Harry Potter Prize Draw

To celebrate the arrival of the new illustrated edition of the Prisoner of Azkaban, we have managed to get hold of some beautiful prints that have been signed by the extremely talented illustrator, Jim Kay.

Spend £20 or more in the shop to be entered into our Harry Potter Prize draw.  The first ticket drawn will win the limited edition signed print, a Harry Potter tote bag and a choice of a Harry Potter wand or a Time Turner.  Second prize will be a limited edition signed print and a tote bag and the holder of the third ticket drawn will win a tote bag.

The competition will close on Thursday 30th November so be sure to drop by between now and then to get your ticket!

Harry Potter Quiz

The date was Thursday 17th August, the location was R&R in Abingdon and the event was the much anticipated HARRY POTTER QUIZ!!!

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter book being published, Bloomsbury released 20 official Harry Potter Quiz sets to a set of lucky bookshops and Mostly Books were chuffed to pieces to be one of those shops!

Imogen was beside herself with excitement because she had pitched the idea of a Harry Potter quiz as a potential Mostly Books event just a couple of weeks previously.  Given her level of enthusiasm and the fact that a lot of our customers are clearly huge Harry Potter fans, we had already agreed that we would be doing a quiz - we just had no idea that we would be doing it with direct support from the official Harry Potter publishing house! 

After releasing the tickets on July 14th, we sold out pretty much immediately - all 60 tickets were sold in less than five days - and excitement started to mount.  The official quiz pack, including questions and the all important answers, appeared at the shop and we had to store it under lock and key.  Our wonderful neighbours at Oxfam popped by with a whole load of goodies for us to decorate R&R with and many a discussions took place around costumes.

When the 17th finally arrived, Draco Malfoy (AKA our very own Imogen) took centre stage to host the quiz.  Participants arrived in droves and excitement started to mount as they settled down at their tables and ordered some yummy refreshments from the R&R team.  Wands were brandished and costumes compared as each team chose a suitable Potter-esque team name before the event kicked off.

Seven rounds, each containing seven questions then ensued with plenty of banter between Draco and the teams.  A break halfway through enabled the quizzers to replenish their dwindling supply of refreshements and to browse the selection of Harry Potter goodies on offer. 

Once all questions had been asked and the answers were checked and verified, the winners were announced.  The first set of prizes were for the best costumes of the evening with three quizzers each winning a handmade wand kindly donated by Charlie & Elijah (Also known as the Cross Eyed Cat Wand Makers) and the team with the winning name (Two radishes short of a bunch) each won a voucher to spend at Mostly Books.

Then it was the all important results!  It was a tight run race with the decision about second and third place being decided by the tie-break question*.  The team coming in in third place each won a Mostly Books voucher, the team in second place received a set of the 20th anniversary Philosopher's Stone paperbacks - and the great thing was that each member of the team was linked with each of the four houses so they all got the copy that they wanted!!

A huge congratulations to Simon, Jeanette, Anna & Tom for winning first prize with a staggering 45 questions right out of 49!!  The members of the winning team each won a whole stack of goodies, courtesy of our friends at Bloomsbury:

• A copy of the Illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• A hardback copy of the 20th anniversary 'House Edition' of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• A Hogwarts House Bookmark
• Some Harry Potter Bunting
• A Harry Potter doorhanger 

After a prize-giving ceremony and some more Harry Potter related banter, the quizzers started to drift off, happy and relaxed after a brilliant night out. 

This was our first joint venture with Rob, Rachel and the team at R&R and I hope that it won't be the last.  Having the opportunity to use such a wonderful space for one of our events worked really well and both teams enjoyed the evening.  We'll be looking forward to more collaborations in future.

Check out our Facebook page (here) for more  pictures of the event.  In the meantime, we will all enjoy memories of an enjoyable night out and the fact that Abingdon was lucky enough to give Harry Potter fans a great quiz!

* In case you're wondering, the question was 'How many words are there in the Philosopher's Stone?' and the answer is 76,944......You know what they say - every day's a school day!

Meet the Team: Imogen

Each week for the next few weeks, a member of the 'Mostly Books' team is going to be quizzed about all things books.  They will talk about what it's like to work in a bookshop, which books they enjoy and will also provide a bit of background about themselves.

This week, it's Imogen!

What's your full name?

Imogen Hargreaves

How long have you worked at Mostly Books?

Four years, last month

What's your favourite genre of books and why?

I read anything from picture books all the way up to YA, sprinkled with some adult fantasy and sci-fi occasionally.

Name your favourite book.

I don’t have a favourite! Picking between them all would be almost impossible, but some of the ones on my favourite shelf at home at the moment are the two Sarah J Maas series, Harry Potter (obviously), Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, V E Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic series, Noah Can’t Even, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, Illuminae, The Call, The Princess Bride, all the Maggie Steifvater books, Fangirl and Carry On by Rainbow Rowell... there’s a load of other books, but I seem to have forgotten their titles now I need them.  Either way, I have a lot of favourites – if it’s funny, magic-y, likely to make me cry and beautifully written, I’m going to love it.

What's your favourite thing about working at Mostly Books?

I have a job in which it’s sociably acceptable to geek out about books, so there are many things I love about it.

What are your main responsibilities at Mostly Books?

Not burning down the shop when the boss is away?!?!

The day to day running of the shop is something we all have to do, from looking after customers to ordering books back in and making sure the shelves are always good.  I look after local authors, contacting them when their books are sold, and I also deal with the customer order shelf – making sure customers know their books are in or reminded if they’ve forgotten!  Behind the scenes, I return damaged books to their suppliers and have a merchandising shelf ready for any bunting and things to put in the window.  I’ve also claimed all the blackboards (and windows!) in the shop to decorate each month for events, books, and (if you’ve seen the one outside) occasionally humour.

What upcoming books are you most excited about?Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo, which is a book DC asked her to write about Wonder Woman – there will be four in the series by four different authors. Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas, the sixth book in her throne of Glass series and it’s about my favourite character! The new Philip Pullman – I’m also looking forward to rereading His Dark Materials. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green is also high on my list, I’ve been waiting years for a new book from him! 

What do you like to do in your free time?

I write a lot and get crafty – the handmade bookmarks in the shop are not-so-secretly made by me! I also, of course, attempt to bring down the amount of books in my To Be Read pile. 

Tell us something that the Mostly Books customers don't know about you.

I don’t know... umm.... I’m learning to handletter, with both calligraphy pens and watercolours. I also go exploring a lot with my best friend – we did the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge late last year and have gotten lost in various places in Wales more times than I can count. Along the same lines of exploring, I used to be a Sea Cadet and have been tall ship sailing around France, the south of the UK and Scotland.

Thanks Imogen, it's been good to chat!
You can find Imogen in Mostly Books on Monday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday.

Harry Potter - 20 Years On and Still Going Strong

It’s been 20 years since Harry Potter first hit our shelves and the obsession with the boy wizard is showing no signs of slowing down. 

Whilst working on some accounts in the stock room earlier in the week, with a curtain separating me from the kid’s room in the shop, I heard a young boy come bounding up the stairs shouting “Harry Potter!  Mum, it’s Harry Potter!!!!” whilst running towards our Harry Potter display.

We mentioned in our newsletter on 23^rd June that we have copies of the beautiful 20^th anniversary ‘House’ editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in stock which form the centre of our Harry Potter display. The four books are stunning re-issues of the original story and each of the covers has a different design reflecting the four Hogwarts houses. 

This little boy was overwhelmed by the fact that there was a book available that focussed on his favourite house - Gryffindor.  With words tumbling all over each other, he was at absolute pains to let his mum know why it was the Gryffindor was the house to be in and, at the same time, he decided that it was imperative that she also needed to know what characteristics the other houses consisted of and why, indeed, that made Gryffindor the house of choice (bravery was definitely a big plus).  By his mum’s reaction, it struck me that this was probably not the first time - and almost definitely won’t be the last - that these differences have been analysed in some detail but it was so lovely to hear the enthusiasm pouring out of this boy about such iconic stories.

Following the Harry Potter theme, we also had a couple in the shop this week who bought one of our gorgeous illustrated editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.  We got chatting and the man told me that he was buying the book to read to his five-year old son.  He had decided that it was time to introduce him to the world of Hogwarts and what a great way to do it!  These editions (the Philosopher’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets are currently available and the Prisoner of Azkaban will be published in October) contain some simply stunning illustrations and have been flying off our shelves as a popular ‘Welcome to the World’ or Christening day presents.

What a magical thing for a father and son to share!  It’s something that I am sure will create some amazing memories for that lucky little boy as he gradually discovers the world of Harry Potter in bite-sized bed time reading sessions.

With all of this going on and the fact that we have just announced that we will shortly be hosting an official Harry Potter Quiz (August 17^th at R&R – Please get in touch for more details), I can’t help but wonder what it is about Harry Potter that makes it so special.  Is it the pure escapism or the fact that good ultimately prevails in most cases?  Maybe it’s the amount of detail that J.K. Rowling goes into which helps us form such clear images of a non-muggle existence or perhaps it’s the sheer delight at the prospect of wandering down Diagon Alley and stopping off for a Butterbeer before heading into Ollivanders to choose your wand.

Who knows?  The experience will be different for every single one of us but no-one can dispute the fact that every detail of the story is simply magical and I am completely in awe of the fact that all of those original ideas came from one woman sitting in a café in Scotland.  What an inspiration to come up with such unique and memorable tales.

No-one knows what creates the magic but one thing is for sure, Harry Potter isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Aparecium and Imperio! We reveal a few Harry Potter surprises coming this Autumn

As well as running the YA Bookgroup and being on hand for loads of great reading recommendations (not to mention being shortlisted for 'Young Bookseller of the Year' earlier this year) Imogen is our resident expert on everything Hogwarts-bound.

There some very exciting developments in the Harry Potter Universe this Autumn, so we'll hand over to Imogen to tell you more...

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Anyone who comes into the shop will know that I love and adore all things Harry Potter. So I'm overjoyed at just how 'potterish' the publishing world is looking this Autumn.

Firstly, the illustrated 'Harry Potter and the Philsopher's Stone' comes out in early October. This stunning book has not only the first Harry Potter novel within its covers, but beautiful illustrations of the characters and going-ons within the Hogwarts walls, done by illustrator Jim Kay. It will not only draw in new fans and children, but it will delight those that fell in love with the series before.

Having managed to sneak a peek at the finished book the other month, I can honestly say that any Harry Potter fan would fall in love with the magic inside the pages.

(You may already know Jim Kay from his award-winning illustrations in 'A Monster Calls' with Patrick Ness. Take a look at some of the gorgeous illustrations from the new Harry Potter on Jim's website)

Stationary company Insight brought out a range of Potter notebooks earlier this year (along with the ones they already made for The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones). There are four of them to pick from; Hogwarts, Slytherin, Gryffindor and The Deathly Hallows.

Over the next two months, they will be bringing out Stationary Sets for the two houses and Hogwarts, each with their own notebook, writing paper and envelopes, paperweight and wax sealing sets.

And it all comes in a beautiful box designed around the Hogwarts colours.

Not a big writer? That’s fine, because the 'Harry Potter Colouring Book' comes out in November! Packed with artwork from the Warner Brothers Archive, fans will get the chance to colour in characters and scenes from the films, from Dobby to Voldemort and Quidditch Games.

(This may be your only chance to decide exactly what cloak Voldemort is wearing. His normal one…or how about something much brighter?!)

Finally, going back to books to read, both out this year were the ‘Harry Potter Character Vault’- much like last years ‘Creature Vault’ tells you everything you need to know about all the Potter Characters, from concept art to behind the scenes and how the characters evolved through the films, and ‘Magical Places from the Films’ going behind the scenes of the iconic places in Harry Potter. From Hogwarts itself to Malfoy Manor, it will tell you everything you wish to know about how the places were imagined, constructed - and where you might be able to visit them.

Every Potter fan (myself included) is in for a fantastic few months with all the new things - and that’s not even counting the Harry Potter play 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' coming to theatres next year, the year the Epilogue in Harry Potter is set…

3 4 Friday - Fabulous and Festive - Happy Christmas from Mostly Books

This will be our last 3 4 Friday - and it's three books we've particularly enjoyed having in the shop - and showing customers - over the last few weeks. They also represent three books with genuinely stunning covers and artwork, all for different reasons.

The Invisible Kingdom by Rob Ryan is a big book by all measures, and for those who love Ryan's papercut creations it's a must-have.

It's a story about a little Prince, and the kindness shown to him by one man, who gives him a pen with invisible ink, and a special torch that allows him to create a world only he can see.

A wonderful tale in its own right, a story that celebrates imagination, mystery and learning to know yourself.

Dragonology, Alienology and Wizardology - and now the latest from the Templar Team who bought you all this and more - Dinosaurology.

Written from the recently discovered writings of Percy Fawcett, friend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the truth behind his book The Lost World, this is the until-now untold story of the hidden plateau in South America where dinosaurs still roam.

Finally, we're all big Harry Potter fans in the shop (particularly one staff member, who has a strong claim to be the world's biggest HP fan) and the revised and expanded version of Harry Potter Film Wizardry is a joy to read for those who are.

A wonderful, interactive celebration of the tricks, effects and gadgets behind the films, it's another high-quality production by the team behind the films. 

We'll be open until 3pm on Christmas Eve (including this Sunday) - and again from Friday 27 December. From all of us at Mostly Books, we wish you and your family a peaceful and relaxing Christmas.

We receive such amazing support from everyone at the shop all year round - thank you so much. We hope you manage to enjoy a good book (or two!) over the holidays.

(P.S. We have some recommendations on today's Book Are My Bag Advent Calendar - see what we recommended...)

Ah, Summer

This time last year: rain, floods, Harry Potter. This year, well - the weather hasn't been fabulous, but the warm sunshine of the last few days has been very welcome. I do like selling books in my shorts.

We ummed and ahhed about HP7 in PB. Pre-order months ahead, 10% returns, etc. In the end - we didn't order any. And after Asda's £1 stunt captured 79% of the market (or something) I'm jolly glad we didn't. Last year there was bad blood between Bloomsbury and Asda. I guess revenge is a dish best served...cheap.

Anyway, Nicki and I had a wonderful week away from the shop - and the shop ran like clockwork. Major kudos to everyone involved, and only one phonecall all week (although I did sneak away on the Tuesday of our holiday to attend a BA forum on social networking. Ironically my recommendation was to 'blog regularly' - a case of 'do as I say, not as I do' there methinks, as this blog hasn't been updated for a couple of weeks).

Last year we had a visit from a remarkable lady called Linda - read how we blogged this at the time (you'll need to scroll down to the bottom of the post) - who came into the shop, and asked us to recommend "books for someone who cannot read". It turned out Linda was completely illiterate. Linda was about to take part in a documentary following her progress as part of a new approach to teaching adult literacy, and last Monday the documentary finally appeared on Channel 4. "Can't Read, Can't Write" was an at-times difficult to watch (and emotionally intense) look at the progress made a group of adults learning to read. Linda is now reading voraciously - and I can recommend the documentary series to anyone who cares about adult literacy, and how literacy is taught in schools.

We made a brief appearance on the documentary - and we will also be on Thames Valley Tonight (I think it's called that - I can't quite keep up with the 'itv' rebranding) sometime this week. They did an interview with Geraldine McCaughrean in the shop last Thursday, and she was talking about why independent bookshops are so important:




Not sure when it will appear on the programme...

Yesterday we had an unexpected and delightful visit from Vanessa and Malcolm from the Children's Bookshop in Edinburgh. A few years ago (when I was involved in the early days of web publishing) we used to talk about 'web pilgrims', people who would suddenly turn up in real life having discovered you on the web. Having previously followed the exploits of Vanessa through the Fidra Blog, it was really nice to meet them over a cup of tea in the garden. We were able to swap bookshop 'war stories', and - more importantly - discuss ideas for events and recommendations for children's books. I have an open invite to visit the shop in Edinburgh, so some advance planning may be needed for this. Incidentally, they have a brilliant children's author booked for an event in the autumn, and although I can't reveal to much about who it is, I'm jolly envious 'cos he's one of my favourite authors...

Back to events in our shop. We've got a whole series of children's events coming up over August (more about this on our events page) but tonight we welcome local author Sarah Stovell, author of Mothernight. Published by the wonderful SnowBooks, Sarah intriguingly has a background as an antiquarian bookselling (something which I'm interested to know more about, not sure if anyone else will though). Mothernight has been garnering some impressive reviews since it's release earlier this year - take a look here, here and here. And also read the recent interview by Andrew Ffrench in the Oxford Mail. The whole thing kicks off tonight at 7.30pm, and we do have a few tickets left, although you may be perched on the counter stool if you turn up too late ...