Times surely do change. When I first started selling books everything was done with pen and paper, and now here I am responsible for an online blog. Readings Malvern's own little spot on the net, here to enlighten and entertain you. The powers that be seem to have failed to realise if I was any good with words I'd be writing books instead of selling them, so you have my apologies in advance.

At the moment I'm very excited about the impending release of the film adaptation of The Painted Veil, W. Somerset Maugham's novel of an english doctor, who after being cuckolded by his socialite wife takes her to a cholera burdened village in the remote Chinese countryside. As with all Maugham's work, the intimate landscape of human relationships is explored beautifully and if you've not read the book Vintage are re-publishing it to coincide with the release. You can view the trailer here

Our customers (that would be you) are currently being inspired by a trio of fine women writers; Geraldine Brooks' People of the Book, Helen Garner's The Spare Room and Joan London's The Good Parents are by some stretch our bestselling titles.

Of course we're not just about books, and things took a bizarre turn of events earlier this week when Jack White, surrealist rock genius extraordinaire, came wandering through our door, guitar slung across his back, to check out how sales of Consolers of the Lonely the new album by his band The Saboteurs, where going. Fortunately, this great CD has had a fair amount of play in store and the response has been two thumbs up.

Our strangest enquiry of the week: Do you have in store appearances by a clairvoyant? Sadly no, and it made me think. Perhaps such a person could be used to provide a post-deceased in store author event? For myself I'd be happy to have a ghostly phone call with the aforementioned Mr Maugham, Graham Greene or Ian Fleming.

To those of you who have braved the uneven ground of the road works going on outside the shop we salute you and we expect work to be completed by weeks end. That's all for now, except to say that not everything you read here may be entirely true.