Bookseller – F C MALBY

PUBLICATION DAY

The day has arrived. It’s the release of my long-awaited second collection of short stories. Lots of you have asked when they will be available to buy and the wait is over. I’m thrilled to announce the release of a new collection of stories, many of which have been placed in competitions and published in international literary journals. Two of the stories can be found in anthologies – Yo u Fold Yourself into Tiny Spaces was Longlisted in the Reflex Press Quarterly International Flash Fiction Competition and published in In Defence of Pseudoscience: Reflex Fiction Volume Five. Prolific was published in Pens of the Earth and is forthcoming in a Pens of the Earth Anthology in October 2024. Some of my favourite stories are new to this collection.

“Intense, beautifully realised and ice-sharp”

ABOUT THE COLLECTION:

The sentences we leave unfinished, questions surrounding sudden loss, a decision on a train. This second collection covers themes of relationships and memory, exploring what happens when memory fails. It looks at beginnings and endings, weaving through themes of generations, family, uncertainty, and what happens when experiences change us.

“F C Malby’s stories capture characters teetering on the edge of precipices in their lives, sometimes literal, sometimes metaphorical, as they decide whether or not to take a leap of faith into the unknown. These intense, beautifully realised and ice-sharp stories momentarily suspend us over an Everestian abyss.” Jonathan P Taylor, author and Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, University of Leicester

“In this impressive collection of 65 short and very short stories, F C Malby gives us sharply honed glimpses into the profundity of the ordinary and the impact of the extraordinary. Malby’s characters deal with choices and their consequences, with themes of life passages, nature and the sea. Her prose is strong with much implied and left to the interpretation of the reader. Highly recommend.” Barbara Byar, novelist, short story author and Fiction Editor, Variant Literature

You can purchase my second collection of short stories, A Place of Unfinished Sentences, in paperback and as an eBook https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DFW6BPMW

The joy of bookshops and finding signed author copies

I spent some time in Waterstones at the weekend. It’s a place I’ve always loved – the scent of books, the anticipation of finding new titles, the peace, the labyrinth of bookshelves. There are so many wonderful bookshops, both large and small, to peruse the shelves and find new books. These two new titles were a lovely surprise.

The scent of books, the anticipation of finding new titles, the peace, the labyrinth of bookshelves.

I love Kevin Barry’s work, but hadn’t heard about this new title, The Heart in Winter, released on 6 June and set in 1891 Montana. Butte is a city rich in copper mines and immigrant Irish workers. The story centres around Tom Rourke, a young poet and ballad maker. As he feels his life is heading nowhere, and struggling with alcohol, Polly Gillespie arrives in town as the new bride of the devout mine captain, Long Anthony Harrington. Tom and Polly steal a horse and head out west through the badlands of Montana and Idaho. This is described as a ‘ballad of a novel’ and ‘a glorious haunted yarn.’

A ‘ballad of a novel’ and ‘a glorious haunted yarn.’

Josie Ferguson’s The Silence In Between, released on 20 June and shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Debut Fiction Prize, is a historical debut novel about a family separated by the Berlin Wall. It piqued my interest because my debut novel, Take Me to the Castle, also centres around the political changes in Eastern Europe through the 1990s. Lisette is in hospital with her baby boy. The doctors tell her to go home and get some rest, that he’ll be fine. When she wakes up and a wall has divided the city in two and her child is on the other side. Lisette is trapped in the east, while her newborn baby is unreachable in the west. With the streets in chaos and armed guards ordered to shoot anyone who tries to cross, her situation is desperate. I can’t wait to begin reading this.

When she wakes up and a wall has divided the city in two and her child is on the other side.

Another thing I love about bookshops is the sometimes quirky and lovingly-written notes from the booksellers themselves. This one, caught my eye as I entered and drew me to the first bookshelf. Lost In A Good Book, No agenda – just treat yourself and escape reality with these wonderful stories. You’re worth it (and they need you). The last part reads like a L’Oreal add and is tough-in-cheek. I love these personal touches.

Lost In A Good Book, No agenda – just treat yourself and escape reality with these wonderful stories. You’re worth it (and they need you).

And then there’s this…Straight from the Tortured Poets Department…. Perfectly written and positioned below these two great classics by Dylan Thomas and William Wordsworth!

Straight from the Tortured Poets Department

Which signs have you seen in bookshops recently, and what do you love about bookshops? Have you seen my recent blog post about two wonderful bookshops in Italy? Don’t miss these.

Two European Bookshops You Need to Know About

There are two fabulous bookshops in Europe that you might not know about. Both are in Italy, one is in Rome and one is in Florence.

GUINTI ODEON, FLORENCE

The first bookshop is the Giunti Odeon. Yes, you read that right. It’s a cinema with a built-in bookshop. What an amazing combination of culture from the world of books and film! The Giunti Odeon, or GO remains a cinema, showing films in Italian and English, but it also has a bookshop which is open 7 days week until the end of the film each night. The bookshop contains over 25,000 books, which fill the whole of the ground floor, including the foyer.

The cinema opened in 1922 in Palazzo dello Strozzino. It is one of the most stunning Renaissance palazzos in Florence with an Art Déco interior and sculptures by Antonio Maraini and tapestries by Matilde Festa Piacentini. Cinema Teatro Savoia, as it was known, hosted world-class film premieres, theatre performances and musicals. It was reopened after WWII and renamed Cinema-Teatro Odeon and has hosted Louis Armstrong and Kate Winslet.

In 2023, the Odeon partnered with publishing house Giunti Editore. It was then renovated and reopened in November 2023. The stalls have been redesigned, with the original detail remaining intact, as required by the city’s fine arts department – fountains, tapestries, ornate columns, terrazzo floors, glass dome, gilded lettering and heavy golden drapes. No less than 200 armchairs have been placed in the mezzanine gallery, where cinema goers remain undistracted by the bookshop below.

OPEN DOOR BOOKSHOP, ROME

The second gem of a bookshop is in Rome. The Open Door Bookshop sells second-hand books, and has been in Trastevere for more than forty years. Its name is both a wolcome to book lovers and a reflection of an open mind and a curiosity for learning. The bookshop sells “the unusual and even the bizarre.” Finding a book is a “treasure hunt among old, antiquarian and even new books”.

The contents of the bookshop vary on any given day and if you are looking for a specific book, they will try to find a copy! They also take second-hand books that people want to pass on. There is a good selection of books ranging from contemporary and genre to classics and Italian, French and Spanish. The cluttered nature of the bookshelves and the scent of second-hand books are enticing. It’s a literary Aladdin’s cave!

Photo credits: The Florentine, Open Door Bookshop, Amber Paulen.

Dead Drop – Book Release

Pre-order Dead Drop from Linen Press from 20 October

Malby’s novel proves once and for all that thrillers can be both hugely compelling and beautifully written. This is virtuosic storytelling, as vibrant as a Klimt painting, as lyrical as a Viennese waltz, as atmospheric as a Carol Reed film. I loved it.

– Jonathan P Taylor, author and Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Leicester

An exquisitely written, poetic journey through the underbelly of Vienna’s artworld, Dead Drop is littered with secrets and laced with tension. F C Malby is a writer to watch!

– Jane Isaac, best-selling author of crime thrillers

Leisl is an art thief and an exceptionally good one. She steals priceless paintings from Vienna’s art galleries and delivers them to private collectors. This life of anonymous notes and meticulous planning, of adrenaline-fuelled dead drops and dramatic escapes, suits her restless spirit and desire for solitude and anonymity. But when Leisl finds a body on Stephansplatz underground steps instead of the expected note, she understands that she’s involved in a deadly game and that her own life is in danger.

A fast-paced, intelligent thriller that exposes the undercover world of art heists and takes us on a roller-coaster ride through Vienna’s renown galleries and museums as skilled art thief, Leisl, steals and returns paintings to private collectors. Until she comes up against a truth that makes her question everything she knows.

Linen Press Books

Space to Read and Relax: Bookshop Cafés and Bars Around the World…

What is there more enticing for any book lover than to find a combination of books and coffee (or cocktails)? I often see images of bookshop cafés, and I idly begin to dream about finding a corner (and some time) to while away a few hours reading with a mug, or a glass of something, in the beautiful surrounds of a bookshop or an atmospheric bar. Is it just me? I suspect not! Here are some of the places, both sumptuous and simple, to which I would happily transport myself, in the name of reading and space to relax.

1. B2 Boutique Hotel, Zurich

Once the site of the old Hürlimann Brewery, this is now a hotel, with the industrial character of the buildings carefully preserved to illustrate the history of Zurich’s legendary brewing era. The B2 Boutique Hotel has a sumptuous library lounge, which boasts over 33,000 books, is an inviting place in which to lose yourself in a good book. With its tall arched windows and eleven-metre high ceiling, the library is reminiscent of a cathedral. The books were once housed in an antiquarian bookshop and can also be borrowed by guests during their stay in the hotel. The library is a space where you can work, talk business or relax and unwind. I have had my eye on the hotel since I first cast eyes on a photograph of the library some months ago. I’m now even more keen to go at some point, having just seen the incredible Thermal Spa, which is connected to the hotel. Spread over 3,300 square metres, the spa is housed in the former barrel filling area of the Hürlimann Brewery. But I digress! Back to books….

2. The Bookworm, Beijing, China.

The Bookworm is a library and a bookshop with a large collection of books. 16,112 titles on their library shelves at the last count! There is a gourmet European café on the premises. Thousands of English-language books fill the shelves and can be borrowed for a fee or read inside. They also sell books and magazines. A range of interesting talks and spontaneous musical evenings make this place a hive of activity. It’s easy to see why The Bookworm is such a hit among Beijingers. The spacious, interconnecting rooms with floor-to-ceiling books on every wall are light and airy in summer, yet cosy and snug in winter. And the roof terrace is perfect for yard-arm cocktails.

Their coffee is always freshly ground, they say; their chocolate cake voluptuous, and staff delightful! Anyone interested in testing this out?

3. Cafebreria El Pendulo, Mexico City, Mexico.

Books line the walls of Mexico City’s Cafebrería El Péndulo, but visitors can order breakfast, lunch and dinner from the café and drinks from the bar. There is also a cocktail happy hour! Read a book while enjoying live music, poetry readings and stand up comedy.

4. Pickwicks Cafe Bookshop, Vienna

This small book café named after a Dickens’ novel, serves Irish beer and has a library and rents out videos. They sell burgers, bagels, salads and fish and chips. There is free wi-fi and a big screen. I have yet to visit!

5. El Ateneo in Buenos Aires, Argentina

This bookstore opened as a theatre called The Grand Splendid in 1919. It was first location in the world to show silent movies. Now, book lovers can enjoy a coffee in the café on the old stage. It still has the original balconies, painted ceiling, ornate carvings and the crimson stage curtains. The Guardian named El Ateneo second in its 2008 list of the World’s Ten Best Bookshops.

The theatre had a seating capacity of 1,050, and staged a variety of performances, including tango artists. In the late twenties the theatre was converted into a cinema, and in 1929 showed the first sound films presented in Argentina. Chairs are provided throughout the building and the theatre boxes are still intact.

The ornate former theatre was leased by Grupo Ilhsa in February 2000. The building was then renovated and converted into a book and music shop, with the cinema seating removed and book shelves installed. El Ateneo Grand Splendid became the group’s flagship store, and in 2007 sold over 700,000 books; over a million people walk through its doors annually.

6) Scarthin, Peak District, England.

Some might prefer the altogether more earthy beauty of a shop like Scarthin Books in the Peak District. Scarthin’s has been selling new and second-hand books since the mid-1970s. They boast 40,000+ new books, 50,000+ second-hand books, 5,000+ rare and antiquarian, music, a café AND publishing! It is a bookshop so beloved, that it advertises local guest and farmhouses on its websites where devotees can stay overnight.