Backstory in bloom

Our Chelsea garden

Announcing two new events

Go running with Backstory: Soph’s Plant Kitchen x Backstory run 6th June, 9.15am

This one’s a bit different. Celebrate the launch of Soph’s Plant Kitchen 30 in 30 with a 30 minute run from Backstory, led by Sophie. Sign up now, as spaces are limited.

I love this book: Owain Mulligan, The Accidental Soldier 29th June, 7.30pm

Who knew that the diary of a soldier in Iraq could be so funny? I lapped up this book when I read it last year, so I’m delighted that — now it’s out in paperback — Owain is coming to join us to talk about his experiences in Iraq and all thing soldiering.

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Hot reads, iced coffee…

We’re open as usual this bank holiday Monday. See you at Backstory from 10am-6pm!

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WITH LONDON’S HEATWAVE upon us, those who haven’t been lingering in Backstory to drink in the air conditioning with their iced lattes have been dropping by to pick up a paperback on the way to the common. Luckier still are those with a garden, preferably with a shady patch in which to stretch out with a good book.

It was a delight, then, to help to bring one such garden to life this week — and at no less prestigious venue than the Chelsea Flower Show. Backstory customer and talented garden designer Christina Cobb invited us to put together a mini library for her garden at this year’s show, Clearly Gottlieb: Time for Creativity, which is supporting the National Literacy Trust.

Picture: @joannakossak

Denise, who makes an annual pilgrimage to the show, jumped at the challenge, pulling together a mix of inspirational art and design books with some bloody good reads to curl up with.

Christina told us that the inspiration for her garden came from her own experience of feeling addicted to her phone and therefore not making enough time for her creative hobbies.

“Every time I sat down and tried to sketch an idea for a Chelsea garden, my phone would be back in my hand before I knew I was reaching for it,” she says. “The only thing that stopped me from picking it up was leaving it in another room, so the garden is a physical embodiment of that idea.

“There is a dedicated space at the garden entrance to leave a phone, before entering into a walkthrough oak glasshouse filled with materials for creative pastimes. The visitor then walks through into the main part of the garden where they can give themselves over to creativity in an environment free from distraction.”

Unsurprisingly, Christina’s garden attracted floods of visitors, including royalty. The Queen, herself a big reader, apparently cast a keen eye over the book selection, and was particularly taken with the Ann Patchetts. Hard to disagree: Tom Lake is a gorgeous summery novel, and I am currently entirely caught up in her latest, Whistler, which comes out on June 2nd.

Congratulations to Christina, whose garden won a very well-deserved gold medal. And a big thank you to her for the chance to collaborate on such a lovely project.

So put down that phone right now and get out there into nature — with a good book to hand, of course.

Happy reading,

Tom