» Written in Frome

Our Little Literary Town

Frome is well-known for its blooming artistic community. But did you know that our little town is also home to a plethora of exceptional writers? Well, it’s true. So we thought we’d take a closer look at some of the wonderful books published by locals. And if you see something you like, you’ll be able to find them all at the best bookshop in the world, Hunting Raven.

Tate: Master Watercolour David Chandler David Chandler is known as not only a wonderful artist and art teacher, but also for the brilliant ‘Seeing Things’, a monthly visual arts magazine for FromeFM. Taking inspiration from iconic paintings in the Tate collection, David’s book, Tate Masters: Master Watercolour, helps you discover the techniques of the greats and improve your own painting skills with 30 guided projects. As you progress through the exercises, you’ll learn how to work ‘wet into wet’ with Maggi Hambling, master colour temperature with John Singer Sargent and create rhythm and unity in your paintings with John Nash. The Island Home Libby Page Sunday Times’ bestselling novelist Libby Page has just moved to Frome. Her entrancing books include The Lido, a feelgood story about two women who come together to save their local baths, and The 24 Hour Café - a tale of friendship, belonging and never giving up on your dreams. Her third book The Island Home is out on 24th June .

A Small Farm Future Chris Smaje From Chris Smaje (of Vallis Veg) comes a timely offering: A Small Farm Future, which offers a new outlook on the way forward for society. A vital resource for activists, students, policy makers and anyone looking to enact change, Chris’s book makes the case for organising human societies around small-scale, local and ecological farming in order to meet the environmental and political challenges of our times.

WILD TEA Nick Moyle and Rich Hood Written by Nick Moyle and Rich Hood, Wild Tea is a culmination of many years of experience which all began, as many good stories should, with scrumping apples to make cider. They quickly moved on to growing ingredients to make ever more ambitious forms of home brew, quickly becoming known as The Two Thirsty Gardeners. Their blog was so popular that it wasn’t long until they produced their first book, Brew It Yourself which featured alcoholic recipes for various wines, beers, cocktails and, of course, ciders. The Two Thirsty Gardeners appear regularly on the gardening events circuit, such as RHS Hampton Court and BBC Gardeners’ World Live, demonstrating their recipes. When they were asked to host a morning slot for a family event they realised that talking about home brew might not be very appropriate, so started to look into home grown and foraged teas. This quickly became part of their repertoire.

“During our research,” says Nick, “we discovered that you can grow the plant that makes familiar black and green teas in your own garden (Camellia sinensis); that the popular border plant ‘bee balm’ (Monarda didyma) makes a delicious tea popular with Oswega Indians; and that plants as diverse as pot marigold, nettles, hawthorn, yarrow and blackcurrant leaves can all be infused for a top notch cuppa.”

Wild Tea guides you through the incredible uses of 40 of the best home-grown and foraged ingredients, allowing you to take your health and wellness into your own garden and create specialised brews at home.

WINSTONE’S HUNTING RAVEN IS AN AWARD-WINNING INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOP IN THE HEART OF FROME.

With over 9,000 titles in stock and access to a further 500,000 on next day delivery, we really do offer something for everyone.

We offer a full programme of events throughout the year; from author talks and signings to our truly unique pre-publication review club, the ‘Proof Pudding Club’.

www.winstonebooks.co.uk

T: 01373 473111 E: winstonebooks3@gmail.com 9-10 Cheap St | Frome | Somerset | BA11 1BN

ON SALE NOW

Visit Hunting Raven, 10 Cheap St, Frome or http://bit.ly/wildteaFrome

Discover the incredible uses of 40 of the best home-grown and foraged ingredients as the Two Thirsty Gardeners guide you through their original brew-it-yourself recipes.

The Witches Of Selwood Andrew Pickering The ancient forest of Selwood straddling the borders of Somerset and Wiltshire was rife in witchcraft practices in the seventeenth century. Andrew Pickering’s The Witches of Selwood explores the connections between important theological texts written in the region, influential local families, and the extraordinary witchcraft accounts in the area. In particular it focuses on a little known case in Beckington in 1689, and shows how this was not a late, isolated episode but an integral part of the wider Selwood Forest witchcraft story.

The World Made A Rainbow Michelle Robinson If you buy books for small children then you will almost definitely have come across the work of Michelle Robinson, from classics such as Goodnight Tractor to silly stories like How To Wash A Woolly Mammoth. A recent favourite, The World Made a Rainbow, is a beautiful story about staying connected to the people we love, and was written to help small children navigate their way through the complex emotions caused by the 2020 lockdown. NURDLE Claire Vowell Nurdle, by Claire Vowell, is an engaging book for little children, aimed at explaining the issue of microplastics in an entertaining and affecting way. Brilliantly illustrated by fellow Fromie Jo Joof, the book is a must read for the next generation.

The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide Jen Gale If you want to reduce your carbon footprint and start making greener choices, then Sustainable(ish) Living Guide by Jen Gale is the book for you. Jen’s approach is refreshingly honest and does not strive for perfection. This is a guilt-free, do-what-youcan guide which contains easy, do-able ideas and suggestions for you to pick and choose from, try out and adapt - plus bucketfuls of encouragement as you explore what works for you and your family.

The Frequency Of Us Keith Stuart Alongside his work as a writer for The Guardian, Keith Stuart has found time to produce two bestsellers, A Boy Made Of Blocks and Days Of Wonder. His third release, The Frequency Of Us, came out in March and has already stunned readers with its winning combination of sweeping love story, intriguing mystery and complex characters. The Silent Stones Tom Charlesworth Illustrator Tom Charlesworth creates atmospheric and intricate drawings inspired by myth and legend. His first book The Silent Stones is a stunningly illustrated graphic novel, following the story of a group of warriors as they head off to battle.

Where The Wild Things Grow David Hamilton David Hamilton is a highly experienced forager and explorer. In Where the Wild Things Grow David shares his wealth of knowledge and helps us to see the wild food that is all around us. You’ll discover where to find mallows, mustards and pennywort, as well as sumac, figs and mulberries. You’ll learn how to pick the sweetest berries, preserve mushrooms using only a radiator and prepare salads, risottos and puddings all with wild food. In this book David aims not only to teach the reader how and where to hunt for food, but also how to come face to face with the natural world right on our doorstep. The Stonemason Andrew Ziminski In his thirty-year career, stonemason Andrew Ziminski has worked on many of our greatest monuments. From Neolithic monoliths to Roman baths and temples, from the tower of Salisbury Cathedral to the engine houses, mills and aqueducts of the Industrial Revolution and beyond, The Stonemason explores his very personal history of how Britain was built - from the inside out. Stone by different stone, culture by different culture, Andrew Ziminski (with his faithful whippet in tow) takes us on an unforgettable journey by river, road and sea through our countryside showing how the making of Britain’s buildings offers an unexpected and new version of our island story.