'They come because of the Brontë connection and tend to be naturally drawn to bookshops'

Tanya Gold writes about Hilary Mantel for Evening Standard.

I met Hilary Mantel in 2013 in Clapham. She was working with the Royal Shakespeare Company to turn Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies into plays.

I had marvelled at her prose, of course. When I read Wolf Hall it spooled out, as if she was inexhaustible. I kept saying, “It’s better than Jane Eyre”. (A book by a similarly almost-thwarted female artist filled with sensibility. Both Brontë and Mantel were told not to write for their health as young women.)

The Bookseller features Diane Park, owner of the lovely bookshop Wave of Nostalgia in Haworth.

"As the home of the Brontës, Haworth is the home of strong women, so my shop reflects that. All the books are curated by me. I live and breathe books and I want my shop to be where I can share my discoveries. The heart of the shop is the round table piled high with brilliant books and topped with fresh flowers. Like the famous sisters up the road, walking around their table, we walk around here talking about books and life, life and books. I don’t only stock women writers, though. I welcome authors that share my world view. Also, I don’t only stock big names and bestsellers. If I enjoy a book, it’s in."

"More local people found us during lockdown and grew to appreciate the wealth of independent shops on their doorstep. We aren’t just for the tourists. We also have people returning from all over the world. They come because of the Brontë connection and tend to be naturally drawn to bookshops. At the moment, the cost-of-living crisis is impacting everything from the cost of paper, transport and print to how much money people have spare for books.

"However social media has really brought customers to the shop, and Strange Woman by Stephanie Shields (The Sheep Shed Press) is flying off the shelves. I have taught myself how to make Instagram my shop’s friend, so when I have guest authors—such as Benjamin Myers, Rob Cowen, Rowan Coleman, Sharon Wright—I make little films to post."

"I am growing my poetry section, which feeds the monthly Poetry Curious events. Our guest poets have included James Nash, Rosie Garland and Michael Stewart. We do a monthly Poetry Curious event: it’s free, and designed to introduce more people to poetry. We have book signings in the shop and author talks at local venues and I’m thinking about creating my own space." (Ruth Comerford)