The Aardvark Blog

Busy week at Aardvark Books!
28/01/2017

I got two words in to writing a blog yesterday, when I was needed by a customer and I didn't get back to it before the end of the day. It kind of demonstrated that the title at least was not inaccurate. We have had a busy week this week, both in the shop and online, but also with planning for our many events of 2017.

Firstly I can confirm that Brampton Bryan Scarecrow Sunday will again be on the first Sunday of August this year (Sunday 6th August), a week before Aardvark's huge English Civil War re-enactment. This is a great concatenation because it means that if you come on the 6th you will be able to look round the actual castle ruins with Edward Harley, before coming back the next week to find out more about the siege and life in the seventeenth century.

Pictures are starting to come in for the catalogue and exhibition of Ceramics - 'Fire and Earth' - which opens on the 8th of April. This is truly one of the most exciting projects we have ever undertaken at Aardvark and we are extremely pleased to again be working with Shannon Donovan in putting it together. More details will be hitting the website shortly.

Bookings are already coming in for all our markets this year (even including for the Christmas Market). If you have never had a stall and would like to join in the fun, stall spaces only cost £10 and can be booked in advance.

On Thursday afternoon Aardvark played host to Jim Hawkins from BBC Radio Shropshire who came to record a longer piece about the bookshop (Mr Aardvark had been a guest on his show the previous week). Jim turned out to be a considerable bibliophile and he stayed on for some time after the interview had finished, finally leaving with a book or two himself. Mr Aardvark was also on the BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester Breakfast show last week, responding to a survey that said that only 90% of UK households had books in their home. This seemed to the presenters to be a very low figure, but seems to me to be a really high one. It means, for example, that only 5% fewer households have books than have a TV set. The presenter was of the opinion that physical books would disappear, and was somewhat surprised when he was told that actually digital book sales have been in decline for some time. Apologies if all of this put anyone off their cornflakes at 7.15am.

Still working through some of our recent purchases that have been clogging up the warehouse, and I have a house clearance in prospect next week that should mean that any holes are quickly filled up.

On Friday night the Aardvarks went to the wonderful Regal Cinema in Tenbury to see the latest Star Wars movie 'Rogue One'. If you have never been, visiting the Regal is a delightful experience, and always feels like a journey back in time to when cinema tickets cost a few shillings and there were always ice creams during the interval (how I miss movie intervals - please let's bring them back!). The film itself divided Aardvark opinion, with Ethel finding it rather too loud and violent, and the 12 certification inaccurate.

So, with January over, we look forward to the year ahead with our customary cautious optimism.