BOOK THREE - Christmas at The Secondhand Bookworm - now available to read - Bookshop, bookshop novels

BOOK THREE 'BOOKWORM' SERIES
'Christmas at The Secondhand Bookworm'
by Emily Jane Bevans


I am pleased to be able to make available my third novel based upon my ten years working in and helping to run/manage three secondhand and antiquarian bookshops on the South coast of England.

Book three takes place over Christmas and covers one week working in 'The Secondhand Bookworm' in Castletown. I had a lot of fun writing this book. Working in the bookshops over Christmas was always memorable and provided chaos, mayhem, bafflement and entertainment in the world of used and antiquarian book-selling.

Snow in 'Arundel' where I worked for 10 years - taken during the
events in chapter 5
In 'Christmas at The Secondhand Bookworm' we spend a week in the 'Castletown' bookshop with Nora Jolly leading up to Christmas.
Here is my blurb:

CHRISTMAS AT THE SECONDHAND BOOKWORM

Christmas has arrived and it's a week of mayhem in The Secondhand Bookworm, a three floored bookshop filled with countless used or antiquarian books upon books upon books. The winter weather descends upon Castletown and threatens to add snow-sludge chaos to the festivities, but nothing seems to be able to deter the many regulars hunting out their obsessive collections, numerous postcard buyers demanding Christmas stamps and the new Woman in Gold from sporting a variety of ludicrous hats. 

 Nora Jolly quickly discovers that someone has painted the front room of the shop pink, that one of their regulars has started to steal books, that the singing and parachuting Father Christmas decoration has some rather eccentric competition, what it's like to be snowed in with only 27,000 books for company and how many people will utter the dreaded phrase: 'It's warm in here!" when they enter wrapped in their scarves, bobble hats, gloves and coats. 

 The owner of The Secondhand Bookworm, Georgina Pickering, meanwhile has the flu but she's determined to be well enough for the Christmas staff meal at a Chinese restaurant, where things escalate rapidly out of control when a rival party group named 'Grott and Co' starts lobbing food at The Secondhand Bookworm gathering, the DJ is acting suspicious and the dance floor is disturbingly close to where they are sitting. 

 Betty puts on a disguise for some amusing undercover work, Humphrey battles jealousy when the new Duke of Castletown takes up residence in his freshly renovated castle and takes a liking to Nora, Cara enjoys attention from Nora's brother, Seymour whose opening night at his theatre is the final festive gathering for staff and a variety of bookworms on Saturday night, and Roger, as glum as usual, isn't that impressed about sporting a Christmas Turkey hat for 'Shopping by Candlelight'.

 Thieves, snowmen, mountains of mince pies, a Christmas Farmer's Turkey Fair, the fabled Knucker Dragon, a traumatic glimpse of Mr Hill's underpants and an Anthropodermic bibliophile make this third volume in The Secondhand Bookworm series of hilarious, lighthearted, feel-good novels an unforgettable and highly enjoyable read. Book Three can be read alone but is best enjoyed after The Secondhand Bookworm and Nora and The Secondhand Bookworm, also available on Kindle and in paperback.

And here is my chapter list:

1) INSIDE THE PINK ROOM
2) THE SINGING FATHER CHRISTMASES
3)  HI-DE-HI AND THE KNUCKER DRAGON
4) OF MINCE PIES AND MEN
5) SNOWED IN WITH ONLY 27,000 BOOKS FOR COMPANY
6) THE SNOWMAN IN THE YARD
7) THE GRINCH WHO STOLE THE SUSSEX BOOKS
 8) ROGER THE ELF
 9) MR HILL’S UNDERPANTS, THE DUKE AND SHOPPING BY CANDLELIGHT
 10) THE DISGUISE IN CHRISTMAS TOWN
11) THE RAVENS AND THE CHRISTMAS STAFF MEAL
 12) FELIX AND THE CHRISTMAS FARMERS TURKEY MARKET
13) THE SURPRISE AT THE JOLLY CHRISTMAS THEATRE

Christmas at The Secondhand Bookworm is now available through Amazon Kindle and in paperback - start reading the series today!

Coming soon - Summer at The Secondhand Bookworm



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