“DRIVING IN THE BOOK LANE” – A MEMOIR BY DR SALLY  EVANS –  PHD IN LITERATURE – POET, House wife, Mother WIFE,  MOTHER  AND LONGTERM BOOKSHOP OWNER! Price £7 or £10 posted (UK)

Fiction Direct Memoir at The Callender Press. 21 Chapters in total.

@sallyevans2025

Poet, novelist, publisher, editor, bookseller and sometime librarian Dr Sally Evans uses the memoir form to consider what turned her into a “bookwoman”. From London to Newcastle, from Kirkby Lonsdale, Teesside and Edinburgh to a bookshop in the Trossachs, Sally drives around in a landscape of books and book people in search of the meaning of life. Questions, answers and fun.

Writer of novels “Wild Goose” and “Lettersgait”, Sally – the oldest of five siblings including two “boys” and three “girls” has also had several books of her poems published and edited a poetry magazine for very many moons before doing her Literature PHD and writing novels and this memoir. Her bookshop in Callender which she runs with her husband Iain  sells all kinds of reading matter, including secondhand books and books with specially designed or reconditioned  covers. Husband Iain helps to restore older books.

A review of Kings bookshop in Callender says

“What a great article about one of Scotland’s treasures. Not only stuffed bookshelves to browse, but Iain’s workshop is a place of great wonderment. filled with steel tools, hides of many colours, scrumptious arrays of papers. The place itself is bound with the warmth, colour and interest of the fascinating couple themselves. We love Callander Poetry Weekend (and Finlay!) as well! Finlay is the resident cat”.

Sally was born in London but moved around due to the war. She is one of five siblings who are all achievers.  Her fascination with books and reading meant that she found jobs as a librarian and wrote poetry constantly. With two children from her first husband to look after she and long term husband Iain had a busy life as the children were growing up and the bookshop was all part of that life.

Before she was famous, J K Rowling came to their bookshop events along with a number of well known names and enjoyed hob nobbing with like minded people in a relaxed but very literary atmosphere. I can guess that all writers whether published or not will enjoy the delights within the pages of “Driving in the Book Lane” documenting this as well as many other details.

It is  a relief and an eye opener to find a book like this to dive into and it is not a book which is too long but neither too short.  It will fit into your daily “trappings” – bag or briefcase or a suitcase if you’re due for a trip. Many of us write – poetry, prose, emails, letters….some of us write  screenplays, novels, comedies,   speeches and autobiographies. All – or the majority of us, write texts where we find ourselves concentrating a plethora of information into a few short words. “Flash fiction” – a popular genre in writing  is even too long for most except of the rarest texts as your phone will not accommodate or send them!

Sally Evans’s book is a snip at £10 for a posted copy so go on, dip into your wallet and order one soon.  Kings Bookshop Callender will send you a copy by return as long as they are not sold out. And now a question…do you know a relative of Sallys who is a writer who has written over 70 books which have been translated into 40 languages? A review of one of his books will be posted before long. So go on…. ENJOY and learn! Do subscribe to Neptune Herald for free soon!

Penny Price