July in the Bookshop
Hello friends,
If your thoughts are turning towards summer holidays and long, lazy days in the sun, we have the perfect selection of books for you to relax with. And if you're wondering how on earth you're going to keep the kids entertained while they're off school, we have all their favourite series, plus a selection of puzzles and games that are sure to keep them busy!
If you're not sure what to read next, we're more than happy to give personal recommendations. Just pop in and tell us what sort of thing you like, and we'll see if we can find you a book you'll love!
There are also a couple of personal recommendations from our staff in this newsletter, so read on!
Perfect for a Hot Day
Book Club
Our book club usually meets in the shop at 6.30pm on the last Wednesday of each month. Attendance is free and all are welcome.
Last month, we had to cancel because of the extreme heat, so hopefully that won't happen again!
If you'd like to join us, our book for July is The Correspondent by Virginia Evans.
Sybil Van Antwerp is seventy-three, slowly losing her sight and always writing letters . . . To her children. Her favourite authors. Her ex-sister-in-law. The journalist poking into her past. Her doctor. Suitors. Kindly neighbours. The infuriating gardening club. All receive Sybil’s witty, wise correspondence, rich with everyday concerns. But there is one letter that she has never sent. It concerns the darkest period of her life. To post it, Sybil must find forgiveness within herself. The hardest letter to write is the one you’d never dare to send.
Author Event
A sharply-witted and tender portrait of a young girl’s quiet rebellion and her refusal to be broken.
Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026
Winner for the British Book Award – Discover Prize
Set in 1960s Bradford, The Mercy Step follows Mercy, a precocious young child facing a world far too big for her small body. She lives with her Windrush-generation parents in a crowded household where her mother’s attention is stretched between church and family, and her father’s temper is something to be endured or avoided.
Feeling like an outsider within her own home, Mercy retreats into books and the companionship of her beloved doll, Dolly, while learning early how to navigate the flaws and failings of the adults around her. Yet Mercy is nothing if not resilient. Armed with humour, style and fierce imagination, she quietly begins to plot her escape from a traumatic childhood.
What our Staff are Reading
Working in a bookshop means we have a huge choice of books to sample. Right now, our staff are reading:
- Hayley - The Eights by Joanna Miller
- Matilda - As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
- Gareth - Fiesta. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
- Rosa - One Day by David Nichols
Book Recommendation
Six writers arrive on a secluded Scottish island for what they think will be an exclusive literary salon with world famous author, Arthur Fletch. But Fletch is dead, and now they’re all in competition to write the last chapter of his final, unfinished novel. The winner will be rewarded with a dream publishing contract—if they survive.
I really enjoyed this one, and devoured it in a few days. It is an excellent locked-room mystery with an intriguing premise and a list of suspects that keeps you guessing right up until the final reveal, when we discover that while everybody lies, writers lie really well.
The Ending Writes Itself is a mystery crime thriller recommended for fans of Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz.
Did You Know?
If there's a book you want that isn't in our stock, we can usually order it for you within a day or so? Ask us for details!
Book Recommendation
A wealthy heiress has turned her clifftop Dorset family home into a luxury retreat for the rich, and the locals aren’t happy about it. As the guests arrive, many carry more than physical baggage, and nobody is quite who they’re pretending to be.
The narrative focuses on the build-up to the hotel’s opening night but also jumps back fifteen years and ahead a few hours. We know someone’s dead, and we know there’s a fire—but who is it lying at the bottom of the cliff, and who torched the mansion house?
Lucy Foley keeps us guessing. Suspects abound, everyone seems to be lying, and every page carries a new revelation. And right at the centre of everything is the hotel’s owner, lifestyle guru, Francesca Meadows, with her delicious blend of spoiled entitlement and self-delusional toxic positivity.
While the time jumps can be disorientating at first, they soon serve as an electrifying glimpse into the past events that shaped each of the characters and gave them their motivations for attending the opening night at The Manor Hotel.
What happened all those years ago in the ancient woodlands behind the house? And who—or what—are the sinister bird people rumoured to haunt them?
Tea and Coffee
While you're browsing our shelves, why not treat yourself to tasty hot drink at a very reasonable price? We have a variety of teas and a handmade Italian cappuccino machine, and we can prepare you any of the following to drink in or take away:
Freshly Ground Coffees - £2.50
- Americano
- Latte
- Flat White
- Espresso
Quality Teas - £1.20
- English Breakfast
- English Breakfast Decaf
- Earl Grey
- Chamomile
- Lemongrass and Ginger
- Triple Mint
You can sit at one of our tables with a cup and saucer, or get your drink to go in one of our recyclable paper cups.
Social Media
You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Just search for @hartmannsbooks.
Book Tokens
Book tokens make the perfect gift for any age. We offer vouchers specifically for our shop, as well as National Book Tokens that can be spent anywhere, and you can choose any amount that suits your needs, from £1 to £250. Just ask at the till for details.
And that's it for now. We'll be in touch again next month. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you in the shop, where you're always guaranteed a warm welcome!
Read on!
Hayley & team
Hartmanns Books
28-30 High Street
Portishead
BS20 6EN
07949 480856
PS: If you've enjoyed this newsletter, please help spread the word to your friends in Portishead and beyond, and encourage them to sign-up at our website:
