How are you?
The film festival recently took place in Zeeland Film by the Sea place, which attracts a large audience from all over the country, who also like to visit the bookstore. So it was a busy week, we haven’t noticed much of inflation yet. The big guest at the film festival was the Mexican writer Guillermo Arriaga who is also a director and scriptwriter, he received an oeuvre prize. Such an amiable man, he packed everyone, that’s why we have his novel Save the fire sold remarkably well, it is at number 2.
Many new books will be released in September and October, can you get them all out?
‘It is shifting, we would prefer to have a few more tables, but that doesn’t fit. And it is not the least of them that appear now: Oek de Jong, Arthur Japin, Herman Koch, Jaap Robben and Raynor Winn.
‘It is sometimes a pity that the beautiful small expenses are lost because of those enormous piles. Books that you, as a bookseller, want to give some extra attention.’
Like?
‘Where the wolf lurks by Israeli writer Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, her two previous novels were fantastic. Also the beautiful novella kitchen by the Japanese writer Banana Yoshimoto deserves a nice place. Like Trio by Johanna Hedman, which is written almost Sally Rooney-esque.
‘Publishers could spread out a little better. Because there are also a lot of ‘midpricers’ coming out. Maybe they should wait with that. But in view of inflation and the fear that people will save money, publishers think: let’s republish some cheaper books. I wonder if that’s a good thing.’
What is your book tip of the week?
‘Small faltering flights by the young writer Femke Brockhus. A book that you keep wanting to reread because it contains beautiful hidden references to, for example, Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf. The title is an ode to Vasalis. Brockhus’ short fierce sentences explode like bombs in your brain. Very beautifully and poetically written.’
Top ten Bookstore ‘t Spui in Vlissingen:
1. Jaap Robben: Twilight Life; The Geus
2. Guillermo Arriaga: Saving the Fire; Meridian Publishers
3. Delia Owens: Where the crayfish sing; The House of Books
4. Herman Koch: The Royal House; Ambo/Anthos
5. Arthur Japin: What silence wants; The Workers’ Press
6. Sergio Herman: Homage; Nijgh & Van Ditmar
7. Raynor Winn: Landlines; Balance
8. Alba Donati: The Bookstore in the Mountains; Cossee
9. Jamie Oliver: ONE – Simple & delicious from 1 pan; Cosmos publishers
10. Stephen King: Fairy Tale; Library
The Volkskrant Boekenraad consists of: Athenaeum Zuidoost in Amsterdam, Bijleveld in Utrecht, Den Boer in Baarn, Funke in West-Terschelling, De Kinderboekentuin in Breda, Kramer in Winterswijk, Het Leesteken in Purmerend, ‘t Spui in Vlissingen and Wagner in Sassenheim.