Yesterday evening the Radio 4 arts programme, Front Row, did a feature on the fabulous Mr. B’s Emporioum of Reading Delights bookstore in Bath. The programme centers primarily on the Bookshop Band and the songs they have written for the evening readings. It also includes comments from Patrick Ness.

The programme is available via the Listen Again service. The section on Mr. B’s begins at around 21 minutes in. That will be up for a week. There’s also a highlights podcast of each week’s shows, but I don’t know if Mr. B’s made it into that. Many thanks to Sarrenah for the tip-off about this.

I popped into the store today while I was in Bath to check on the details. They were understandably very happy, and hugely grateful to Patrick who was apparently instrumental in making the feature happen.

Of course I had to buy a book, and I was pleased to spot the latest volume of Malcolm Pryce’s spoof noir mysteries set in Aberystwyth. I reviewed the first volume, Aberystwyth, Mon Amour, in Emerald City. The latest volume has an SF theme. It is called The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still, and in it Louie Knight has to discover whether the supposedly long-hanged gangster, Iestyn Probert, is indeed dead, has managed to escape justice or, as local rumor has it, was abducted by aliens. I’m looking forward to it.

Also while I was in the store a young man came in to pick up a book he had ordered: Triplanetary by E.E. Doc Smith. I told him about BristolCon. I see that a membership has come in this afternoon. I love it when things like that happen.