We were lucky enough to welcome @shida.baz to the shop today to sign copies of her International Booker Prize shortlisted novel, THE NIGHTS ARE QUIET IN TEHRAN ✨
It tells the captivating story of one family’s flight from and return to Iran, and spans many voices, decades and continents.
Needless to say these won’t last long! Tap through to order or pop in and grab one today 📚
We've had an incredible run of events recently, and if you missed them you can listen back via our podcast!
Head to our Linktree or search for us on your podcast platform of choice to hear some brilliant discussions with @zzzakia , @thecharlieporter , Tareq Baconi and many more ❤️
📚Jo recommends 📚
Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly
An attractive young queer man falls in love with a successful woman writer who is older than him, and thus begins this tender, ascerbic novel about the complexity of love, self sabotage and infatuation.
Rozie Kelly’s writing is beautifully perceptive and her characters are extremely flawed, real and funny which makes this book so devastating. For fans of Susie Boyt and Deborah Levy. On the @womensprize shortlist, strong recommend!
The wonderful @pedrocarmonaalvarez came by yesterday to sign copies of his novel CHIQUITITA translated by @seankin and published in the UK by @akoyapublishing
Signed copies now in stock, tap through to get yours 🎸
Thrilled to announce a joint event with @aliakobuszko and @hlcopley two exciting voices in poetry reading from their collections Dream Latitudes and Lapwing; bold and exacting collections infused with potent inspiration from nature. Alia and Hannah will be in conversation with our very own bookseller and poet, @seb.wiener .
Ticket link is in bio, join us! 🎟️
This was such a special evening last week with the lovely Gayathiri Kamalakanthan @unembarrassable and @sabah.c in conversation about Gayathiri’s YA novel in verse BAD QUEER (@faberbooks )
They discussed their vulnerability in talking about identity as a queer person, the writing process (and coming into Pages to feel at home among the books 😍) representation of bodies in the novel, weaving their Tamil heritage into the novel what it was like telling their mum about the book, the importance for young people to be able to talk openly about their boundaries, their sexuality and pleasure.
Huge thanks to everyone for coming, if you missed the event, a full recording of this special conversation will be up soon! 💖
#badqueer
#gayathirikamalakanthan
#sabahchoudrey
Loads of movement on April’s bestseller board! 🏆
Welcome to the board @praddenkeefe@lenadunham Ben Lerner, Deborah Levy and @shahrnushparsipur !
Congrats to @thecharlieporter for topping the board with the paperback of beautiful Nova Scotia House and to @zzzakia@lidijahilje@v.latronico and David Szalay for remaining in place 💪
Thank you folks for choosing us! ❤️
Our hours this bank holiday 🌞
Sunday 3rd May: open as usual 11 - 6
Monday 4th May: closed
Tuesday 5th May: open as usual 11 - 6
HEAPS of new arrivals today, come and take a look ✌️
A complete delight to meet the wonderful @lidijahilje in person!! Lidija is author of shop bestseller SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA and is in London on a short trip from Croatia. She brought her family to Hackney yesterday with @marigoldatkey from @dauntbookspub to visit us 🥰 so emotional to see her with her book which has been on our bestseller board nearly every month for nearly a year. Thank you Lidija, we can’t wait for your second novel! ✨✨✨✨
Signed copies now in stock ✍️
#slantingtowardsthesea
We missed last month’s poem so two poems today!
THE HAWTHORN TREE by Louise Glück, collected in ‘Poems 1962-2020’ @penguinclassics
and HAW by Seán Hewitt, from his most recent collection ‘Raptures Road’ (2024) @seanehewitt@jonathancapebooks
Both describe thwarted human relationships through imagery of hawthorns. In Seán Hewitt’s poem, the speaker plucks the tree’s fruit in place of frustrated queer desire, ‘a longing I could not act out’. The berry is an object of lust and vulnerability, and the tension of its skin bursting resounds through the last stanza.
In Glück’s poem, the tree sways between meanings. At first its rootedness is a contrast to human flight, but as the lovers leave ‘flowers scattered on the dirt path’, the tree’s seasonal transience fuses with human loss, so that the question at the end elegises both people and trees: ‘for what else would you let drop all you have gathered?’
🍃🌸
The wonderful @zzzakia and @moya_lm in conversation in a packed room last night about Zakia‘s book FINDING ALBION 🏆 a fascinating and heartfelt conversation about the folk culture, rituals and myths of Britain.
Zakia talked about her love of folk music, her journey to discover old myth and new rituals while uncovering some of the darker sides of folk history in her research. She talked about the importance of trying to hold the darker sides and the hopeful vision at once; the joy of coming together in ritual and making community where nobody is left behind.
Thank you @moya_lm for your excellent questions and thank you everyone for coming! 💚✨
Watch this space for the full video of the conversation. Limited signed copies are now in stock.
