West Sussex Libraries

Last year West Sussex County Council decided that the libraries should have hardbacks and paperbacks shelved together, albeit categorised as Crime, Thriller, Historic, Romance and the rest.

Although I thought it a bit inconvenient if you only wanted paperbacks, it didn't particularly bother me.  Until…..  my back problem worsened.  For example, instead of taking 6 books and making fewer library visits I am now down to either 2 hardbacks or 4 paperbacks.  This has, of course, got me thinking about the inconvenience for the disabled.

Think about it - standing at an unnatural angle with neck bent sideways to read the title.  If you can only carry a couple of paperbacks it now means standing like that for a longer period of time in order to find books you enjoy.

Last week, to my horror, I discovered that they have compounded the problem by now shelving Crime and Thriller together.  Two different genre and not many people like both.

Ironically on my return home I found the following e-mail - in response to one I wrote several weeks ago:

"Thank you for your recent correspondence with the Library Service, which has been passed to me, as the person with general responsisbility for stock matters,  for reply.
Whilst I quite understand your point, I have to pass some of the blame towards the publishing industry.  These days, in excess of 70% of newly published titles we select for addition to stock are being published in paperback, making paperbacks by far the majority format.  I know for a fact that publishers are now only likely to produce hardbacks where they are guaranteed a large number of sales, and therefore the shift to the volume of paperback publishing is only going to increase.
For this reason, we cannot sustain separate collections within our libraries for the two formats, short of offering an organised arrangement of sturdy books on shelves, and a chaotic collection of variously sized paperbacks on spinners.  I'm sure you can appreciate this creates additional problems for those customers who are looking for particular titles or authors.
So the shift in all 36 West Sussex libraries will be towards interfiling hard- and paperbacks alike, into sequences favoured by the borrowing public (for instance, separate sequences for crime and thriller books), and leaving the promotion of the newest and most popular titles through displays on standalone units or face-on display.
I appreciate this doesn't give you the answer you may have hoped for, but I hope it does go some way in explaining the reasons behind what is happening.
Yours sincerely"

I do hope you noticed the error in this e-mail!  Incidentally, at Rustington and Littlehampton libraries the paperbacks were shelved alphabetically and categorised.

Maybe I'm being paranoid about this, but bearing in mind the number of library closures…..  Is this West Sussex Council's subtle way of discouraging some people from using small libraries so that they can close them down on the basis of under-use?

I will be tweeting this so if you see it, can you please retweet.  We have to fight against library closures.

Diamond Jubilee Year

The Diamond Jubilee celebrations have begun.  The Queen (with Prince Philip and the Duchess of Cambridge) started her tour of the UK last week and Prince Harry has just completed his first Official Tour which took in the Caribbean and Brazil.  Other members of the Royal Family will be undertaking various tours on behalf of Her Majesty.

In June, as well as the major celebrations there is also Trooping the Colour which celebrates the Monarch's Official Birthday.  This year it will be on June 16th and I'm sure that it will be even more fantastic than ever.  It is London's most spectacular display of Pomp and Circumstance.  [My article about it has fantastic photos by Harald Joergens - www.haraldjoergens.com.]

Seats for this spectacular are already sold out but there will be Reviews on the two previous Saturdays.  For information log on to www.trooping-the-colour.co.uk.  In the evenings of 13/14 June there will be Beating Retreat at Horse Guards Parade.  Music will be by the Massed Bands of the Guards Regiments with guest appearance of tenor, Wynne Evans and it will finish with fireworks.  The web site for this is www.guardsbeatingretreat.com. 

If you want to feel a part of Trooping the Colour, then you need to be in The Mall to watch Her Majesty and the soldiers pass by.  To make sure of a good space you will probably need to be there very early in the morning - or overnight!

Later in the summer Buckingham Palace opens to the public.  This year's exhibition is all about Diamonds with some of Her Majesty's jewellery on display.  Wherever you are in the UK there is bound to be a related exhibition or event.

Top tip:  Book early for both Buckingham Palace and Clarence House (home of the Prince of Wales).

For details about Buckingham Palace and Clarence House go to www.royal.gov.uk

I have some articles on theTravelEditor.com about Trooping the Colour, Diamond Jubilee Exhibitions, Buckingham Palace (2), Clarence House and other palaces and castles.

(www.thetraveleditor.com/authors/6261/Barbara_Bothwell/)

Evocative Music Brings Back Memories

The village of Orient

One morning while listening to Classic FM a wonderful memory was awoken.  The music was the beautiful Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia by Khachaturian.  Probably better known as the music of "The Onedin Line".

In the 1970s I was working in Mallorca so didn't see British television.  I didn't even have a telly as I seemed always to be working.

One of my jobs was acting as guide on some of the coach trips, my favourite being a morning drive into the mountains.  Following our coffee and cake stop at the hamlet of Orient we returned to the main road.  Having talked myself out on the way to Orient, the return journey was quiet as we admired the scenery.

This Adagio* has long been a favourite of mine so I was thrilled when the coach company purchased a new vehicle with a cassette player.  The first time I was on this coach for the Orient trip on the return journey I put in my tape commenting that it fit right in with the mountains.

Back came several cries, "That's the Onedin Line music!"  Of course they then had to tell me all about this programme.

Oh, so different from mountains.

* I once saw this beautiful Adagio performed by a couple of 'soloists' of the Kirov Ballet.  It was magical.

Rock'n'Roll Murders on Amazon

I always enjoy writing my books and this one was fabulous to write.  It is set in 1959 which, as well as evoking memories, also needed plenty of research.  Everything from the 'pop' scene to fashions.  For example, Elvis was doing his military service, Cliff Richard's backing group was called the Drifters, David Whitfield and Ronnie Hilton were the British crooners of choice.  And, of course, there were the fashions.  As young people didn't earn much, fashion was a bit limited.  Men mostly wore trousers (in the summer flannels) and shirts but the young women were luckier.  Full skirts, pleated skirts and dresses, pinafore dresses, strapless tops and shorts.  The popular men's haircut was the DA with the bubble cut being favoured by women.

In those days the police still patrolled on foot, the police car of choice was the Wolseley and, of course, the blue police boxes were still around - shades of Tardis!

As well as being able to purchase downloads of the book, there are also a few available in library section which can be borrowed.

Sales of Homicide in Hampshire and all of the Cleo Marjoribanks Mysteries are still going strong, the latest being Murder in Mitcham Parva.  Many thanks for the lovely comments about them.

As they say - watch this space for more information!

And did you know that you can download the Kindle APP? 

The Cheap Flights Experience

Having just experienced my first flights on a 'cheap flight' airline, I am not impressed.

I'm sure that for a short business trip that only needs an overnight case they are fine.  Unfortunately, as there is a charge per suitcase in the hold, people are taking their cases on as hand baggage.  Many years ago I bought a small wheelie to use as hand baggage and was told that it was too large and had to be checked in.

Once upon a time you were only allowed to take a small piece of hand baggage.  Now cases and bags over that maximum size are being allowed on board.  It just doesn't make sense.  I met a business gentleman who only had an overnight bag.  By the time he got on board there wasn't room for his small bag so that had to go into the hold - and he had to pay for it.

I did have a quiet chuckle when we arrived back at Gatwick.  The 'plane did not connect up to the stand so we had to take staircase down from the 'plane, walk across the tarmac and climb up a staircase.  Picture it - all those people too mean to pay for their 13/14kg weighted cases struggling with those staircases.

One answer is for airlines to add the £10 to their fares and not charge for luggage to go into the hold.  The airlines will gain financially and passengers will have an easier time.

Alternatively limit the size and weight of cases being used as hand baggage.

Return to Palma, Mallorca

One thing I didn't expect on my first night was a huge fireworks display to greet me, but that is what I got!  I was lucky enough to have a room overlooking the harbour at the Hotel Costa Azul. 

 Of course the fabulous display wasn't really for me.  It was to celebrate Palma's patron saint - St. Sebastian.

 During the 1970s I worked in Mallorca for Cosmos as a Hotel Rep - sometimes called a courier.  The best bit of the job for me was guiding.  My first summer I was based in Alcudia in the north of the island where, due to a lack of official guides, we also guided the day trips so I got to know the island very well.  For the whole of my stay in Mallorca I guided the evening tours which made for very long hours.  No, I never again want to eat barbecued chicken!

 Strolling around Palma brought back to many memories.  The 'coach park' - a tract of land near the Cathedral in those days - is now paved over and is a part of the park in front  of the Cathedral which is mirrored in a vast lake.

 I wandered along to Plaza Gomila which was once the centre of night life with loads of restaurants and the entrance to Tito's Night Club.  That is where I saw some truly historic  performers - Bertice Redding who made me cry with her rendition of 'When a Man Loves a Woman' and that heroine of the French Resistance, Josephine Baker.  Even at the great age she then was the performance was spine tingling.

 Then of course there was that night during my first season when I lost the coach.  We came out of Tito's with all of the other coach parties, but no amount of searching produced our coach.  Eventually we were the only people left.  Obviously drastic action was needed.  I found taxis to take us back to Alcudia.  The coach driver's excuse?  He had a cousin in Palma and went to dinner with her family.  Yes, well, if you believe that.....

 In later years I was based just outside Palma in San Agustin and worked at a hotel called the Jumbo Park - the name was changed in the 1980s.  My favourite night off was to go into Palma for dinner at a Chinese restaurant (made a change from 2* hotel food), then to Rikki's Bar, followed by a drink and chat in the nightclub owned by Los Valldemossa (they who first recorded Viva Espana!).  From there it was down to Paseo Maritimo to a disco at the Palas Atenea.  Not so much to dance but to drink and chat to a friend (honestly, that's all he was) who worked at the bar.

 No, I'm not a kiss and tell kind of woman but I did kiss a lot of Spaniards - among others.

 Yes, I did enjoy the 1970s in Mallorca even if they did end with the years of the Lager Louts.  Which, of course, is why I left to go and work on a cruise ship in the Caribbean and have been addicted ever since to cruises, but that's another story.

Books, books and Books

At the moment my life seems to be full of books.  And I'm not just talking about the half-a-dozen or so that I get each week from the library.  (My reading matter is mostly crime with a few historical ones thrown in for good measure.)

I recently finished writing another crime novel which has turned into a police procedural so there is a lot more work to be done on that.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get some help from my local police.

In the meantime I am reading through the manuscript of another of my books so that I can prepare it for electronic publishing on AMAZON.  This is also a crime novel but with a large dose of nostalgia as it is set in 1958 - a time I remember well as I was still in my teens.

As if that isn't enough, I have begun writing another book. This is especially for 'Cleo' fans as it features the colourful heroine of "Homicide in Hampshire".

So far as the two e-published books are concerned (Homicide in Hampshire and Writing Can Be Murder), the December sales figures are now in and both sold well.  Many thanks to all of you who bought them.  And, of course, I hope you enjoyed them.

Do remember that you can also download these books onto your computer, I-Pad (Apple), Kobo (W.H.Smith), Nook (Barnes & Noble), Sony e-Book or Diesel eBook, via Smashwords.

www.smashwords.com/profile/view/barbarabothwell

www.amazon.com
www.amazon.co.uk