The only thing small about Bookish on 23 High Street in Crickhowell is its size. I’ve been told that author Adele and illustrator Lizzie, both responsible for the Bookish bestseller The Hedgerow Handbook. I’ve also been promised tea and welshcakes. If I’ve thought about it at all, I’ve probably envisioned something like a traditional book signing, but there’s no sign of it when I enter the store. And when I look around – the gift cards, the little table with childrens book, the shelves lining the walls, and the counter in the corner furthest away – I begin to wonder whether or not anyone could fit a traditional book signing in here. Or, for that matter, tea.

In everything else, however, Bookish is great – in the range of books, for example, or the number of book clubs,and definitely in energy and ambition.

The woman behind the counter is not Emma, the owner, who I’m there to meet. “Hi, you must be Katarina. I recognized you because of the suitcase” – I’m already struggling to lugg it around without accidently knocking something down – “Emma isn’t here at the moment. She’s… out. Somewhere. She’s always running about. Force of nature. I’m Adele. Tea? Let me just clear some books away here by the table, there you go, and a nice cup of tea.”
I got the Go away, I’m writing-cup, but I like to point out here that it was she who decided on it.I can be quite polite.
“Let me just pop out next door and get us some welshcakes.”
And then she was off, leaving me alone in a shop full of books. Big mistake. Huge. But my self control did not let me down, I did not steal a single one.

And then a few minutes later, the shop was full: Emma turned up, with illustrator Lizzie, who also brought along some of her wonderful print. “We’re having an art walk”, Emma explained, “so the shop gives up their windows to showcast art.”

This was after the buy locally-week that were going on right now.

With four people having tea and welshcakes and looking at prints, the shop was almost full. “I would like to have more space”, Emma explained later. “But the problem is – there isn’t really any large shops in Crickhowell.”

This, of course, does not stop Emma. If you cannot squeeze more people into the bookshop, you have to take the bookshop out to the people.

“We’ve got a James Patterson-grant and used crowdfunding, and we’re almost there now.”

She’s planning a Book bus (!).

After tea, she took me out to lunch. “We have nine reading groups at the moment. I think I told Louise they were seven, but then I counted them and realize we have nine. It would be so great if you could come back for the Independent Bookseller Week, I would like to do something with the local library. They’re struggling a bit at the moment.”
I would of course love to come back. Louise is responsible for my schedule, but…
“Great. I’ll just email her and tell her that I took you out to lunch and that we are now great friends and that you would love to come back.”

Which is definitely true. I only hope the Book bus will be ready by then, but otherwise I’ll just have to come back again. And again and again and again.