Beckenham Bookshop

Ta-Da!!
Here are the February Beckenham Bookshop Bestsellers!
Which ones did you buy?

Our next Poetry Book Club is on Tuesday 24th March, 6.30pm.
Wordsworth wrote about daffodils. Mary Oliver wrote about her dogs. What do you do when you work in a factory? Matthew Rice has written 'plastic', time stamping the poems over the length of a night shift. Available in the shop with £2 off.

Still, if any of you can wait 24 hours, we are happy to get hold of books for you!

Starting the day like the Monty Python cheese shop sketch , with a chap asking for book after book that we do not have...

I did point out that we order every day so we could get all of these for him by Monday, but this was, apparently, an unconscionable timescale.

Good morning, lovely readers and residents of Beckenham (and beyond). We are so in love with our view across from St George's this morning, we had to share photos of the most glorious dafs that are out and proud and enjoying today's sunshine.

Our next poetry book club choice is
plastic by Matthew Rice
beautifully produced by Fitzcarraldo.
We will be talking about it on Tuesday 24th March at 6.30pm
All Welcome!

Our next book club book is here!
We will be getting together to talk about The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue on Thursday 26th March at 6.30pm in the bookshop.
All welcome!

We are utterly delighted to have had the amazing Fatima Ordinola in today to illustrate our window. We don't mean to brag, but we think it looks rather splendid! We will now go ahead and fill the display with a whole bunch of lush children's picture books that we adore.

Q: Beckenham Booksellers!! Why such an empty window?
A: We are having our window illustrated later this week by artist and author Fatima Ordinola!
Watch this space!!

Yellow backpack left in bookshop late Friday afternoon.
Please get in touch if yours!

Today, as every year, we scramble to put together the World Book Day frame and display case, to much hilarity. And tomorrow, I get to load this gorgeous thing with all the new books selected for 2026 and I cannot wait!

There are some great books on our bestseller list for January, but on this very wet and grey day it has particularly cheered me up that the kid's list includes Bunny vs Monkey and Hans Christian Andersen.

jmarriott.substack.com/p/the-dawn-o...

Our next Queer Book Club choice is Deviants by Santanu Bhattacharya, meeting 6.30 on Monday 9th March, save yourself £2 on this title in the bookshop and come along for a chat.

...and more!

These absolutely tremendous puzzles have been so popular, and now there are more designs! Lots of book and author themes. Love them.

Our local bookshop is utterly delightful. Picked up some great purchases over the last few weeks. @beckenhambookshop.bsky.social #Beckenham #books #bookshop #reading

For our first Poetry Bookclub of 2026 we will be talking about Isabelle Baafi's beautifully crafted Chaotic Good.

The book is, as always, £2 off in the shop and we will meet on Wednesday 18th February at 6.30pm.

Everyone is welcome, no booking or expertise needed!

The quite wonderful Ella Mcleod popped by on Satuday afternoon to sign copies of her book Goldilocs, a lovely modern fairy story reminding kids they can be whatever they want to be and being themselves is the very best thing! #modernfairystory #beyourself

Book Club Klaxon!
Join us on Thursday 12th Feb at 6.30 to discuss How to Sleep at Night by Elizabeth Harris, all welcome.
Hurrah!

What a silly question...!
Depends on the time of year, the weather, my mood, what else have been reading...honestly, who can choose a favourite when there are so many amazing books out there!
What would you choose?

Advent Calendar Day 23!

Which thriller (or detective novel) could you not put down?
My choice (as in I'm choosing just the one...) would be Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers (a Lord Peter Wimsey mystery) which had one one those shouting at the screen moments: "NO!! DON'T GO DOWN THERE!"...😱

Advent Calendar Day 16!

What was your favourite audio book of the year?
I listened to all 5 of the Canon Clement Mysteries including the Christmas Novella, read by the author Richard Coles. Dryly funny and full of 1980's details.

Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynn Jones. I read it myself, and then out loud to my daughter which was a joyous experience, she was enraptured by it. The writing is outstanding, the imagination richly realised.

Bookish Advent Calendar 14!
What was your favourite formative middle grade book? Have you ever re-read it?

Bookish Advent Calendar 11!
What was the last book you read set in another country?
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, another beautiful publication from Fitzcarraldo set mainly in Berlin. What happens when you constantly chase an Instagram lifestyle?

Day 9 of our advent calendar!
William, the father in Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl.
He combines excitement and security - full of schemes and ideas but always coming back to their old caravan home. I still love this book.

Bookvent day 8, what cook books do you enjoy cooking from?
Well, here in the bookshop we mostly enjoy making tea....

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! Today is Day 7 in our Book Advent Calendar. Today it is all about picture books! MY (Liz) persnal favourite is Don't Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus. It is pure silliness and fun.