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bookbar bookclub: faqS How does it work? 1) Sign up and receive a paperback book each month 2) Tune in to an event with the author (or catch up for 30 days after) 3) Join us for an in-shop discussion with other members What books can we expect to be reading? We read contemporary fiction and non-fiction, swaying towards fiction or non-fiction with a good narrative and lots of themes to discuss. Authors that have joined us for the BookBar BookClub so far have included Ann Patchett, Douglas Stuart, Brit Bennett, Elif Shafak, Maggie O'Farrell, Claire Keegan, Natasha Brown, Meg Mason, Miranda Cowley Heller, Torrey Peters, Raven Leilani, Min Jin Lee, Ingrid Persaud, Sunjeev Sahota, Curtis Sittenfeld, Clare Chambers, Fiona Mozley, Sophie Heyward, Emily Ratajkowski and Bryan Washington. What does the BookBar BookClub monthly membership include? Membership is £15/a month and includes the following: A paperback book chosen by our passionate team A virtual event with the author to watch live or on record for 30 days after the event 10% off our Hardback of the Month in store and online Exclusive discounts and promotions throughout the year A monthly in-person discussion group, to discuss the monthly paperback book with other members over a glass of wine or soft drink. Please note that postage is not included. When will I get my book? We will post your book to you four or five weeks before the event. As we pick the freshest paperbacks, the books get sent out at the same time each month to all subscribers, regardless of when the ticket was purchased, so the 3-5 day shipping window does not apply for BookClub purchases as in most cases the books have not yet been published when the programme is launched. You can opt to collect your book if you would prefer. We'll let you know when your book is ready to collect or on its way. If you subscribe to the BookClub after the books have gone out, we'll post yours as soon as we can. When will I receive the link to watch the BookClub event? You will receive a link via email a few days in advance of the event. Please ensure you are subscribed to BookBar's mailing list as you will not receive emails from us if you are not subscribed. You can also access all the information you need BookBar BookClub Members' Page at our website. On the Members' Page , you'll find the links to watch the live BookClubs and recordings and in-person discussion groups. Just head to the Members Page and type in the password printed on the card you receive with your book each month. Once have accessed the Members' Page, to access the link for the live virtual event and the recording, you'll need to type in a different password, unique to each month. How do I cancel my membership? You can cancel your membership at any time. Just email hello@bookbaruk.com and we'll make sure no further payments are made. If you have already received this month's book and payment has not been taken, we'll cancel your membership after we've received payment. What if I already have a copy of the book? We are unable to accept exchanges. If you have a copy of the book and don't want to pass it on to another reader, we can pause your membership for a month. How can I purchase a membership as a gift? Just fill in your details for now and email hello@bookbaruk.com with the details of the recipient when you are ready to update them. How do I update my card details? You'll need to call us to update your card details over the phone. Please note that if payment does not go through, your membership will be automatically cancelled. What happens if I move house? You can change your delivery address any time. Just email bookclub@bookbaruk.com with your new address and we'll update our system. Can I swap from collection to postage? Of course. You'll just need to get in touch so we can cancel your membership and re-subscribe you to include the postage fee. Just email bookclub@bookbaruk.com . Can I just join for one event? Absolutely! You can purchase a one-off event ticket for £18. This will include the paperback book and the virtual author event only. You will not have access to the in-person discussion group, MUBI membership, or any other discounts or perks. How does the the monthly discussion group work? The monthly discussion group is in person at our bookshop and social space on Blackstock Road, London. It is in addition to the virtual event that we host with the author. Space will be limited to just 10 people each month, and will be available to BookBar BookClub subscribers only on a first come, first served basis. We'll send out a date for the discussion and a link each month for members to sign up. You'll be charged £5 to secure your space, which will mean you can claim a free glass of house wine or soft drink on the evening. The in-person conversation will only be available to BookClub subscribers. Join the BookClub!

Shelf Isolation: The Travel Collection With real life travel off the menu and all of us staying at home for the foreseeable future, we’ll have to settle for armchair travel for the moment. Here are some reads to airlift you beyond your living room. Spain Hot Milk by Deborah Levy No one writes quite like Deborah Levy, and this novel is seething with tension and interiority. Our protagonist Sofia’s life has been paused indefinitely while she cares for her unwell mother on the sun-bleached Spanish coast. Sofia’s relationship with her mother is just as intense and inescapable as the scorching sun. It’s an extraordinarily vivid story about the complxity of the human mind and our flawed relationships with one another. Germany The Lost Europeans by Emmanuel Litvanof Based on the author’s experiences of moving to Berlin ten years after the Second World War, The Lost Europeans follows two Jews who return to Berlin after the Holocaust. It is a sharp, lively and poignant depiction of post-war Germany, and a completely unforgettable read. £8. 99 Add to Basket £10.00 Add to Basket Italy The Neapolitan Quartet by Eleanor Ferrante Beginning in the 1950s with My Brilliant Friend, this series of four novels follows two friends, Lena and Lila, as they navigate their childhood, adolescence and adulthood in an impoverished part of Naples. Depicting the social workings of a small, poor community, and the joys, jealousies and evolutions of friendship, you’ll find yourself transported to Naples through Ferrante’s warm characters and addictive prose. £8. 99 Add to Basket Israel Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar Goshen When a distinguished doctor runs over a man on the way home from a nineteen hour shift, he knows he has killed him. Weighing up the impact of reporting his crime, knowing the man cannot be saved, and leaving him in order to save himself, he makes a decision that will change his life forever. It’s full of moral complexity that cuts to the bone of the human condition, and the Israeli setting is fantastic. £9. 99 Add to Basket Nigeria Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimanda Ngoze Adichie There are many books that I could recommend that would transport you to the buzzing, scorching culture of Nigeria, from Ben Okri’s Booker Prize-winning novel The Famished Road, to the darkly comic My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Where The Famished Road is full of folklore and mysticism and Braithwaite’s novel pulsates with the modernity and heat of present day Lagos, Half of a Yellow Sun paints a portrait of Nigeria at its most turbulent time. Telling the story of three characters living through the Biafran War during the 1960s, it’s a transportive novel that ought to be read by anyone who wants to understand the evolution of Nigeria. Add to Basket £8. 99 Japan and Korea Pachinko by Min Jin Lee ‘History has failed us, but no matter.’ So opens this multi-generational epic, spanning eight decades and four generations of one Korean family living in Japan. It’s an incredibly heartfelt tale about family, immigration, and the impact of racial oppression on communities and individuals that also taught me a lot about the relationship between these two nations. £8. 99 Add to Basket Australia Red Dirt by E.M Reapy Nothing so accurately transports me to the dusty heat of rural Australia as E.M. Reapy’s Red Dirt. Set against the backdrop of the global financial crash in 2008, three young Irish backpackers relocate to Australia full of hope and a sense of adventure. It’s dark and thrilling, at times heartbreaking, and an amazing evocation of the loneliness, bravado and folly of youth. Anyone whose plans to backpack around Australia have been scuppered may be pleased they stayed at home after reading this. £8. 99 Add to Basket Columbia The Lucky Ones by Julianne Pachico One of my favourite short story collections, The Lucky Ones is a series of interconnected short stories that reveal the dark heart of Columbia. A young woman waits in an empty house whilst an insurgency rises outside, and an incarcerated teacher recites Shakespeare to a class of leaves and twigs as he descends into madness induced by his captivity. These stories are both bizarre and blisteringly real, a gasping, gritty collection that shocks and simmers. £8. 99 Add to Basket

Merch There's no better way to stand out as part of our amazing BookBar community than by sporting some of our gorgeous merch. BookBar BookBags Price £12.99 Add to Basket

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Jobs at BookBar BookBar is an independent bookshop, wine bar, events and social space, which brings people together through books. We're a vibrant and innovative brand, always seeking new ways to make books appealing and fun. Whilst you can scroll down to read full job description below, regardless of the position, we are looking for the following values in our team members: People-loving - BookBar prides itself on being a welcoming, warm and friendly space, and we want any person who steps through the doors, comes to an event, or interacts with our team to feel welcome and accepted. BookBar is not just a bookshop but a bar too and it feels like your most well read friend's living room. Everything we do at BookBar is about celebrating the social side of reading, and our team set that social dynamic and help people to feel at ease. Book-loving - Do you love books? Do you want to share your love of books with others? Do you pride yourself on being the perfect book-matchmaker? We'd love to hear from you. Team-oriented - We're a small team and we care about one another, are kind to one another and have a lot of fun along the way. Enthusiastic - Passion is infectious and our team of book-lovers are an enthusiastic bunch. Whether you're into fiction in translation, the perfect coffee pour, or the most exquisite wine and book pairing, we're here for it and love hearing you share that with customers and one another. Organised - Bookselling and hospitality do require a lot of moving parts (from serving coffee and recommending to regular admin throughout a shift) so our team needs to be able to organise their time well and adapt to differently paced tasks. Does this sound like you? Scroll down to learn more about the positions you can apply for. Senior Bookseller and Barista (Weekends and Events) BookBar Chelsea We are looking for a book-lover with at least a year of bookselling experience to join our passionate team of booksellers at our vibrant West London bookshop. If you are enthusiastic about books and love people, we'd love to hear from you. Bonus if you can whip up a delicious flat white! Duties and responsibilities Customer service duties including: Making and serving coffee, wine and other refreshments to customers Serving customers at the till Recommending books Gift wrapping Daily bookshop administration including: Booking in new stock, putting new orders onto the system and processing returns. Tidying shelves and displays, regular cleaning of glasses, tables and bar area throughout the day, including end of day cleaning routine. Answering customer enquiries in person and by website, phone, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and email. Picking, wrapping and posting online customer orders. Administration relating to BookBar’s monthly Book Club and Subscription service. Supporting stock orders, deliveries and stock takes on F&B, food and administrative products. Working at off-site and in-store events. Keeping up to date with current titles and recommending books to customers. Maintaining high standards of customer service and food hygiene and safety. Covering emergency sickness etc. in the team. Deputising for the Managers, including: Being responsible for customer and staff safety, wellbeing and happiness, dealing with any issues that arise in store when the Managers are not present. Ensuring all policies and best practices are being adhered to by the team and maintaining the high standards of customer service, hygiene and practices expected. Placing stock orders. Acting a supervisor capacity and managing junior team members when the Manager is not in the shop. Essential skills and experience At least one year of bookselling experience in the last five years , ideally in an independent bookshop. Love of people and an enthusiastic, personable, approachable, positive, friendly, helpful and social personality, in line with the BookBar brand. Love of reading and a desire to keep up to date with publishing trends and new titles, as well as develop a general understanding of key backlist. Ability to work evenings and weekends. Desire to learn more about the bookselling and publishing industry and to develop bookselling skills. Strong organisational and administrative skills. Ability to work in an active retail environment. Strong customer service skills. Desire to work in a close-knit team. Creativity in considering new and exciting ways to sell books, and a desire to be part of an innovative brand. High standards of hygiene. Over the age of 18 and the right to work in the UK. Desired skills and experience Speciality coffee barista experience of at least 6 months in a speciality coffee shop within the last 2 years. Hours We are offering a minimum of 24 hours a week , with the opportunity to take on more hours at busy periods and to cover events, holiday and sickness. The job will require regular evening and weekend work. As this is a weekends and events position, the person who takes on this role will work every Friday-Sunday , at least one of which will be an evening shift. Pay £15.85/hour Location You will be required to work from both BookBar Chelsea, 11 Chelsea Manor Street, London, SW3 3TW and with occasional emergency/holiday cover at BookBar Islington, 166 Blackstock Road, London, N5 1HA and some external events across London . To apply, please fill in the application form in the 'Apply Now' link below by the end of day (11:59pm) on Thursday 23rd April 2026. Due to a high volume of applicants, we may be unable to contact all unsuccessful candidates. Interviews will take place on the week commencing 18th May 2026, with a start date of approximately w/c 15th June 2026, or sooner if the candidate is able. Apply now Barista and Bookselling Assistant (Weekends and Events) BookBar Chelsea We are looking for a book-loving barista to join us to help support on the hospitality and bookselling sides of the business at our West London bookshop. If you are enthusiastic about books, love people, and can whip up a delicious flat white, we'd love to hear from you. Duties and responsibilities Customer service duties including: Making and serving coffee, wine and other refreshments to customers Serving customers at the till Recommending books Gift wrapping Daily bookshop administration including: Booking in new stock, putting new orders onto the system and processing returns. Tidying shelves and displays, regular cleaning of glasses, tables and bar area throughout the day, including end of day cleaning routine. Answering customer enquiries in person and by website, phone, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and email. Picking, wrapping and posting online customer orders. Administration relating to BookBar’s monthly Book Club and Subscription service. Supporting with stock orders, deliveries and stock takes on F&B, food and administrative products. Working at off-site and in-store events. Keeping up to date with current titles and recommending books to customers. Maintaining high standards of customer service and food hygiene and safety. Covering emergency sickness etc. in the team. Essential skills Speciality coffee barista experience of at least 6 months in a speciality coffee shop within the last 2 years. Love of people and an enthusiastic, personable, approachable, positive, friendly, helpful and social personality, in line with the BookBar brand. Love of reading and a desire to keep up to date with publishing trends and new titles, as well as develop a general understanding of key backlist. Ability to work evenings and weekends. Desire to learn more about the bookselling and publishing industry and to develop bookselling skills. Strong organisational and administrative skills. Ability to work in an active retail environment. Strong customer service skills. Desire to work in a close-knit team. Creativity in considering new and exciting ways to sell books, and a desire to be part of an innovative brand. High standards of hygiene. Over the age of 18 and the right to work in the UK. Hours We are offering a minimum of 8 hours a week , with the opportunity to take on more hours at busy periods and to cover events, holiday and sickness. The job will require regular evening and weekend work. As this is a weekends and events position, the person who takes on this role will work every Saturday or Sunday , and one or two evenings in the week for events. Pay £14.80/hour Location You will be required to work from both BookBar Chelsea, 11 Chelsea Manor Street, London, SW3 3TW and with occasional emergency/holiday cover at BookBar Islington, 166 Blackstock Road, London, N5 1HA and some external events across London . To apply, please fill in the application form in the 'Apply Now' link below by the end of day (11:59pm) on Thursday 23rd April 2026. Due to a high volume of applicants, we may be unable to contact all unsuccessful candidates. Interviews will take place on the week commencing 18th May 2026, with a start date of approximately w/c 15th June 2026, or sooner if the candidate is able. Apply now

The Books of the Year Prescription For most of us, 2020 hasn't brought much in the way of joy. But it has brought some exceptional books. Our Shelf Medicate Prescriptions bring you the best books out there, and these are some of our favourites from this year. Choose between a small bundle of three or four books or a large bundle of six or eight book to have delivered to your door and then sit back, relax and enjoy your books. *Titles pictured are sample titles only. Small Bundle 3-4 Books £45 Add to Basket Large Bundle 6-8 Books £90 Add to Basket See All Shelf Medicate Prescriptions Head back to our Christmas shop How does it work? Choose your prescription Choose between a small or large bundle Pay via the PayPal link on our website Our literary expert will put together a unique selection of books based on the prescription you have chosen and the size. If you'd like to make any specific requests, please email orders@bookbaruk.com

Host An Event BookBar was created to celebrate the social side of reading, and nothing is more social than bringing people together for an event. Whilst we put together our own programme of public events curated for you by our booksellers, you can book BookBar for your own private event. Our capacity in both shops is as follows: BookBar Islington: standing capacity of 40 people and a theatre-style seated capacity of 25. BookBar Chelsea: standing capacity of 70 people and theatre-style seated capacity of 65. If you are thinking of hosting an event and love the idea of having it amongst our shelves, please read the below information before you get in touch, as hopefully it will cover some of your questions more quickly. Book Launches We love partnering with you to launch your book into the world, and our bookshop/wine bar combo makes the perfect space to celebrate your new book. We're sure you have lots of questions about how we can help to host your perfect book launch, so here's how we usually work: Our capacity is 40 standing at BookBar Islington and 70 at BookBar Chelsea. We look after both the book and the drink sales so you can relax and enjoy! We ask you to manage the guest list/door. We ask for a minimum bar spend across alcoholic and soft drinks. At BookBar Islington we ask for a £250 minimum spend and at BookBar Chelsea we ask for a £500 minimum spend. We won't ask for a deposit. The space is yours from 6:30pm-9pm, with the bar closing half an hour before close. We have direct relationships with publishers, and although we love working with authors directly, we ask that launch enquiries are directed through publishers only. At the moment we are only able to offer launches for hardback books, except in exceptional circumstances, where we would charge a hire fee as well as the minimum bar spend. We will get back to you as quickly as we can. However, as we are a busy bookshop and are so lucky to get a lot of enquiries, if you don't hear from us within 5 working days, it's likely that we aren't able to help on this occasion. If you don't hear from us regarding a specific event please do not hesitate to reach out for your next one! We love hearing from you and meeting new collaborators. Corporate Venue Hire We regularly partner with publishers and other arts organisations to organise private corporate events, like pre-publication evenings for bloggers, journalists and influencers, as well as booking the space for filming. The hire cost depends on the type of event and time. Please email events@bookbaruk.com and we will be able to help. Private Eve nts We would love to celebrate special moments with you but are sadly unable to book out the space for personal events like birthday parties or celebrations. We don't currently take table bookings! Thank you so much for thinking of hosting an event with BookBar! If you would like to get in touch about your event, please email events@bookbaruk.com . We look forward to celebrating the social side of reading with you.

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bookbar summer series IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: WE HAVE DECIDED TO POSTPONE THE FIRST TWO EVENTS OF OUR SUMMER SERIES DUE TO THE RISE IN COVID CASES IN LONDON. We will announce new dates in due course. Launching our live events series! Join BookBar for our very first series of in person events: the BookBar Summer Series. We can't wait to welcome a brilliant collection of talented authors to BookBar for the first time since we opened. Buy your book and ticket to attend the events in person, choose to watch via a live stream, or buy a pass to enjoy the full series in person or virtually. Scroll down for the full line up. SUMMER OF LOVE WITH NATASHA LUNN Join us for a conversation with Natasha Lunn to celebrate all forms of love and discuss Natasha's new book Conversations On Love. After years of feeling that love was always out of reach, journalist Natasha Lunn set out to understand how relationships work and evolve over a lifetime. She turned to authors and experts to learn about their experiences, as well as drawing on her own, asking: How do we find love? How do we sustain it? And how do we survive when we lose it? In Conversations on Love she began to find the answers: Philippa Perry on falling in love slowly, Dolly Alderton on vulnerability, Stephen Grosz on accepting change, Candice Carty-Williams on friendship, Lisa Taddeo on the loneliness of loss, Diana Evans on parenthood, Emily Nagoski on the science of sex, Alain de Botton on the psychology of being alone, Esther Perel on unrealistic expectations, Roxane Gay on redefining romance and many more... Natasha Lunn is a journalist Features Director at Red magazine and the founder of Conversations On Love, an email newsletter investigating love one interview at a time. She lives in London. In person tickets include a copy of the book (RRP: £14.99), a glass of wine and a ticket to attend the event in person with Natasha and get your book signed and dedicated by the author. Virtual tickets include a copy of the book and a ticket to watch a live stream of the event. Tuesday 24th August, 7pm Buy my ticket Buy my Series Ticket SUMMER OF obsession WITH Megan nolan Tuesday 21st September, 7pm Join us for a conversation with Megan Nolan to discuss her debut novel Acts of Desperation. Bitingly honest and darkly funny Acts of Desperation is a stunning debut novel about a toxic relationship and secret female desire, from an emerging star of Irish literature. It's been selected as a Stylist Book of the Year, and is certainly one of BookBar's too. Megan Nolan lives in London and was born in 1990 in Waterford, Ireland. Her essays, fiction and reviews have been published in The New York Times, The White Review, The Sunday Times, The Village Voice, The Guardian and in the literary anthology, Winter Papers. She writes a fortnightly column for the New Statesman. Acts of Desperation is her first novel. Choose between an in person ticket without the book, an in person ticket includes a copy of the book (RRP: £14.99), a glass of wine and a ticket to attend the event in person with Megan and the opportunity to get your book signed and dedicated by the author. Virtual tickets include a copy of the book and a ticket to watch a live stream of the event. Buy my ticket Buy my Series Ticket SUMMER OF lust WITH francesca reece and sarvAt hasin Chaired by Sarah shaffi Wednesday 1st September, 7pm Join us for a discussion with two novelists: Sarvat Hasin and Francesca Reece, chaired by Sarah Shaffi. The Giant Dark Aida is the defining rock star of her age; her every move observed, examined and owned by a devoted, cultish fanbase.When she disappears without a trace into a complicated love affair they are determined to find her, uncover her truths and own her once more. Aida and Ehsan reconnect after a decade apart, hoping to recapture the innocent, lost love of their youth. Before long, their connection is strained by secrets and jealousies and the past begins to blur with their present as they follow in the footsteps of mythic lovers before them.The Giant Dark is an award-winning debut novel about love and fame. Inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, it explores the consuming and devastating effects of using a lover as a muse. Voyeur Leah, a young woman who has found herself 'ambitioned' out of London, is now aimlessly adrift in Paris. Tired of odd jobs in cafes and teaching English to unresponsive social media influencers, her heart skips a beat when she spots an advert for a writer seeking an assistant.Michael was once the bright young star of the London literary scene, now a washed-up author with writer's block. He doesn't place much hope in the advert, but after meeting Leah is filled with an inspiration he hasn't felt in years. When Michael offers Leah the opportunity to join him and his family in their rambling but glorious property in the south of France for the summer, she finally feels her luck is turning.But as she begins to transcribe the diaries from his debauched life in 1960s Soho, something begins to nag at Leah's sense of fulfilment; that there might be more to Michael than meets the eye. Sarvat Hasin is a writer. She grew up in Pakistan and now lives in London and works at the Almeida Theatre. She studied politics and international relations at Royal Holloway and has a Master’s in Creative Writing from the University of Oxford. Her first novel, This Wide Night, was published by Penguin India and longlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. Her second book, You Can’t Go Home Again, was published in 2018 and featured in Vogue India‘s and the Hindu‘s end of year lists. She won the Moth Writer’s Retreat Bursary in 2018 and the Mo Siewcharran Prize in 2019. Her essays and poetry have appeared in publications such as Outsiders, the Mays Anthology, English PEN and Harper’s Bazaar. Francesca Reece grew up in Wales and having spent most of her twenties in Paris, now lives in London. She was the 2019 recipient of the Desperate Literature Prize for her short story ‘So Long Sarajevo/They Miss You So Badly’. Sarah Shaffi is a journalist, editor and interviewer, writing for Stylist, Phoenix, Penguin.co.uk, The Bookseller, and The New Arab. She has notably interviewed Booker Prize-winner Bernardine Evaristo, poet Nikita Gill, and authors Jojo Moyes, Candice Carty-Williams and Liane Moriarty, among others, regularly interviewing authors at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Southbank Centre and Asia House Literature Festival. Among various radio appearances, she has judged the Jhalak Prize for Best Book by a Writer of Colour and The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. Choose between an in person ticket without the book, an in person ticket including one or both of the books (RRP: £16.99), a glass of wine and a ticket to attend the event in person and the opportunity to get your book signed and dedicated by the author. Virtual tickets include a copy of one or both of the books and a ticket to watch a live stream of the event. Buy my ticket Buy my Series Ticket

BOOKBAR BOOKCLUB Past Book Selections Over the past five years, we've discussed more than fifty books, ranging from memoir to novels to short stories. We've read everything from contemporary fiction, historical fiction to thrillers, and speculative fiction. Our members have heard from the biggest names in literature, like Ann Patchett and Maggie O'Farrell, as well as discovering the most exciting new voices. The main criteria for our selection? Is this a book we recommend and think will generate a good discussion? Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam Price £9.99 Big Swiss by Jen Beagin Price £9.99 Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin Price £9.99 Chrysalis by Anna Metcalfe Price £9.99 Arrangements in Blue by Amy Key Price £10.99 Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri Price £9.99 The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi Price £9.99 I Will Greet The Sun Again by Khashayar J. Khabushani Price £9.99 North Woods by Daniel Mason Price £9.99 The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff Price £9.99 She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark Price £9.99 Booker Longlist My Friends by Hisham Matar Price £9.99 Chandler's Pick Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar Price £9.99 Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly Price £9.99 All That Glitters by Orlando Whitfield Price £10.99 Amy's Pick A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle Price £10.99 want to join us? Join the BookBar BookClub

Shelf Isolation 13 Books to Keep You Happy and Healthy During Lockdown We read books for many reasons: to learn something about the world around us, to feel inspired or moved. In uncertain times, we turn to books for comfort and escape. So here are some of BookBar's picks to keep you happy and healthy these uncertain times. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Isolated and friendless - except for her imposing mother, Eleanor Oliphant’s life is a lonely one, until an act of kindness makes her see that life can be more than just fine. This story of an outsider who finds her place in the world urges you to see the bright side of life. £8.99 Add to Basket A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Sentenced to a lifetime of house arrest in the attic of Moscow’s Hotel Metropol, accused of being an unrepentant aristocrat at a Bolshevik trial, Count Alexander Rostov must adapt to his new life sans luxury. A Gentleman in Moscow is a charming novel about one moment in Russian history from the eyes of a man in a unique observational position - and in lockdown. £8.99 Add to Basket Calypso by David Sedaris Known for his laugh-out loud wit, I’d recommend any of David Sedaris’ essay collections, but his most recent book, Calypso, feels well placed for our lockdown scenario. Set around the beach house he shares with his partner, it explores the ways that families come together and fall apart with a rare transparency that accompanies the humour. £8.99 Add to Basket The Salt Path by Raynor Winn A remarkable memoir about hope in the direst of situations, which turns a tragedy into an adventure. After losing their home and livelihood, Moth and Raynor discover that Moth is terminally ill. Bankrupt, homeless and in physical and emotional agony, the couple decide to walk England’s 630 mile south-west coastal footpath from Somerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall. The journey definitely isn’t an easy one, but what comes with it is cathartic and regenerative. Incredibly brave, moving and full of love, resilience and joy, this memoir will inspire you, post-lockdown, to slide on your walking boots in search of adventure - and also hope. £9.99 Add to Basket Factfulness by Hans Rosling Rich in data, but also joy, Factfulness argues that when we remove our biases and look at facts, we can see the world in a more positive light. Written pre-Pandemic, the world has changed hugely since the book was published in 2018, but its lessons remain the same. A book that will offer comfort to even the most cynical and inspire the most ignorant. £9.99 Add to Basket The Offing by Benjamin Myers ‘Poetry is mankind’s way of saying we are not entirely alone in the world’ says the wonderfully vivacious Dulcie in Benjamin Myers’ uplifting novel The Offing, which is set along the beautifully realised crags and cliffs of the North Yorkshire coast. When Robert sets off on a rambling adventure by foot, he stumbles upon the home of eccentric Dulcie and finds himself drawn to her unconventional lifestyle and her love of poetry. It’s a warm, wise and lyrically told novel about the sea, love, friendship, nature and poetry. £8.99 Add to Basket I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith The ultimate comfort read, from its first line (‘I write this sitting in the kitchen sink’) the joys of domesticity and family abound in this classic novel about an eccentric family who live in a dilapidated house in the English countryside. With wonderful characters, romance and a beautiful coming-of-age story, I Capture the Castle has everything you could want in an escapist read. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton This memoir of journalist and co-host of the podcast ‘The High Low’ is frank and funny. Charting the parties, dates, and follies of Dolly’s twenties - from her university days to her first job and the anticipation of turning thirty - this book is cringingly relatable, hilarious and beautifully wise. It’s a reminder of the value of friendship - and perhaps a warning to those who are already planning their post-isolation night out. £8.99 Add to Basket £8.99 Add to Basket Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig Billed as ‘a book about making the most of your time on earth’, Reasons to Stay Alive is one of the most joyful and accessible books about mental health I’ve read. Following novelist Matt Haig’s experience with depression, it’s a genuinely funny and incredibly truthful insight into the dark spectre of depression, and how it is possible to not only get your life back from this illness but live it to its fullest. £9.99 Add to Basket Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Reminiscent of the story of Fleetwood Mac and told through revelatory interviews with fictional band members, friends, and producers, Daisy Jones and the Six charts the rise and mysterious fall of the world’s most popular band. It’s full of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but it also interrogates the unhappiness behind the glamour and the people behind the icons. £8.99 Add to Basket The Examined Life by Stephen Grosz Written by a leading psychotherapist, The Examined Life shares Stephen Grosz’s personal encounters between a psychoanalyst and his patients, revealing how the art of insight can shed light on the most difficult and overwhelming experiences. A moving book about the nature of humanity and our extraordinary power for healing. £9.99 Add to Basket Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson There is much to be said for living room travel, and anything written by Bill Bryson is the perfect candidate for transporting you to new shores without even leaving your living room. In Notes From a Small Island, Bryson travels around the UK, uncovering the eccentricities of this island nation and the people who inhabit it. His witty observations about the cultures he visits will have you audibly chortling to yourself. Wherever you are in the world, Bryson is a superb travelling partner. £9.99 Add to Basket The Poetry Pharmacy by William Sieghart I have found poetry to be immensely helpful during these strange times and this book the most consolatory collection of them all. It’s a book I love full of lots of different poems and beautifully insightful commentary that are prescribed for emotional ailments from heartbreak and bereavement to regret, lethargy and anxiety. There are some real gems here, including a poem by Seigfreid Sassoon, ‘Everyone Sang’, that feels like it was written for this very moment. £12.99 Add to Basket