The Aardvark Blog

Back to the Between Time, Christmas
6/09/2020

SOOOO after the excitement of Monday and a flurry of late summer/early autumn customers we have hit the early September lull and I am starting to feel slightly unnerved as the reality of weeks and weeks of no events in Aardvark and no outside events becomes a reality. For many years the autumn has been the busiest time of the year for us with H.Art, Food Fairs, Markets and the annual trip to the Frankfurt Bookfair.

This year none of that is happening, and I am wondering what it will feel like just to be working in the shop without the usual autumnal stimulus. I guess the answer is pretty strange. To relieve the ennui I am putting together a large order of new books from a particular publisher who specialises in illustrated books and who has one of my favourite lists. These should be in this month and will start to show up on the website. Am also working through some of the books that I have bought recently and as ever there are many surprises. The number of titles in the shop is gradually rising so whether you visit digitally or in person there should be something to delight.

I have been cheering myself up by going full 'Apple' - ie I have now bought the other Fiona Apple albums I didn't previously have and have been playing them in the car on loop. Just played 'Extraordinary Machine' to R for whom it brought back memories of living on the west coast of America. Am saving the new series of Lucifer until things get truly desperate, but yesterday caught up with the nostalgiafest of the remake of 'All Creatures Great and Small'. So many things could have gone wrong but amazingly none did, and the acting was so much better than the original (script still predictable but then that is why one is watching it). Did well to create feeling of jeopardy where in truth no jeopardy existed (if James really had been sacked after his first day it would be a very short series). Kudos to Channel 5 and I hope that they make tons more. On the subject of great series where is the missing next series of 'Shetland'. Come on people, we need some far north fear and gloom!

Finally after the success of the Bank Holiday Monday event we are chewing over doing something for Christmas this year. Not sure what form it will take, but obviously it will need to be appropriately socially distanced and safe for all concerned. With rising levels of CV in Europe if not yet here it is difficult to make too many plans but rest assured that if we can do something we will, as I think all of us need some change from the grey at the moment.

FInally finally thank you all for the messages of support for Ethel and me recently. It has been a tough and crazy ride since March and the good will of the Aardvark family has been a big part of helping us to get through. Still lots more twists and turns to come before we all come out on the other side.