New Year, New Stock, New Plans.

This month I finally got around to reading Ray Bradury's Fahrenheit 451, figuring that if we were planning on naming our bookstore after it I probably should have read it. It is a novel in the proud tradition of the dystopias that appeared in the 40s and 50s, sharing conceptual ground with such currently-in-stock-at-four-five-one-books literary treats as 1984 and Brave New World as well as their clarity of foresight. It is also a love story for the book, under the Nick Cave definition. All in all, a worthy reference for a bookstore name. This summer I managed to set aside some quality reading time by spending the first week of 2010 bobbling on the Hauraki Gulf in a 32 foot Vindex launch. Much Terry Pratchett was consumed, most notably Going Postal, my current favourite of his latter work, as well as Fahrenheit 451, Blood Meridian and Everything that Rises must Converge. Cormac McCarthy is yet again a somewhat man-of-the-moment with the release of the film version of The Road, and Blood Meridian is widely viewed as his masterpiece. I could happily wax lyrical on how utterly amazing this book is, but there is too much to cover so now is not the time.

Rosabel and myself managed to drag ourselves away from our strict schedules of barbecuing and reading Terry Pratchett last week to sort out some new stock for 2010. Amongst our selection now are such gems as Lord of the Flies, Requiem for a Dream, Wild Ducks Flying Backwards and Galapagos. These will all be exhibited for purchase at the first Kraftbomb for 2010 on Sunday the 28th of February. The lack of a January Kraftbomb has created a hole in my life, but hey, even craft fair organisers need a holiday sometime and what with the endless march of time and all it will be February before we know it.

On the agenda for 2010 is the creation of our website, step two in our master plan for Four Five One Books. When Rosabel finally submits her thesis and gives into her destiny to be an independent second hand book store co-owner we can get this under way. Watch this space.

In other news, as well as Bernard Black, Four Five One Books has another official hero, James Daunt.