevertheless this is still appropriately used and fitting for a book that is as much practitioner guide as subject study, and this jargon to be fair is well placed so as to make sense and lead into theological and missiological discussion of some depth. I foound it to be a very well written book, that was surprisingly easy to read given the weight of it's subject matter and very good! Heartily recommend it.

Title – Maiden, Mother & Queen – Mary In The Anglical Tradition

Author – Roger Greenacre (Ed. Colin Podmore)

Format – Paperback

Price – £24.99

Publisher – 978-1-84825-278-3

Date of Publication – January 2013

ISBN – 978-1-84825-278-3

Reviewer – Melanie Carroll

This is an absolutely beautiful consideration of the anglo-catholic veneration of Mary found within quarters of the Church of England. This book also serves in some way as a fitting memorial and remembrance of a well respected proponent of Anglican Marian devotion, Roger Greenacre.

However for me the collection of homilies to be found in section two of the book were a real highlight and joy to read, with real depth of feeling and insight to them, and a strangely british refined passion running as an undercurrent to them – the love, attraction and desire to share the reverence that Roger Greenacre so obviously had for the Blessed Virgin Mary cannot be overlooked in these short homilies collected here. Of course the third section of the book which incorporates an historical investigation and understanding into marian devotion and suppression within the anglican communion is also very well done and surprisingly easy to read due in part to the short sections utilised which means there is not much heavy labouring to be done in reading this book. This really is a wonderful book for anyone within the anglo-catholic tradition looking to further their devotional practice and understanding of the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or indeed for anyone in the anglican church who wants to gain an understanding of the part Mary can and does play within the church and it's faith framework.

Title – The #Pray4 Principle – Why Prayer Is Still Important In A Secular Age

Author – Alexander Lee

Format – Paperback

Price – £8.99

Publisher – DLT

Date of Publication – February 2013

ISBN – 978-0-232-52982-1

Reviewer – Melanie Carroll

A well written quite short book that nevertheless really looks at prayer as we use it and understand it both as Christians and as a secular peoples, using the twitter #pray4muamba campaign as the catalyst for consideration and insight, and with stunning clarity Alexander Lee through this book smashes home some important insights that some may well find painful and really want to discount, but to do so would be to overlook a truth we need to address if we are to really see a return to prayer and Christian faith for our nation and secular times. We must not be so quick as Christians to discount the prayers of others, to reject those not 'Christian' enough to fit our stance, instead we should consider the lessons of Paul, of Acts, and their outreach to the gentiles … we should consider Jesus' teachings on prayer and faith that exhort us not to be hypocrites or babblers … but instead to offer hospitality and comfort, acceptance and love …

The #Pray4 Principle really does hold up faith and prayer as an important and still integral part of our nations underpinning foundation, and shows that there at the heart of us all there is still a need for prayer and a deep spiritual yearning, and that with the right attitude of prayer by Christ's followers we can yet make a difference and bring back the lost to the fold, but we have first to be open the gates to them and meet them where they are and not where we are.

Remember we are here to serve you and we really appreciate your support - go on Shop Local and use an Independent - it's better for all of us when we go local to go global ;-)

So we'll look forward to seeing you, recieving an email from you, chatting on the phone (01522 525557) with you or even facebooking or twittering with you when you come in for your books, gifts, cards, crafts, candles, stationery, ereader, fairtrade product or for anything else we sell!
- or indeed for any other reason too!

An Ebook Reader Christmas? You can still support Local Bookshops!

Despite what everyone seems to be saying ebooks & your local bookshop don't have to be a mutually exclusive proposition - in fact there are a few ways you can happily use both, thus benefitting your local community and your digital drive!

Here are our very easy suggestions:

Go to our webshop http://www.lincolnbookshop.co.uk/ & use our ebook affilliate links - this is perfect for buying Kindles on and for buying kindle books through - as each sale using this link helps us just a little and costs you nothing more than to favourite the site and click through for your purchases of any amazon product ;-)

Come into the shop (or email/phone/tweet/Facebook us) and buy a National Book Token from us & then you can buy ebooks with it at http://www.hive.co.uk/shop/lincoln/unicorn-tree-books-crafts/
Hive has multiple ebook formats available (though not kindle) and you can also buy Google Ebooks through them as well.
Every single sale from hive.co.uk helps an independent bookshop - not always us depending on where you are but it will always be supporting a local independent bookshop! (and sometimes it's even been known for the books to be cheaper than Amazon's price!).

So there you go - easy ways it can be an Ebook Christmas without being Scrooge like for your local Independent Bookshop here on the High Street or in The Market :D

Remember we are here to serve you and we really appreciate your support - go on Shop Local - it's better for all of us when we go local to go global ;-)

So we'll look forward to seeing you, recieving an email from you, chatting on the phone (01522 525557) with you or even facebooking or twittering with you!

Oh and happy season, may the coffee be good and the chocolate be rich and may it be a cool yule and a Blessed Christmas & New Year to all you friends out there!
 

Christmas is Coming - Bible Refresh Offer!

Christmas is Coming!

Now I know that at my house in the lead up to Christmas one of the things we do is smarten up a bit, a touch of redecoration ( and no not putting up tinsel and baubles!) but smartening up the things that over the year have taken knocks and got a little tired so that when the guests come at Christmas the house looks welcoming for them.

Based on this idea I thought maybe this might be something Churches might like to do it too - and one of the things I find gets a lot of wear and tear in many churches is the Pew Bible!

So here's a rather good deal to anyone who thinks they just might like to do a bible refresh before the Christmas guests arrive!

(Here's the link to the flier telling of the offer just in case the clever picture doesn't show up!

Don't worry if your church doesn't use the NRSV, just contact us as we can do some great offers on other versions of the bible too - just ask us!

Remember we are here to serve you and we really appreciate your support - go on Shop Local - it's better for all of us when we go local to go global ;-)
So we'll look forward to seeing you, recieving an email from you, chatting on the phone (01522 525557) with you or even facebooking or twittering with you!


Unicorn Tree Books, Central Market, Lincoln. LN5 7ET
www.lincolnchristianbookshop.co.uk 
www.lincolnbookshop.co.uk
www.jigsawsandmore.co.uk
www.cardmakersupplies.co.uk
www.lincolnartistsupplies.co.uk

Last Chance for Christmas & may it be a peaceful one for all

Well here we are the Thursday before Christmas, I wanted to be able to tell you all that we would be staying open late this Thursday along with all the other shops and the Cornhill Market but unfortunately not as Lincoln City Council bods wouldn't allow it without us traders paying for the staffing, even though the staff are already here for the extra hour or so, ahh well, how very sad.
Still don't despair! I'm here till 4pm as usual and will be here tomorrow for your last minute christmas purchases.
I want to take this time to wish all of my blog friends, customers, minion types, suppliers and visitors a really blessed and peaceful Christmas, filled with Joy, love and laughter, enough to last not only through Christmas but all through what's left of this year and well into the next new one and on.
I really appreciate all of you and thank you for your support, smiles and custom - long may we continue to trade and entertain each other.
Merry Christmas to you all!

Unicorn Tree Books sustains flood damage from Landlords burst pipe.

Phil from the website Christianbookshopblog.org.uk says it so well for me, as of course did the Lincoln Echo:


"DO YOU LIVE in or near Lincoln? If so, please consider contacting the City of Lincoln Council about their failure to take responsibility for a burst pipe that led to flooding, inconvenience, loss of sales and stock damage for their tenants in Lincoln Central Market this week, including our very own Melanie Carroll at Unicorn Tree Books.

Read all about it as reported at thisislincolnshire.co.uk:
Lincolnshire Echo: Market traders angry as council refuses to cover cost of flooding caused by burst pipe

Lincolnshire Echo: Market traders angry as council refuses to cover cost of flooding caused by burst pipe

STALLHOLDERS have reacted with disbelief after the City of Lincoln Council refused to cover the costs of flooding in Lincoln Central Market.

Water cascaded from inside the roof of the Central Snacks café for more than half an hour on Monday morning, and ran “like a river” towards nearby Unicorn Tree Books.

But now traders Barry Reeves and Melanie Carroll say the council has told them to claim on their own insurance as the burst pipe which led to the damage was “not a maintenance issue”.

“The council is trying to wangle its way out of it,” said Mr Reeves, chairman of the Sincil Street Traders Association.

The report continues quoting Mr Reeves as he describes the appalling situation of a leak that simply went on and on pouring water into the marketplace because “the caretakers didn’t know where the stopcock was.” Yet here is the common sense advice that the City of Lincoln Council offers to householders who may be concerned about the possibility of burst pipes in their homes:

Preventing frozen and burst pipes

* Make sure you know where your stop tap is and that it is working.

How can a Council which offers that advice to householders not know where the stopcock is in its own premises — especially when it rents those premises out to other people? Prospective stallholders at Lincoln Central Market are offered the following assurance:

The City of Lincoln Council works in partnership with the regional Business Link service to provide access to all the information, advice and support needed to start, maintain and grow your business.

If you think giving Melanie and other tenants in Lincoln Central Market the brush off instead of helping them to brush up and recover from this flood is an act of negligence, please drop the City of Lincoln Council a line and say:

You made BBC Radio 4′s ‘World at One’ on December 1st when you cancelled the Lincoln Christmas Market because of the bad weather. It was a sensible decision under the circumstances. It would be an even more sensible decision to support the Lincoln Central Market which is there all year round! You have a duty of care towards your tenants to ensure that the space you’re charging them for is fit for purpose — and when accidents happen because of your neglect, the least you should do is cover their costs!

Please take remedial action now for your existing stallholders that will reassure prospective stallholders that you can and will live up to your promise to provide all the support they need to not only start but to maintain and grow their business."

Addendum - I have today added quote marks because it would appear some people who work in certain places didn't realise this was actually a copy of a news article from the 2nd of December from the UK's leading Christian Bookshop Trade blog - www.christianbookshopsblog.org.uk

Craft Sessions Have Started! The White Table is in Action!

Now as some of you may remember back in september I posted about our new big white table (here's a reminder for you!):
'Thursday, September 24, 2009
A Round Up, Some Questions and a new white table!
So whats new in your friendly bookshop?
Well the newest edition, as of today, is a white table in the middle of the shop!
Now as you may know we don't have a seperate room where we can hold regular events like reading groups, book discussions or craft classes, though we really want to hold them!'

Well that Big White table has already seen one fantastic author event - that worked really well and had the shop buzzing and heaving at the seems at one point, I'm looking forward to doing more author events, so if you have any idea's then shout out!

But now that Big White Table in the middle of the shop has seen 2 craft sessions take place, with more booked and arranged.

The first one was a Thursday Morning lesson on embellishment idea's for cards and lasted for 2 hours, and yes it was great - the people attending the class loved the class (and have rebooked for this weeks thursday session too, so it must have been good!!) and the browsers seemed to have no problems looking at their books and occasionally glancing over at the table too with considering glances, so who knows maybe some new crafters are in the making!

The Second session was on Friday and that was a 1hour 15 minute beginners taster on quick christmas cards. Again it went well, we can tell by how much the participants purchased to take home and practice with :0)

So anyway if anyone else is interested you can come in or contact us to see what's on or arrange a one to one session!

We think that a one to one session might make a good christmas gift idea for the crafter who has everything else, so yes you can come in and buy a gift voucher for a session to give to someone else!

So there we go, that big white table is not just a blank space, but is now an active community space and I am loving that!
(though I do believe that despite the cards advertising my favourite coffee house - Angel Coffee - it has not yet seen enough cups of take out caramel latte grace its top, I am sure though in time that will be rectified as loyal minions gift me with coffee, time and their presence in the shop ;0)

So we still need to get a monthly reading group going round the table, but perhaps we should leave that for after Christmas!

Oh and hey what about a Lent Study Group round the table?
Anyone interested in that come Lent, We can do it at a Lunchtime slot and either share food at the table or offer up a Lent Fast and donate our lunch moneys to a charity of the groups choice! Think about it and tell others and get back to me with your thoughts!

Ok that's it from me for now, see you in the shop tomorrow (even though it is my day off!) and remember should you want coffee and a chat, well mines a caramel latte :0)

A Round Up, Some Questions and a new white table!

So whats new in your friendly bookshop?

Well the newest edition, as of today, is a white table in the middle of the shop!
Now as you may know we don't have a seperate room where we can hold regular events like reading groups, book discussions or craft classes, though we really want to hold them!
So I am trying to get feedback here, would you consider doing these types of things in the open venue of the bookshop whilst the shop was open if the events were either free or really really cheap or coffee was provided? (Because as I'm sure you all know by now I will do much if a really good caramel latte is added into the equation - it is a payment and reward in itself!)

So anyway I think it would add an interesting vibe as other people browsed while you breathed the books as it were in terms of a book group - or created and learned a new craft, what do you all think please?

Talk like a Pirate Day and visiting Author Sue Hampton was well recieved - thanks to all the young-uns that walked the plank to see Sue! I had a great time!
We still have copies of Sue's book - 'The Lincoln Imp' in stock for those that couldn't make the day and we also have some of her other books in and they are very good too!

We would love to do some more author or themed events in store (Hence another reason for the big white table where once there were bookcases!) - so if you have any idea's then please let us know!

The Bishop of Lincoln, John Saxbee, has a new book out - 'No Faith in Religion' and it is now in stock and available, though it is selling pretty fast!
Please pass the info on and reserve or come in and buy your copies (and yes we do mail order too!), it is an excellent book and a wonderful symphony of blended idea's on the dichotomy of faith and religion!

We have Calenders, Diaries, along with Advent Candles and Christmas books, cards and items making an appearance now! Lots of Christmas Decoupage and Craft things too! and not forgetting Parsons Pocket Books & Lectionaries! Yes it's early but they are selling already.
Please think of us!

Oh and of course dont forget about our Church & Community Group Partnership Scheme! Tell others, join yourselves!
This is a real opportunity for working together to build community by supporting each other! More proof if needed that we are Working with you and for You!

The basic idea, as i've said somewhere her before, is that Churches and Community Groups (this also includes schools, clubs or any community, church or group based initiative) sign up with us as a Partner, once signed up you promote us to all your church/group members and then everytime they come into the shop and make a purchase, providing they let us know they are part of your partnership (we can provide cards for you to give them), you get a percentage of that sale held in credit for your church/community group!
We think this is worth it as we are helping you and we hope building community at the same time - and yes we do not deny we hope it helps us too by increasing the outreach of our shop too!

Ok and we would be really grateful if you could let your friends, collegues and networks know about us, both in person and through the Facebook groups/twitter/blogs! So next time you visit the fb group page, followfriday on Twitter, or even come into the shop then please 'invite people to join'!

So that's the news, info and questions from your friendly folk and slightly mad but highly amusing and mostly tame wonderful bookshopboss at Unicorn Tree!
Please do respond, tell others and feel free to pass on this message to any you think might be interested.

See you in the shop! and don't forget mine's a caramel latte and bring one for yourself as well :0)

This is what we Look Like!

This is our dedicated Religious, Christian Books & Church Supplies Section!

Christmas is here! Gifts, jewellery, Cards, Bibles and Kids Bible Books!

Nativity Sets now in stock! Bibles, Theology, Spirituality, Ministry, General Christian Life Etc

Church Supplies! Candles, Wafers, Church Stationary, Incense, Christian Music, Cards, Gifts etc.

Here are a few pictures of us for those who follow along on the blog but can't get in for whatever reason - as you will see we are a real bookshop for all we are open sided and open minded enough to be in a market hall.
Also you will note the picture of the Christian bit prove we have now moved into the pre-christmas season with lots of nativities and such now in stock - I challenge anyone out there who has recently been at meetings and have never been to see us to say we are not a real bookshop! Assuming makes... well we all know the adage! Come by and visit us and don't make assumptions based on the word Market - Marks & Spencers Started in a market! Starbucks started in a market and so did lots more! The market is fully enclosed and filled with specialist stalls as well as the mundane! A Science-fiction and Movie Memorabilia collectible specialist is the market! The Stamp Man for rare & collectible Stamps, Coins, Postcards and other such rare, treasured & exclusive finds is in the market! Artist Supplies & bespoke framing is in the market - Wendy the artist on artist supplies is a professional artist who is regularly commissioned for cover art and private work! She paints in the market and does art tuition in the market! Then of course there is us - not just a bookstall but a niche market book specialist - we import US fiction on a weekly basis covering Crime, Thrillers, Romance, Science-Fiction, LGBT and other markets - we are one of the few in the greater county and further afield that does so! We deal in specialist markets such as transport and military history - DVD's, Books & more! and of course there is my personal joy - our religious, christian & Church Supplies unit! Committed to serving Lincoln & Lincolnshire churches and faith communities, because no city should be without a Christian bookshop and resource centre.
Of course lets not forget Al's Arts & Crafty Bits also in the market and part of us - one of lincolnshires best papercraft suppliers for the last 5 years now!
Market is just a word, no one scoffs at going to the Supermarket but yet going to a Market Hall denotes something less worthy, something to be scorned and lessened - well put aside your preconceived notions and come visit Lincoln Central Market - you will be surprised at just how many upmarket (see there's that word again!) types pass through it and how many select customers it reaches out too - we have in the years I have now been here happily and repeatedly served on a weekly and monthly basis Judges, Bishops, MP's, Councillors, Doctors, Actors and just everything else on down. There's no shame in being in a market or visiting a market - the only shame is that some think there is and that's no shame on us, its just ashame that some can't work past a bias.
Ok rant over pictures following - enjoy and see you in the bookshop in the market tomorrow!

The Main Bookshop Pictures!

Science-Fiction, Horror, Military & Historical Fiction!

Large Print Books & Secondhand Crime & Thrillers Section

Our newest Niche Market -The LGBT Section - Small but growing!

The kids love to play in Pegasus Books! - Our Childrens section - almost impossible to keep tidy!

Autobiography, True Crime, and the beginning of Ladies & Saga Secondhand

Puzzles! Classic Literature, Secondhand Science-fiction & Horror

Always look up and not at your feet! Jigsaws, Paint-by-Numbers and lots more are up high!

Al's Arts & Crafty Bits, opposite the religious bit! Decoupage, Stamps etc - a papercraft heaven!

Hello & Welcome in!

Outside for Ladies & General Fiction, Westerns & Romance, The Entrance for Paranormal & Historical Fiction, inside for Pegasus Kids Books, Crime, Thrillers, Science Fiction, LGBT, DVD's, Audio Books, CD's, Jigsaws, Games and Arts, Secondhand Books Sections and lots more - oh and inside and passing through and across the aisle for Al's Arts & Crafty Bits and the Religious & Christian Books and Church Supplies!
Wow - not so little and yes very very real.

Happy Birthday or anniversary of something like that!

Today makes it exactly 2 years that I have in fact been the unicorntreebookshopboss!

Yes indeed on this day 2 years ago I did in fact sign over all the worldly goods I did not possess and indeed the hope of having them! in exchange for the messy little bookstall that was at the time browse awhile books! and now two years on it's not so messy, not so little and indeed not so bad!

I am still impoverished and tortured by minions, but at least its my poverty and my minions and in exchange I have the ability to read whatever book I want 'cause I have thousands of them!

I have a range of speciality genres and markets that match my likes!

The newest of these of course being the Christian Books (completely with its own unit! see not so little!) and I am so glad to have these on board, to be able to spend some of each day discussing a subject I absolutely love is phenomenal and a real dream continuing on.
Today's discussion was on the Shack and the imagery presented as to God and if it is indeed heretical and if so why?
This addition hasn't come without pain and heartbreak, but what it has come with is a continuing commitment and fervour to serve and reach out, after all pretty much all my book career had been in this section of the book trade and leaving it was painful (though also thrilling and enjoyable on another level as I was moving into the sphere of all books and not just one section!) but I remained resolute and with God's grace and a smidgen of faith in face of adversity it came to be that I got it back this year, lets hope that together we can all continue to grow it - oh and did I say that Advent Candles and Advent & Nativity Books and Christmas Play material came in this week?? No? well it did - so if you are a church then get in touch as we are now taking Advent & Christmas orders!

Then of course we have the Craft section - formerly an independent business in its own right this came into our safekeeping a year ago and now lends itself wonderfully to our creative talent discussions and displays - believe it or not I am in fact a whizz at tea-bag folding, usually after they have been dried out from the copious cups of tea needed to cope with minion antics! This is still called Al's Arts & Crafty Bits, but of course its now housed in Unicorn Tree Books!

Next is the LGBT section which is continuing to build a following and reputation and expanding as time goes on. The yaoi manga has been going phenomenally well.

All in all I am pretty proud of the changes that the shop has undergone and hope that in the years to come these will continue to grow and develop as we go forward together in faith, hope and community commitment!

So as its a new year we have old news to report on and new resolutions to put forward!
So old news - our sponsored charity, Great Ormond Street Hospital Childrens Charity was given £373.00 in the end, given our target was originally for £200 I think we did pretty well together!

Thank you all who gave their change, those 1p's soon add up, as of course does the tithe we make from our sales - actually truth to be told that's apportioned from the bookshopsboss wage as we still aren't quite there enough to say its from the profits - its a commitment I made and so its one I keep!. We really do believe it is right to give to others when we can, as in giving we receive, even when we don't know it or see it. After all sharing is caring!

So anyway this year we are continuing with the Children's Hospital theme but this time its Alder Hay hospital that will be the recipient of our donations and tithes:


(though of course come October there will of course be our Christmas Charity to give to as well - last years Christmas Charity was Habitat for Humanity and we gave £50.00, lets hope we can give more this year when we decide on the Charity!).

So anyway I want to say thank you all for using us, supporting us and following along with us - if you want to come in and celebrate with us, then please do and remember my favourite celebration tipple is a Caramelatte from Nero's or a Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks!

Thanks guys for the last two years, and I look forward to serving and working with all of you in the next few ahead!

It'sssss Christmassss! Boo Hiss, bah humbug, its not even the end of summer!

OK, now I know this is just too extreme, but never the mind it is nonetheless a true fact, Christmas has indeed arrived and not just in the make your own cards craft department! (which yes, Al's Arts has indeed had in a bumper load of Christmas decoupage and sold over half of it already so you better get your skates on and jingle bell down if you are making your own cards!)

Yes indeed to go with the 2009 Diaries and Calenders, Parsons Pocket Books and Church Lectionaries, we did indeed have into stock today the Church Advent Candles (both Purple and Red Sets!) - actually this timed very well with the arrival of the new and very smart Advent and Christmas Order Forms from the printers (though these were down to be sent out next month - not this one!!).

Ahh but was it only Church Advent Candles that would be one thing - but no it was the Dated ones as well - lots of them! and then to add insult to injury a box arrived and in it were... yep you guessed it - Advent Calenders!!!

So there we go, not even the middle of August and already Christmas Silly season begins! ohh but get this, in the same box as the Calenders was...
NATIVITY SETS & CHRISTMAS CARDS!±

So there we go, lets get out the mistletoe and wine and have an Australian Christmas - well come on Christmas in Summer we must be in the southern hemisphere and never noticed.

So ok, on a non-christmas theme, the Gluten Free Wafers finally came in today, as did some wonderful new incense named after st Luke. Very nice and tastily pungent when the temperature heats up a bit - however no need to fear on this front now as the Air Conditioning Unit really is working a treat - so much so all the other should be working somewhere on the market staff keep coming in on the pretext of looking for books and then hogging the cool delightful stream of swift blowing air! the cheek of it.

Also the Long awaited 'Acheron' (9780749908669) by Sherrilyn Kenyon is now in and is going like hot cakes! probably because we were the only ones to have had stocks in up until at least 2pm today! now whether Waterstones and WHSmiths have no had theirs in I cannot say, but I can say if you want one you better hurry as we only have a couple left on the shelves now! and by gum is it a mighty brick of a book or what, but three of those that purchased them on Wednesday have been back in today to extol the virtues of the book and story and get new books because they had finished the 700+ pages it is that good a read!
We also have in the New Stephanie Meyer Book 'Breaking Dawn' (9781905654284) - another mighty book and worth the read!
Here's an odd conundrum for you all, Josephine Cox - top British author - has had her new book 'Songbird' (9780060896980) come out in paperback in the states before it has here! and not just a few days before but almost 2 months before!
So it's just as well we are a specialist in US Imports, otherwise you would all have to wait until the 1st October before you could read it in paperback!
The first one on the shelf this afternoon sold within 7 minutes! So look likely ladies as once this batch are gone it will be another 7 days before the next batch gets in from the States!

So there we go, bah humbug but some cool (but not yule! though actually there are some advent books and nativity play books in now!) reading knocking around the shop.
Come by and visit and remember to bring the bookshopboss a coffee (caramelatte or caramel machiatto preferably) if you are feeling kind as due to minions wanting time and other such supposedly pressing urgent things this BookshopBoss has yet again not had a day off and deliveries by the shock loads!
By the way does anyone else spot the problem with shortening the BookshopBoss's title?? The minions say its too long and they believe it should be abbreviated to the BSBoss!!! I am pretty sure they are being less than polite again - so census time people, let me know what you think - should I be thoroughly offended or are the minions just that oblivious? what action would you take on that one!

OK enough now, books to be ordering! see you in the shop tomorrow.

Uggh Ingrams!

You know at the minute this bookshopboss is not amused!
It would seem that the americans are conspiring against me this week - first the issue relating to the post before and now INGRAMS (this is said in the same tone and intonation as a very bad swear word at the minute!).
I have now been waiting for nearly a week for a delivery to leave the US warehouse and make it to these shores so I can share the lovely books inside with you my lovely and desperate customers - well don't hold your breaths as US systems transpire again to thwart the UK bound.
They can't send it as the card details they have to transact the payment expires this month - and because in the US that would mean the card had actually expired, their cards expire on the first day of the listed month it would seem, and would be unusable their system automatically keeps declining my card - even though in the UK our expiry date means the last day of the month its dated! So they won't be able to send the books until the 1st of August when the new card becomes active!! all because of an automated system that does the payment transaction and the fact that it would seem they cannot overide the system and do a manual transaction!
UGGGGGGH!!!

So ok moving on - it has been unbearably hot in the shop for the last few days - well thats what happens when you work in a glass roofed building - its like being an orchid in a hot house - and yes as you all know I really am that dainty, delicate and blooming wonderful!
Still we have the fan going, the doors open and the books in to help you all keep your cool and enjoy the time basking in the garden, on the beach or wherever with your books!

This week we have had deliveries of more books - a great set of christian books, including some great kids ones and a snuggly sunday bunny! great fun and at good proces (*edit: that was my 'allo allo' british fake french accent in honour of my friend Aude, the continental market that was in town and the fact that I can't actually type!!)too. We also have an offer going on some NT to give away this summer - they are only £1.50 instead of £3.99, and we are offering £1.00 off Richard S. Taylors 'What every Christian ought to know' (9781853453168) as well! For a review of this book go here its a site I am very involved with and even review for on occasion and I heartily endorse it for impartial christian reviews!(but whatever you do remember to come back to me to buy it!!!) : http://www.thegoodbookstall.org.uk/review/1853453161/richard-s-taylor/what-every-christian-ought-to-know/

Oh we had gifts in too! Very Very cool wooden toys - a Noahs Ark! A Nativity Set in a String Bag and some square blocks - 26 of them with words and pictures of them - the people in the pictures look a bit like BOD! I love it. There are also some BOD like magnet sets as well - a nativity set and a Life of Jesus set as well. Honestly they are great - I am thinking of going over to the kids corner and playing with them as stress relief from the week.

In the craft section we have had in some new stuff too, Christmas Card making materials and a whole load of pens, glitters, glues and other fun stuff to make a mess with over the summer while you pretend to be getting ready for Christmas!

Ohh talking of Christmas Cards - I did the Christmas Card order this week, lots and lots of Christmas cards will be in at the end of August - charity ones and normal ones! and the Christmas nativity and gift order is going in this week too! they too will no doubt arrive much to soon - there are some lovely Christmas ornaments going to be coming in.
and talking of charity -

So anyway come by and see - bookshopboss vent and share over now! going to have a coffee now. See you soon.

Shuffle, Sweat & Swines!

So Ok, for anyone not visiting the shop today - and that was quite a few of you! It was unbearably hot in the giant green house that is Central Market today. ( That is why I don't blame you for not visiting today - i bet you were all in the garden or at skeggy with the deckchair and knotted hankies on!)
Honestly I keep telling everyone about my market garden idea of growing my own Tomatoes, peas and lettuces on top of the shop but everyone keeps telling me I can't! I think it is just wrong of them - the swines!

Anyway today was swelteringly hot and so as per my usual want I was doing a bookshop shuffle again - this time in unit 3 - Unicorn Tree Christian Books!
Yes that's right - I was taking out bookcases and putting in slat wall and new units and it looks much bigger, brighter and better!

I have cleared out a lot of floorspace with judicious use of new units and slat wall that allows nice shiny things and gift cabinets to be suspended in the air, and there is also a new card unit that rests on top of nice new half shelving units that tidily display the multitued of candles we now have to keep in stock. It really does look good and not only did it tidy it up, make floor space and more gift and card space but believe it or not we fit in more books too!
Honestly with time and ingenuity I can build a tardis and disguise it as a bookshop!
So anyway we now have lots of gifts in to fill in the space we created - some very nice statues of the good shepherd and some nice standing Crosses as well. And Kids badges and notebooks came in from Hughes and Coleman as well.
Then add to that another delivery arrived and it was Atkinsons Parsons Pocket Books!
timed nicely to arrive with the Marston delivery of SPCK Church Pocket Book & Diaries! So there we go 2009 is here and it isn't even August.
So anyway then my rep arrives and begins showing me Christmas and Advent books - and believe it or not she even had some Lent 2009 material in her folder! Scary scary thought.
having said that I need to remind people that I will soon be placing my Advent Candle order and so if they could let me know in advance what size, type and colour sets they require then that would be good to ensure their orders are fulfilled!

So anyway I finish the shuffle, empty the boxes, enter them onto the machine and see the rep (by the way did i mention that minion no.1 was off yesterday and today with a summer flu! hence me being so hot, sticky and industrious?? and i had to give up my day off! minions and their germs! and they still expect to take time off to go on holiday working as a guide leader at Poachers later this month and they reckon thats not resting, what kind of minions are being germinated these days - no stamina!) so anyway as I was staying I have finished all this hard work and am just about to sit down and melt quietly in a corner when a delivery of 7 big boxes arrives! and this at gone 1pm!
That would be the Calender and Diary order for the general shop! yes we now have over 14 different styles of 2009 Diary in stock and and 19 different calenders for 2009! and even better yet I already sold some before I had priced them! and still people keep asking me for this years diary - sorry no we don't have any left in stock - its JULY already - you were supposed to get them in January at the latest, we even had them in February but we don't have them now as it would appear to be time for next years crop already!!!.
So thats the Calenders and diary's done - well at least the ones from that supplier, that just left the 3 boxes of stationery, stickers and over 24 jigsaws to do!
Yes we have fresh jigsaw designs in again - at the minute we are averaging selling a small jigsaw a day and a large jigsaw every 3 days! we are puzzled at how fast our lovely customers can do these things! - more trains and vintage cars in this batch than the last one.
Then there was an Ingram delivery as well - full of paranormal goodies, some manga and the new Batman Graphic novel! Lush.
- Talking of Lush and their glitter bath bombs, the new stickers that came in were all glitery too! wonderful Disney Princesses, WTP (that's Winnie the Pooh - it took me a good 2 minutes to figure that out when trying to match up what I had to the silly invoice -a lot of oh piglets was happening due to silly acronyms!) and Diego & Dora, along with stars and smiley faces - all with a glitter thing going on! Sparkly! -
anyway back to deliveries in today.

We also have a copies of 'The Shack' in - we have sold quite a few of these already and this was a top up order just in, along with it came one of Todd Bentleys books - just in time for God channel to take it off screen I note. Hmm I feel sorry for the fill-in pastors as I suppose it could feel a bit like a slap not being worthy of air time if it ain't Mr Bentley doing the impartation! Still God moves in myserious ways, His wonders to perform! Back to the Shack though, as thats also a book that shows God doing wonders in a different way than we would necessarily expect.
The Shack is a good book and well worth the read - feeling lazy here so instead of reviewing it myself I am including a couple of links for you all to follow to find out more about the book - except to say i heartily endorse the book, it is a great read!
http://www.thegoodbookstall.org.uk/review/9780964729230/william-p-young/the-shack/
This gives the publishers blurb (by the way this site is an excellent site for all types of Christian Book reviews! and is well worth looking at regularly - not least because the bookshop boss that is I does regular reviews for it - nothing like self aggrandisement there!)
http://www.christianbookshops.org.uk/reviews/shack.htm - Phil Groom's great website offers this review which is independent of the publisher!
By the way just ignore all the buy from someone else buttons on the sites please folks and remember to come back to me, after all we miss you and amuse you much more than they do!

So anyway as you can tell today was a busy day and it really is well worth popping in and visiting the shop, take in the new look at unit 3 and maybe check out a jigsaw or 24!

Anway its late and I am still hot and feeling tired so am going to say tattybye and see you in the shop tomorrow!

The Brain at work for Christmas!

A clip of Pinky & The Brain from a Christmas special that perfectly sums up how the unicorntreebooksboss felt doing the bookcase boogie just before the Lincoln Christmas Market.

So apt on so many fronts in fact!! except the spellchecker given to Pinky should really be given to the minions!

Bookcase Shuffle Completed and light has come to the dim!

Those of you that visited before the manic Christmas Market weekend, and indeed even in the week before will have noticed that the bookcase shifting boogie had been an ongoing process of near completion!

That is to say Secondhand was shuffled and has come out straight and bay like with no nasty walls and hidden hiding places, instead the bookshop is now light and airy and tidy and easily viewable from all places, and it looks good!

Alright so for a few days it looked like a bombsite, but now it is beautiful and it is alphabetical again! We also have wonderful flat tables for display purposes and its just nice, nice, nice - you will all have to come in and visit.

It got done last week when I had to forfeit my day off - even though I was very sick with nasty minion germs - and come in, well it was quiet ( until I started moving things of course that is!), I was feeling ill so I thought I would re-arrange all the furniture again to make the minion germs sweat it out and leave (works on real minions, give them lots of hard work to do and they often seem to make like invisible, all the while saying it is not so but they have other tasks I have tasked them with! so it might have worked with minion germs!) but they germs did not leave, but the job did get done! then on the following day once all the hard labour was done minion one returned to work just in time to alphabetacise (thats a bit like aerobacizing but slower!). And so it was done in time for Christmas Market.

Christmas Market time was as ever fun and filled with strange people wearing santa and elf hats ( bah humbug we repeat!) however we did also on the sunday have a visit from Darth Vader - lightsabre included! that caused a little stir for a while and was good fun too - shame the minions were absent that day as I am sure they could have swapped some awesome tales of the darkside with the darklord!

So anyway come visit the new look shop - it looks good, and other customers have said so too, the number of customers who have said they didn't realise we were so big is quite good (though quite concerning too in a strange way) and the number who now just wander in to secondhand without saying 'is it ok to come in' is also very good! - many favourable comments, though it seems some people can't help but to also say 'oh no where are the books now'!! like we have hidden them! when in point of fact they are now much easier to see - when what they really mean is where is the one author I am reading/collecting at the minute, however as today minion one put up posters with arrows and diagrams, and as I can now stand at the till or computer and go , THERE just to the LEFT, turn slightly RIGHT bend down 27degrees perpendicular to the FLOOR and YES, THERE is that Kathy Reichs you wanted! all whilst still serving the queueing customers ( I multi-task you know), means it all seems to be working out to the good.

Anyway if you are after calenders or diaries you better get in fast as they are ripping out at a wicked rate and all we have left is what is out on the shelves now!

Same goes with Nativity Sets, Boxed Book Sets, DVD's on warplanes and steam trains, and believe it or not Communion Wafers! all that prepping up for that Christmas Eve/Day lark.

I mean come on top christmas topics and gift stories - no Nintendo DS in stock, You can't get a Wii and the GPS Sat Navs keep getting people lost - one would almost think there was a religious meaning to this season, no room in an in, surrounded by donkeys and asses in a stable with no indoor plumbing to speak off and the supposedly wise men being guided by a star in the end after ending up in the wrong kings palace! Cool Yule thats what I say.

So anyway drop by and see the new look shop, and feel free to bring me some festive cheer - I quite like Hot Chocolate laced with baileys or brandy for my cheer and as a cure to a red nose!

See you in the shop tomorrow!

The time to be giving!

Ha! Tis the season to be giving! 

That did not mean for the minions to be giving me the snuffley nose and sore throats they have been suffering with this last week!

Anyway winter aches and frosty fevers aside - though minion one remains out on sickly leave with no voice (ahh bliss I hear the voices echo inside my head! peace at last after tumultous days of orders to be more minion like and less boss like!) - all is still well with the shop and tomorrow we have smiley minion in to share the day with - perhaps I can share the snuffle and scratch along, pass it on as it were, after all a trouble shared and all that lark!

Today we pretty much sold out of Advent Candles, though we still have Advent Calenders in. We also had a delivery of Christmas Colouring books and indeed general Colouring books, large print wordsearch came in at last as well and lots of secondhand books were returned - but then they would be as I was alone and trying to rearrange the shelves again! 

Military history, Historical fiction (of the not boddice romance ripping kind) and Spy books got shifted out the flipside of the wall by science fiction and True Crime got a centre court place where the spy fiction used to be.

Lots more calenders got put out and I just generally tried to fill in and tidy up displays.

I put an order in for lots more books which should arrive early next week, as were getting a tad low on James Patterson, Colin Forbes, Maureen Lee and Meg Hutchinson. So by mid week we should be chocker block full again.

I am hoping to send in an order for some more Revell and Airfix model kits this week, along with Doctor Who stuff, as we have had a made run on both of those this last few weeks, but then they do make good presents! As do the Jigsaws and Jigrolls to store the Jigsaws on!

So anyway life is sniffley but all good fun, just lots of work to be done and do. 

Come by and visit and don't forget to bring the sympathy and I will then think about providing the Tea! Though if you really care about a poor beleagured bookshopboss, make mine a starbucks latte with a shot of almond syrup, or if you are going into Nero's then it's a caramelatte!

See you in the shop tomorrow.

Some days the dragon wins

There really are some days the dragon wins, and there are some days it just doesn't win but it chews you up, spits you out and then flame roasts you to top it off! and today was one of those days.

First of all everyone is suffering cold symptoms thus making the day feel full of fun from the start, then its Christmas decoration time (Bah humbug - can we say carbon emmission protocols! what's with the lights and electricity overuse!) so lights are going up and thats a lot of work for the minions to do - though they seemed to be enjoying it and after decorating one space wanted to continue on! maybe i should get them some elf ears to go with the red noses from the cold symptoms??

So anyway thats all going on and customers are coming in ( that we like) and we are getting on with the serving when in the middle of trying to do one thing, I am expected to  multitask another job. so not fair and the day goes on.

Anyway suffice to say slightly later on we have a minion meltdown - probably caused by an excess of christmas lights and cold symptoms - but one of the minions has a dosey of a meltdown and goes home. Lets hope it all blows over soon and they are back at work as normal in due course as life without minions is so unfulfilling at times.

Anyway life goes on after minion, and I begin to re-enter the order that the computer ate on Saturday - I kid you not, saturday was a busting day - very christmas shopper busy - lots of Military and Steam Engine DVD's whizzing out the store, along with books,  jigsaws and Paint by Numbers and to top it off I had a spinner and four massive boxes of Velvet Arts delivered - very nice designs of Playboy Bunnies being Exterminated by Daleks whilst Betty Boop stands and screams and Homer Simpson wonders whats going on! hey whizzed out the shop too, well at £1.25 or 5 for £5 they are just too good a bargain to stay still!

So anyway they came in and i had 2 bumper boxes of Fairway Christian Books to get on the system and out, so i duly batch them through like a trojan, all scanned found and entered, and then shelved - I then whizzed on to putting out the 186 secondhand books that were sitting on the counters waiting to be stickered and shelved - did that just to have  a woman bring in 56 Josephine Cox books that then have to be dealt with - and I do, but then someone else comes in with 27 various sci-fi authors, I tell you it was never ending! but by the end of the day it was all done! yahhoo! 

However today i go to do stock re-ordering and find that the fairway books that have been sold are showing as not on the system!!! so i dig deeper as that cannot be right! and sure enough it isn't right, they are on the system - they are there, i did not dream entering 37 lines oh no - I did indeed enter them but in the wrong darn database! it would seem that there are 2 databases on the system and that on saturday the wrong one was opened for some reason and all the days work was entered onto the old dead database and not the nice new live one! and can they be transferred? no they have to be re-input! 

Still at least it explains why the database seems to sometimes eat titles we know we have had in! They are there in the wrong database! so what causes the wrong database to open occasionally - well on that one we do not have a clue, but at least we now know to check the database first thing in the morning so we can rectify any future fiasco's like this.

Talking of dragons! 

Anne and Todd McCaffrey's latest dragons of Pern book is now on the shelves, both American and UK covers are in!

It's called Dragon's Fire (ISBN: 978-0345480293) and is priced at £6.99 and is an absolutely brilliant book for Pern fans, what is so brilliant about it for me though is that one of the main characters in it is disabled, he cannot speak, and this really adds some extra dimension to the story. So anyway this is a really good book and well worth a read - I must admit to liking the collaborative books between ms McCaffrey and her son in the pern-verse and this one is good - pop in and get it ( oh and the US cover is much more colourful than the UK edition!).

So anyway that was the fun today, being a bookshopboss is sometimes a lot like work! see you in the shop tomorrow.

Christmas Time, Nativity no wine!

Christmas Time is here! how do i know? The Nativity Sets order arrived and there are some fantastic sets and angels and decorations and stuff and if I do say so myself the display is not too bad either! 

I had great fun trying to get it all to fit, especially as yesterday 8 big boxes of Paint By numbers, art supplies and more arrived and needed homing as well.
There are some great canvas designs in - Thomas Kinkaide glow like ones that you too can do!

But back to the angels and nativity sets, there are some really cute ones in and at pocket money prices, but there are also some wonderful faux wood ones that are simply luscious and would look great on the mantlepiece, but won't sting the pocket too much!

So anyway there we go, Christmas is now officially here!

So ok nativity sets in, angels in, christian books in, communion wafers in - but no we can't sell communion wine except for the noon-alcoholic version - the market building has a no selling alcohol policy!  So thats it all set and ready for the season of advent and christmas. Just the cards to write and presents to get for minions and friends!

OOOH do you know what? (perhaps you do) Dave Walker of the CartoonChurch Blog (he rocks, it rocks, I dream of being that amusing and on the ball) linked my blog! thank you sir, I bow to you.

Anyway so in case you missed it - the shop is sort of tidy, the minions are ruling for the next 2 days as I am elsewhere being bookish and busy, and the shelves are stuffed with stock and there is the coolest collection of colourful objet d'arts in stock (ok paint by numbers etc etc and nativity sets and angels) for you to come in and adore and then take home with you after releasing that christmas money you have saved all through the year!

See you in the shop on saturday, have fun with the minions until then.

Ohh and by the way visit our new christmas charity appeal - we are donating to Habitat for Humanity for Christmas,

and our official sponsored charity for the year is Great Ormond Street Hospital Childrens Charity - thats where all the pennies people kindly leave behind are going to, and its also where a percentage of the shops profits go! feel free to donate online as well.