Magna Carta Journal

2010-04-26T10:48:00.002+01:00

Feeling very Magna Carta today. Fun.

Don't forget to look for Magna Carta on Facebook. Lots of friends there to chat about books.

The St. Petersburg Declaration by Dr. John Piper

2010-04-15T11:48:00.003+01:00

Saturday, April 24, at 5pm Dr. John Piper will be at the Lagoa Library for the launch of his new book "The St. Petersburg Declaration". Books can be purchased and autographed at the venue.

Dr John Piper MB, BS, FRCS read Medicine at the University of London. Following postgraduate study in Surgery at the Royal Free Hospital, he worked as a consultant surgeon in hospitals in England until 1977, when, disillusioned by what he saw happening in the NHS, he took the post of visiting professor of surgery at the University of Shiraz in Iran. Following that he worked in hospitals in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Ladysmith Hospital, South Africa and in 1985 created a department of surgery in the new Manapo Hospital in the Black South African Homeland of Qwaqwa on the Lesotho border. He has published a previous novel, Motherkillers, with Book Guild Publishing. He now lives in Portugal with his wife, Odete.

Happy Easter

2010-03-31T19:27:00.002+01:00

Telephone

2010-02-25T10:01:00.002Z

According to Portugal Telecom our old phone number should be back on today!

IMPORTANT

2010-02-03T11:04:00.002Z

Dear customers,

Due to change of telephone service and internet our telephone number is now 282 476624. I've been informed that I can request that the old number is re-established. In the meantime, while I attempt that, please use the new number.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2009-12-12T10:20:00.001Z

Writing Workshops

2009-11-26T11:59:00.006Z

New for Alvor!

Monthly Writing Workshops in the western Algarve

All welcome

Alvor – Magna Carta

Sat 2.30 – 4.30 pm

Writing Short Fiction (Feb 6, March 6)

Writing Fiction

Striving to tell the truth is one thing, but writing fiction is a legitimate form of making things up! Of course, it must be believable and in these workshops we will look at how to make fiction convincing, how to create three-dimensional characters, how to plot without it seeming contrived, the importance of research, how to use the senses in order to create a place the reader can visualise, and how to narrate. We will also consider sources of inspiration, starting points for writing, the importance of observing and listening, and practise narrative techniques such as ‘show’ not ‘tell’. In each workshop we will look at short extracts of fiction, do short writing exercises and discuss the craft of writing fiction. At the end of each workshop you will be welcome to submit up to 500 words for some feedback for the next time.

About the tutor:

Lisa Selvidge has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and has been teaching creative writing for thirteen years at both the Norwich School of Art & Design and the UEA. She currently teaches online courses for several universities in the UK. She has published the Writing Fiction Workbook and edited an anthology of writings called Summer Times in the Algarve, as well as fiction.

Writing Workshops are open to all nationalities but will be conducted in English. Please note that these are not courses as such and you are welcome to attend as many or as few workshops as you wish. To reserve a place, please contact Lisa lisa.selvidge@clix.pt or 962887680. Minimum 5 people, maximum 8 .

( Cost €10 each workshop.

www.lisaselvidge.com

Tarot Readings at Magna Carta

2009-11-06T15:48:00.002Z

Jamina's aim is to help you "Now", in the Present, because that is where you can make your changes, so that you can influence your Future in a positive way.

If you need guidance and wish to become clearer about any issue that concerns you, maybe a reading is just what you need.

Jamina is an Intuitive Tarot Reader and Holistic Therapist since 2002. She has worked in the UK and now in Portugal.

35€: 1 hour by appointment only.

Bon Jovi: When We Were Beautiful

2009-11-02T09:47:00.005Z

An insider's portrait of Bon Jovi, one of America's best-loved rock bands. It captures the musicians of the band - Jon, Richie, Dave, and Tico - at both intimate moments and under the limelight in various aspects of their lives, from the private moments backstage, on the road, or at home, to their live performances under the limelight.

Price: 24euros (free p&p for Portugal)

Winter Opening Times

2009-10-25T21:40:00.003Z

Please note our winter opening times

Mon - Sat: 9am until 5pm
(closed for lunch between 1pm - 2pm).

Sunday: Closed

My Path by Carolien van Leusden

2009-08-20T17:36:00.002+01:00

In this inspiring emotional account Carolien tells how, with conventional medicine backed by alternative therapies and spiritual guidance, she has chosen a path through the cancer nightmare - and is still here to enjoy the Now!

She takes us on her special journey in which adapting her diet, spring cleaning the clutter from her life and "awareness transformation" have all played their part.

Available to buy here at 15€

FREE LIFE CHANGING BOOKS

2009-05-28T00:48:00.001+01:00

Is there such thing as life changing books? We believe there are and we believe such books should be available for free for they are… priceless.

With this initiative it is our intention to offer free access to books that someone, for some reason, considered life changing. In the process we hope to help anyone, who may be going through personal challenges of any kind, to transform their own lives.

There is a box available at the bookshop where the books can be left and collected from.

If you have a book that changed your life please deposit it in our “BOOKS FOR FREE” basket, perhaps with a note explaining how important that book was to you. (If you’d like to hear from whoever takes your book home please include your contact details inside). It doesn’t matter if the book is about spirituality, health or a fiction book. Anything that helped YOU.

If for some reason a book you choose disappoints you please return it to the shop as it may be the right book for someone else.

In order to keep this going please pass the word round, so that life changing FREE books are available at all times for those who may require them. If you can’t get to the shop you may still donate your book by sending it to:

Magna Carta Bookshop

Urb. Quinta da Praia

Lote 4 – Loja 10

8500 – 013 Alvor

Thank you for your support.

Susana Parker

the other hand by Chris Cleave

2009-04-19T23:42:00.004+01:00

I'm lost for words with this one.
Beautifully written.

Easter Promotion

2009-04-02T15:35:00.003+01:00

During the month of April you can buy "A Year in Monchique" by Paul Mckay, currently one of our top sellers books at the shop, for only 8€. Click here to buy.

The Portuguese Bear

2009-03-24T14:12:00.001Z

Ideal as a gift for children and grown ups alike, this top quality bear produced by Keel Toys, is a great souvenir to remember the good times spent in Portugal.

Size: 12cm (approx)

Available to buy here

Marley & Me

2009-03-21T21:32:00.004Z

I never wanted to read the book because I figured that a book about someone's life with a dog had probably to end, well...with the dog's final moments. Having a Labrador myself and being a hyper-sensitive dog lover I chose not to read the book. I did give a copy to my mum as a gift when it came out in Portuguese and she absolutely loved it.

Now, if I didn't read the book why would I go and see the movie? Well, one part of me cannot resist dogs, full stop. The other part told herself it'd be fine if I stopped watching when he gets old and all that. I did...I focused on this blue light on the cinema's floor, closed my eyes, sang a song in my head, swore when I heard snippets of what was being said, etc. My mum on the other hand said how silly of me not to want to watch the end, it was only a movie, death was part of life and all that. So I was a little surprised when I heard this sobbing by my side. Everyone in the cinema is getting up and she's sitting there sobbing blocking everyone's way for a few embarrassing moments.

I do want to read the book now because I want to read things that John Grogan said or thought that could not be shown in the film. I look forward to that.

"A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his."

The Portuguese Water Dog

2009-03-20T22:04:00.005Z

This is Bica, the Portuguese Water Dog, one of our bestseller books at the shop. This story, which young children will enjoy reading or having read to them, is about a Portuguese Water Dog who lives by the sea on the south coast of Portugal...

Available to buy here

Summer Times in the Algarve

2009-02-16T14:29:00.002Z

The Algarve is the source of inspiration for this exciting new collection of short stories, memoirs and poetry. Seventeen contemporary writers both recollect and recreate the lives of people along the Algarve coast from Tavira to Sagres and up into the mountains. They takes us on a journey back in time to the Moors, through the Revolution of April 1974, and into the twenty-first century. Some mourn the vanishing years of the simple pastoral life, impoverished though it was, some celebrate it. Others on short visits have been enchanted or amused by an event with one of its inhabitants, and somehow, when they left a bit of their heart has stayed behind. All of them are united by their fondness of Portugal and its serene and laid-back southern province.

Available to buy here

Handcrafted Valentine's Cards

2009-02-06T11:45:00.004Z

Just like last year we have a beautiful range of handcrafted cards for Valentine's Day. These are unique cards (no two cards are exactly the same) and they're a great way to show your loved one how much they mean to you.

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

2009-01-20T11:05:00.002Z

Paperback edition of the book which sets out presidential Barack Obama's political vision for the future of America. With intimacy and self-deprecating humour, Obama describes his experiences as a politician, about balancing his family life and his public vocation. His search for consensus and his respect for the democratic process inform every sentence, as he discusses the importance of empathy in politics, and how the ideals of democracy can be renewed. Click here to buy

A Year in Monchique by Paul McKay

2009-01-13T09:14:00.004Z

A Year in Monchique tells the story of a couple of London escapees getting to grips with life in rural Portugal. The challenging move from city living in politically correct Newham to the agricultural nightmares of bean eating bees, escaping goats and an amorous, sexed-up sow is made more difficult by their woeful endeavours at becoming fluent in the language.

On their journey, they meet a diverse group of people: new age eco-warriors, seed munching fruitarians, crystal swinging diviners and an octogenarian widow farming an acre of land unaided.

As well as immersing us in the comic side of daily life, the diary revelas a rapidly changing community who share a love and respect for the Portuguese countryside.

Price: 10€ (click here to buy)

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T17:40:00.001Z

Closed for the holidays

2008-12-24T15:48:00.002Z

We'll be closed between 25th December and 2nd January.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-22T16:07:00.001Z

Lynn

2008-12-16T23:00:00.002Z

Thank you so much for card and words! What a great surprise!

I don't have your address so thanking you here hoping you'll get this message.

Merry Christmas

White Christmas

2008-12-15T21:31:00.001Z

Last Day For Christmas Orders

2008-12-09T21:24:00.003Z

Please place your orders no later than December 15th by 6pm. We cannot guarantee deliveries in time for Christmas after this date.

Thank you.

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

2008-12-08T19:16:00.003Z

A magical and enchanting story which ends on Christmas Day, from the bestselling author of PS I Love You and A Place Called Here. PS I Love You has sold over a million copies in English worldwide, and the film, starring Hilary Swank and Gerald Butler, was a box-office hit. Ahern also co-created ABC's comedy series Samantha Who?, which has been voted new comedy of the season.

Beautifully packaged, with box, red ribbon and gift tag this book is the ideal gift present this Christmas.Price: 19,50€ (Hardcover)

Entirely Up To You Darling

2008-11-30T19:00:00.005Z

Prompted by his adventures in the movie business this is the long-awaited autobiography by Sir Richard Attenborough, one of the world's best-loved actors and directors. Written together with his long-time friend, colleague and business partner, it covers the extraordinary breadth of his life and experiences as well as the film business. Attenborough also movingly reflects on the other passions and relationships in his life, football, politics, his avuncular friendship with Princess Diana, and finally the tragedy of the tsunami which robbed him of his daughter and granddaughter.

The Road Home by Rose Tremain

2008-11-17T10:36:00.005Z

Reviewed by Dr. Janice Russell

This book is a magnificent read, in every way, and it’s easy to see why Rose Tremain is described as gifted – she is able to paint a picture with depth, sensitivity and brutal honesty, entrancing her reader from the outset. She also does her homework, researching her subject matter extremely well, resulting in a credible, moving and gripping work.

The Road Home is the odyssey of Lev, an ‘ordinary’ man, who moves to England from Eastern Europe in order to find work and fund the future of his family. Lev finds an England that he didn’t quite expect. Tremain’s writing of this England brilliantly interweaves details and commentary on some of the less prestigious aspects of English culture – celebrities as the new aristocracy, the elderly abandoned into care homes –with a series of rich and vivid characters who embody more attractive values.

The characters throughout the book are boldly drawn. Most courageous is Lev himself – a man with much to carry in his heart and on his shoulders, we feel for him, his plight, and his sense of family duty. We also see his weaknesses: an inward struggle with his own violence, and his mixed ‘whore and virgin’ attitude to and treatment of women. His friend Christy, an Irish immigrant, is drawn with similar complexity, Rudi, the friend left at home, Sophie, the English woman with whom he has an affair, and Lydia, the woman on the bus with whom he travelled from hi s home town, add dimension and interest. They all work well, and provide vehicles for different aspects of Lev’s character to be drawn. These characters also provide the opportunity for humour, which is never far away in a well crafted sense, through use of language, through being media for Lev to remember stories and anecdotes which make us smile frequently throughout. This lightness of touch makes the book extremely easy to read, most engaging.

The plot and pace move along, and while there is a certain predictability, for example in what kind of work Lev does, there are surprises throughout in the form of ‘bit parts’. Tremain’s depth of writing earns her the right to a certain inevitability in the ending, which is foreseeable though far from pure ‘happy’. She has been likened to Steinbeck in her treatment o f the subject matter, evoking the senses of both determination and alienation common to the immigrant, and yet which are more common to many people than is ever truly acknowledged, even when on home turf . Maybe this is why Tremain works so well – not only does she write a good story, but we can identify with the emotions of her characters, whether or not we’ve ever been in their situation. She writes lyrically yet honestly , and her work is moving without being sentimental. This book is an experience: I recommend it highly.

Janice Russell is a life and business coach, and a writer and tutor. She has written Keeping Abreast, a factional, entertaining and provocative story of surviving breast cancer, currently being reprinted. Her latest novel, Rough Diamonds, is being publi shed by Legend Press, and both will be ready to order by Christmas, Janice teaches creative writing online, and offers workshops and critiques in the Algarve.

Visit: www.insightlifeandbusinesssolutions.com
www.algarvecreativewriting.blogspot.com

Books For Christmas

2008-11-14T23:13:00.003Z

Lots and lots of books to choose from for all your family and friends. The catalogue is now available. Request yours from info@magnacartabookshop.com

"Do give books - religious or otherwise - for Christmas. They're never      fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal." Lenore Hershey

Elise Designs - Personalised Handcrafted Christmas Cards

2008-11-05T14:35:00.005Z

Click on photo to enlarge

This Christmas, just like last year, we have a wide range of Christmas cards. But we'd like to remind you that if you wish to send something unique to the special people in your life, why not order a personalised card from the Elise Designs range? For 4,25€ choose a design and have the name of who you're sending the card to, printed on the front of the card.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller

2008-11-04T15:16:00.006Z

Reviewed by Dr. Janice Russell

This is a book of three parts.

Pippa Lee, middle class sophisticate wife, has moved into a retirement village with her 80 year old husband, Herb, a successful American publishing executive. As the youngest person there, Pippa inevitably begins to question whether retirement world is where she wants to be, and begins to find herself experiencing strange sense of disquiets and disturbing symptoms of unrest, such as sleepwalking. Not in a usual sense, but in an extreme sense. Thus begins a journey which leads the reader through the chronicles of Pippa’s past life, revealing depths and experiences that are not immediately apparent within the character.

The second section of the book makes the reader privy as to why this may be, basically summarising Pippa’s life journey, and is written with sensitivity and depth, traversing worlds of bohemia and excess, exploration of sexualities, and addiction to drugs. Themes of mother daughter relationship and guilt are explored with insight and expertise, and the text is eloquent, the themes compelling.

Part Three of the book integrates past and present with an unsurprising dénouement which embraces the themes you might expect – conflict resolution within the family, repeated patterns within the marriage, and Pippa’s exorcism of her ghosts which enable her to move forwards a free woman. In a sense, this is an odyssey, the chronicle of challenges and triumphs

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would from the first chapter, and in a way, this is symptomatic of the structure. Three distinct parts, all written from the point of view of an omniscient narrator, trying to take us inside the heads of Pippa, her mother, her daughter, and Chris, the somewhat erratic son of Pippa’s neighbour up the road. If anything, this structure slightly distracts from what is otherwise a very convincing read – it is compartmentalised rather than threaded, a structure I would have preferred. While we are privy to Pippa’s past life in the second part of the book,, there is no indication that she is remembering the same things, discovering the same insights. Maybe this is deliberate, and just indicates that these evets are conspiring on an unconscious level.

That said, this book is intelligent and bold, courageous enough to suggest the darker aspects of parent child relationships, the complexities of responsibility, the shadow side of the protagonist. It is also frank in its observations of the ageing process, which is a refreshing change from the line that seventy is the new forty, and other such clichés, which, while empowering, can fail to look honestly at the effects of time on our bodies and minds and the real impact that this has for relationships. It is also far from the usual depiction of the all American family, for which I am grateful. Overall, an excellent read and I would recommend persevering beyond the first chapter into the body of the book.

Janice Russell is a life and business coach, and a writer and tutor. She has written Keeping Abreast, a factional, entertaining and provocative story of surviving breast cancer, currently being reprinted. Her latest novel, Rough Diamonds, is being published by Legend Press, and both will be ready to order by Christmas, Janice teaches creative writing online, and offers workshops and critiques in the Algarve.

Visit: www.insightlifeandbusinesssolutions.com
www.algarvecreativewriting.blogspot.com

Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama

2008-10-31T12:27:00.002Z

Obama's memoir, written long before his political career began, which is a remarkable story of one man's search for his identity. The son of a black African father and a white American mother, Obama was only 2 when his father walked out. Many years later, he received a phone call from Kenya telling him of his father's death. This set him off on an odyssey to learn the truth of his estranged father's life.

Available from Magna Carta Bookshop in paperback. Price: 12,60€

You Can Heal Your Life: The Movie

2008-10-07T09:45:00.002+01:00

This movie came out early this year and it's one of the bestsellers in our shop, as well as the book with the same name. At the time of releasing the video trailer wasn't available but since I just found it, I'll share it now.

Louis Roederer International Wine Book of the Year 2008 for 'The Wine & Food Lover's Guide to Portugal'

2008-09-11T17:11:00.004+01:00

A travel guide, The Wine & Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal, has won the Louis Roederer International Wine Book of the Year 2008.

Awarded in London last night, The Wine & Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal is a guidebook for visitors to Portugal who enjoy eating and drinking. ‘This book absolutely makes me want to jump on the next plane to Portugal,’ enthused one of the judges. It’s not only a highly digestible guide to Portugal’s foods and cooking and the brilliant but as yet little-known wines. Authors Charles Metcalfe and Kathryn McWhirter (who wrote their first book on Portugal over 20 years ago) also write about the churches, museums, galleries and other top places of interest, covering the whole of Portugal and its islands, including the spectacular mountains and historic towns and villages of the undiscovered interior.

They also give entirely independent recommendations (no fees for publication have been asked for or accepted) of restaurants, bars, wine and food shops and places to stay. These range from tiny, hole-in-the-wall tascas (the simplest form of Portuguese restaurant) to the finest of modern and traditional eating, and from bed-and-breakfast accommodation and houses to rent to the grandest and most luxurious hotels. Always with an eye out for the best gastronomic experiences in every corner of Portugal. The guide is hardback, with 446 pages, 1 600 colour photographs and 19 specially-commissioned maps.

Press release published here with the authors permission.

You can buy this book here

Equator by Miguel Sousa Tavares

2008-06-27T12:21:00.005+01:00

“It is Lisbon in the year 1905 and our hero, Luis Bernardo Valenca, a 37-year-old bachelor and owner of a small shipping business, is revelling in the luxury of Lisbon's high society. Intellectually curious, he writes about politics in his spare time, believing that Portugal's vast empire is having a civilising effect on the far-off lands it has colonised.

But his life is turned upside down when King Dom Carlos asks him to become governor of Portugal's smallest colony, the tiny island of Sao Tome e Principe, stuck out in the Atlantic off the coast of equatorial West Africa, whose economy rests almost entirely on its cocoa plantations.

However, the English believe that slavery still exists illegally in Sao Tome and intend to send a diplomatic envoy to check it out. (Of course the English, with their rival cocoa plantations in Africa, have their own reasons for trying to prevent the export of cocoa from Sao Tome).As a gentleman used to a softer urban life, Luis Bernardo is ill-prepared for the challenges of plantation life, and he is shocked by the conditions under which the Angolan workers labour - although he is more than willing to engage romantically with the wife of the English consul, one of several candidates for his attentions.

"Equator "is a compelling and constantly surprising novel, casting light on a little-known corner of colonial life. Epic in scope, laced with emotional and moral complexity, "Equator" brings this simmering tropical community to life through the entanglements and betrayals of its cast of unforgettable characters. A best-seller in Portugal, and sold in many languages, "Equator" will also amaze and delights its English readers.”

Price: 23,80€ (hardcover) Buy here

The Gardens of Portugal by Helena Attlee

2008-05-29T09:08:00.003+01:00

The gardens of Portugal borrow from every phase of the country’s sea-faring history, bringing together ideas from East and West in a style that is confident, flamboyant, slightly exotic but always distinctly Portuguese.

Helena Attlee’s books opens with a lively introduction outlining the history of Portuguese gardens and their place in the country’s social and economic history. It then features some twenty gardens, covering first the temperate and humid northern parts of the country and then the gardens of Lisbon, Sintra and the hotter and more arid parts of central Portugal.

Glazed tiles are everywhere – on pots, seats, garden walls and the ceilings of pavilions. This is a Moorish style adopted along with the distinctive water tanks fed by ice-cold springs, whose still surfaces mirror pavilions, trees and sky.

The camellia shade house - a striking and substantial structure made from camellias grown over a frame – is often found in the mild and humid parts of the country where exotic plants and trees thrive in great abundance. Further south baroque sculpture and elaborate stonework play a large part in garden schemes.

Thousands of visitors are drawn to Portugal each year but few of them visit its gardens. These are rarely crowded and foreign visitors often receive a particularly enthusiastic welcome. – text from inner cover.

Price: 42€ Buy Here

Rock in Rio - Bon Jovi

2008-05-27T14:35:00.007+01:00

I am going a bit off track here by posting this, as it's nothing to do with books, BUT I promise this will be an exception. I am just very excited about the fact that this Saturday my husband and I are off to see Bon Jovi in Rock in Rio. Yes, we've been before in the UK and I'd been twice here in Portugal, the last time being 13 years ago, but this is the first time we get to go together to see them in Lisbon where it all started (or at least progressed to bring us here).

At the age of 18 I won a writing competition that allowed me to be on stage with the band. It was from that dream-come-true that I decided to become a member of their official fan club "Backstage with Jon Bon Jovi". We would get a member card and four newsletters a year in the post. At the back of these newsletters the fan club divulged other fans' addresses, so we could write to each other. I did just that. I loved spending time writing to people from all over the world, getting to know about their lives, exchanging Bon Jovi material, etc.

My husband, Stefan, was one of those many pen pals and we've been now married for 9 years. When we look back at our lives and everything we now have was only made possible because one man we never met one day decided to be a rock star. If Bon Jovi had never happened I wouldn't be here now writing this...so, my husband and I often say when things go either good, or not so well for us ,"it's Jon Bon Jovi's fault"...

Oh, and don't worry. The shop will be open as usual. Someone will be here taking good care of our customers.

Algarve's Plants with Ornamental Interest

2008-05-05T18:02:00.004+01:00

The book “Plantas do Algarve com Interesse Ornamental/Algarve’s Plants with Ornamental Interest” by Fernando Santos Pessoa, José Rosa Pinto and José Rocha Alexandre is a bilingual guide for anyone who wants to know more about the Algarve’s unique landscape. It includes a brief description of Algarve’s flora, trees, shrubs, perennial and bulbous herbs, climbers and Algarve’s flora in gardens and parks.

Price: 12,00€ Buy here

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

2008-05-02T11:05:00.004+01:00

I knew once I got started on Philippa Gregory's book it'd be hard to stop...

The Boleyn Inheritance is an evocation of the court of Henry VIII, and the one woman who destroyed two of his queens. This work presents the story of three young women, trying to make their own way through the most volatile court in Europe at a time of religious upheaval and political uncertainty.

Have you read any novels by this author?

Fabrico Próprio: The Design of Portuguese Semi-Industrial Confectionery

2008-04-26T09:32:00.014+01:00

By Rita João, Pedro Ferreira e Frederico Duarte

"Fabrico Próprio" means "Own Production", an expression used by most Portuguese cafés and patisseries in their shop signs, windows and packaging. It is a warrant of freshness and quality, but also of uniqueness and prestige of the baked goods they sell – most of them sweet, one-portion cakes.
"Fabrico Próprio - The Design of Semi-Industrial Confectionery" is a 292-page, hardcover book dedicated to Portuguese confectionery and its relation to design. Reflecting the importance of this universe in our culture and society, it is primordially an encyclopaedic record of several specimens of Portuguese daily confectionery cakes photographed and shown close to real scale. This compilation – the first consistent record ever conducted in our country on this kind of food products – is joined by introductory texts, historic notes and also a confectionery glossary. The book also includes perspectives from 23 Portuguese and foreign professionals, which can be found along its pages in the form of three essays and several sections. Photographers, illustrators, architecture and food critics, a chef and an art curator take Portuguese semi-industrial confectionery as a source of inspiration, offering unexpected approaches to this surprising world.
"Fabrico Próprio" is a multidisciplinary project dedicated to Portuguese semi-industrial confectionery and its relation to design, authored by Pedrita (Rita João, Pedro Ferreira) and Frederico Duarte. It is composed of this book, a workshop, the fabricoproprio.net website and a series of launches in Portugal and abroad. This project is financed by the Direcção Geral das Artes do Ministério da Cultura and has Tourism Portugal as its institutional sponsor, ARESP and CFPSA as its strategic partners and Delta Cafés as its private sponsor.

Price: 34,90€ Buy here

Piri Piri Star Fish: Portugal Found by Tessa Kiros

2008-04-10T09:11:00.004+01:00

Tessa Kiros believes that food is the essence of any country's people - a quilt that is patchworked together with their language, culture and songs. When she takes her family to live and travel in Portugal, she is captivated by the country and charmed by the old-fashioned way of doing things. Portugal has everything she loves - the markets, the sea, the beautiful old pousadas - but she would have gone for the pastéis de nata alone. In "Piri Piri Starfish", Tessa embroiders the recipes, traditions and Portuguese way of living together with her own unique colours and threads. Some of the present day wonder of this small country can be attibuted to its great history during the Age of Discovery: when the world beyond nearby lands and seas was little more than a mysterious dream to most Europeans, this land of bay leaves, bacalhau and piri piri stretched out her roots over the globe.

Price: 31,50€ click here to buy

Currently Reading...

2008-04-07T11:05:00.006+01:00

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Dazzled by the golden prince, Mary's joy is cut short when she discovers that she is a pawn in the dynastic plots of her family. When the capricious king's interest wanes, Mary is ordered to pass on her knowledge of how to please him to her friend and rival: her sister, Anne.

Anne soon becomes irresistible to Henry, and Mary can do nothing to achieve her own ambition. From now on, Mary will be no more than the other Boleyn girl. But beyond the court is a man who dares to challenge the power of her family to offer Mary a life of freedom and passion. If only she has the courage to break away - before the Boleyn enemies turn on the Boleyn girls...

Currently reading (and enjoying) "Notes from an Exhibition" by Patrick Gale

2008-03-25T17:41:00.006Z

Gifted artist Rachel Kelly is a whirlwind of creative highs and anguished, crippling lows. She's also something of an enigma to her husband and four children. So when she is found dead in her Penzance studio, leaving behind some extraordinary new paintings, there's a painful need for answers. Her Quaker husband appeals for information on the internet. The fragments of a shattered life slowly come to light, and it becomes clear that bohemian Rachel has left her children not only a gift for art - but also her haunting demons. --- text from book's back cover.

Network Short-Story Competition

2008-02-04T10:52:00.000Z

The Network Short Story Competition is here – it’s open to anyone living in Portugal, so please take the opportunity to get the creative juices flowing and support this first time venture.

Stories can be on any theme, with a maximum word count of 2000 words. Entries cost 5 euros and will be judged by Jenny Grainer, writer, journalist and tutor in Creative Writing, and Lisa Selvidge, who tutors in Creative Writing in the Algarve and online with the University of East Anglia. Entries will need to be in the English language for this first year, and need to be received by March 31st.

The winning story will receive 100 euros worth of book vouchers, sponsored by Network, the Magna Carta Bookshop, and the Griffin Bookshop. The event is supported by the Portugal News who will publish the winning entry. Winners will be announced on 23rd April 2008, international book day.

For more details and application form, please e-mail netpres@networkalgarve.org , ring Janice Russell on 915584668 ask at the Griffin or Magna Carta bookshop, or download the form from www.networkalgarve.org

The Wine and Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal by Charles Metcalfe & Kathryn McWhirter

2008-01-16T21:28:00.000Z

`The Wine & Food Lover's Guide to Portugal' is a 446-page hardback book for people who like to eat and drink well, stay in welcoming and interesting places, and want to explore Portugal - and not just the beaches. Discover the delights of the best Portuguese wines. Find out about the best restaurants, fabulously fresh fish and seafood, scrumptious suckling pig, fine, creative, modern cuisine based on excellent, fresh local produce, or the famous doces conventuais, confections of eggs, sugar, almonds and other flavours. Want to visit interesting castles, climb soaring mountains, walk along unspoiled rivers, or wonder at magnificent cathedrals and museums? It's all in the book. As are a selection of the most friendly and interesting places to stay, to suit all pockets, with contact details and prices. Each regional chapter has a general introduction, introductions to wine and to food, lists of wineries to visit (with tasting notes on recommended wines), selected restaurants and hotels, and things to do and see `between meals'. All with addresses, contact details, prices and opening times, helpful maps and about 1,600 colour photos. And all independently chosen for quality, fun and enjoyment - no one paid to be included.

Charles Metcalfe and Kathryn McWhirter wrote their first book on Portuguese wines over 20 years ago, and are still at it. Charles is one of the most spontaneous and amusing wine critics in Britain, and a well-known face on British television, having been part of the ITV This Morning team for 12 years. He was a co-founder of WINE International magazine, and is co-chairman of the International WINE Challenge, the world's biggest wine competition. Before turning to wine, he was a professional singer. Kathryn was drinks correspondent for the Independent on Sunday for nine years, sometimes also writing about food. She wrote and edited the Which? Wine Guide and Good Wine Bar Guide for the Consumers' Association, as well as wine list reviews for the Good Food Guide. Together Charles and Kathryn have written wine and wine-with-food books for Sainsbury's, Tesco and Marks & Spencer, as well as other publishers.

You may purchase the book here

A Magical Guide to The Enchanted Realm

2008-01-10T13:36:00.000Z

This was my favourite book for children in 2007 (although I've had adults secretly buying it for themselves - myself included). I began my collection of fairy books last year and I've proudly added "Fairies: The Magical Guide to the Enchanted Realm" to my specials bookshelf.

The author is Alison Maloney and the stunning illustrations are by Patricia Moffett.

Buy here

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

2008-01-08T14:51:00.000Z

It is the year 1991. Bougainville is a small village on a lush tropical island in the South Pacific. Eighty-six days have passed since Matilda's last day of school as, quietly, war is encroaching from the other end of the island. Bougainville's children are surprised to find the island's only white man, a recluse, re-opening the school.

This book was shorlisted for The Man Booker Prize 2007.

Buy it here Promotion: was 19.50€ now 13.50 (limited to existent stock)

Eye on Africa - 30 Years of Africa Images

2008-01-07T16:05:00.000Z

Sebastiao Salgado is one the most respected photojournalists. His work concentrates on Africa, where he has shot more than 40 reportage works over a period of 30 years. This book brings together Salgado's photos of Africa in three parts. It is a document of Africa and also an homage to the continent's history, people, and natural phenomena.

You can buy it here

Prose not Prozac

2008-01-06T13:07:00.001Z

I just came across a very good article in The Guardian. For those of you who may have started the new year hiding under the duvet, Blake Morrisson seems to have a good prescription:

"
The Reading Cure

The idea that literature can make us emotionally and physically stronger goes back to Plato. But now book groups are proving that Shakespeare can be as beneficial as self-help guides. Blake Morrison investigates the rise of bibliotherapy. ..." Read more (click here)

2007-12-28T17:36:00.001Z

Send this eCard !

2007-12-24T16:20:00.000Z

Send this eCard !

Christmas & New Year Opening Times

2007-12-20T14:37:00.000Z

24th December: Open from 9am (one hour earlier) until 5pm (closing one hour earlier). (We won’t be closing for lunch)

25th & 26th: CLOSED

27th, 28th and 29th : Open as normal, from 10am – 6pm

(closed for lunch between 1pm and 2pm)

30th, 31st & 1st January: CLOSED

Please note that from January 2nd until Easter we will be closing at 1pm on Saturdays.

Magna Carta's 2007 bestsellers

2007-12-18T15:42:00.001Z

Night Train to Lisbon

2007-11-22T20:33:00.000Z

“When, one afternoon, mild-mannered, middle-aged Classics scholar Raimund Gregorius walks out of his class while in the middle of giving a lesson, his impulsiveness surprises him as much as it does his students. This break from his usually predictable routine is inspired by two chance encounters earlier that morning – the first with a mysterious Portuguese woman, and the second with a book discovered in a forgotten corner of an old bookshop, containing the thoughts of an enigmatic Portuguese aristocrat. With the book as his talisman, Mundus finds himself boarding the night train to Lisbon: who was this man whose words both haunt and compel him?”- text from back cover

Price: 10,50€ - Buy here

Books for Christmas

2007-11-03T20:31:00.000Z

If you're thinking books for Christmas request our free catalogue for inspiration on what to get your loved ones!

Literary Event - Thursday, 15th November, 2007

2007-10-05T23:00:00.000+01:00

Eça de Queiroz

Considered one of the greatest novelists of the 19th century José Maria Eça de Queiroz, or simply Eça de Queiroz as he is better known, was born in 1845 in Póvoa de Varzim, a small fishing town, as the illegitimate son of a prominent magistrate.

Author of several novels, most translated into English, Eça published great works of literature, some of which would not go into print until after his death in 1900. Among others The Maias, one of his best known novels, was written during his 15 years working as a consul in England, a country he often analysed as fiercely as he did his own.

A great observer and a critic, Eça’s writing is stylish but not heavy. With a great dosage of humour and a pinch of cynicism, his novels and texts are far from belonging in the past. While reading his work one realises, almost shockingly, that the past is still happening today.

Find out more

On November 15th 2007, Dr. Ana Luísa Vilela, a lecturer at the University of Évora will be at the Hotel Garbe to unveil the author behind the books. Holding a doctorate in Portuguese Literature and having specialised in Queiroz's work, Dr. Ana Vilela has published various articles about this author in Portugal and abroad.

This is a great opportunity for everyone who wants to take a closer look at Portugal and its society: looking at the past to understand the present. For those of you who are already familiar with Eça’s works – and many books have been sold here in the Algarve – this is an excellent opportunity to learn a bit more.

Times as follows:

10.30am: Introduction and documentary about Eça de Queiroz

12.30pm: Lunch

2pm: Talk about Eça's life and work followed by time for discussion and questions.

Ticket Price: 34€ (includes lunch) - available from Magna Carta Bookshop
Tel. 282 496 001

**Booking in advance is necessary.

Please book your place at the event by 5th November.**

See available books by Eça de Queiroz here

Tigger On The Couch

2007-10-05T17:49:00.000+01:00

- The Neuroses, Psychoses, Maladies and Disorders of Our Favourite Children's Characters

I love this book. OK, that makes me a bit suspicious...but yes, I loved "being on the couch" to find out if I can identify myself with any of my favourite childhood characters, and as it turns I can. I happen to have the same issues as my favourite cartoon...Ha, won't tell!

This book by Laura James, is a highly amusing take on self-help and psychological disorders providing an insightful and acute analysis of children's favourite characters' mental health. Tigger is diagnosed with hyperactivity, Winnie Pooh clearly has addiction issues and the Wizard of Oz was undoubtedly a narcissist...

If you'd like to know if you're Peter Pan, Piglet or perhaps Alice in Wonderland, or perhaps someone else, click here to buy this book.

Don't bin your old socks!

2007-10-03T11:47:00.000+01:00

An endearing and delightful guide to making soft toys from cast-off socks and gloves. It includes thirteen projects that are quick to make with step-by-step illustrations and instructions. With appeal to both adults and children the creations include monkeys, elephants, piglets, bunnies and fish from a world expert in the craft.

Buy here

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult -- Book Trailer

2007-09-04T17:44:00.000+01:00

I love technology...you can now even watch book trailers! I found this one by Jodi Picoult, one my favourite authors, so I thought of sharing and perhaps entice you to read this one.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

2007-08-09T23:44:00.000+01:00

Every single one of our customers who purchased "The Kite Runner" ,by the same author of "A Thousand Splendid Suns" ,told me it was the best book they had ever read, and that I must read it too!

I must admit I was a little bit put off by the subject matter. It was obvious it wasn't going to be a cheerful read. We have all been inundated with images of war and death in Afghanistan in the last few years, so it wasn't difficult to recoil at the thought of reading in detail about what went on in that country, that led to recent events.

Eventually, I decided to give "The Kite Runner" a go and it was one of the very few books I've read that grabbed my attention from page one.

Today I finished reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns". If it's in any way possible, Hosseini's second novel is even better than the first. Whereas "The Kite Runner" tells the story of Afghanistan from men's perspective, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" tells it from women's point of view. Khaled Hosseini is a storyteller. One that grips you emotionally. There aren't any dull pages.

It's through the eyes of Mariam and Laila, and their life tragedies, that we learn about life in a country torn by war. And it is amidst this climate of violence, loss and religious fundamentalism that we discover, as we read on, that in the end most of us dream about the very same things: peace, love and freedom. It is impossible, as we turn the last page on the book, not to spare a special thought to women who have endured the hurt of not being able to simple being...

I am choosing to tell you more about my feelings about the book than about the plot itself. I don't want to give more away than you need to know. And all you need to know is that this an excellent book, one to keep, one whose characters will remain with you long after the book is put away on the shelf.

Susana

A SHORT VISIT TO THE PHILIPPINES

2007-07-26T11:04:00.000+01:00

Dr. Michael S. Gerber, author of Sweet Teeth and Loose Bowels: The Adventures of an International Aid Worker and a resident of Portimao recently returned from a visit to the Philippines. Following are some of his comments about the trip:

“I just returned from a short one-week visit to the Philippines. Since 1999, I have been a member of the Board of Trustees of an international charity, IIRR, the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction and for the past five years, have served as Chairman of its Board. IIRR is headquartered on a beautiful 54-acre campus in Silang, Cavite Province, about a one-hour drive south of Manila.

It has been said that getting there is half the fun. Well, that doesn’t work if you live in southern Portugal and have to travel half way around the world. Reaching Manila means catching a 6:15 am flight from Faro airport to Lisbon, then connecting to London’s Heathrow, followed by a third flight of 12-13 hours from London to Hong Kong, and finally getting on the fourth plane for the last leg to Manila. About 30 hours after leaving home, you touch down in the Philippines. Fortunately, the connections are convenient – no more than about two and a half hours between each flight. Even more fortunate, my suitcase arrived at the same time I did, also having made all four connections.

Returning to the Philippines is always a happy occasion, having first served there with my family as Peace Corps volunteers in the early 1970s. The purpose of this trip was to participate in an international conference that IIRR was hosting on the subject of rural enterprise development. It was my privilege as Chair to make the opening remarks and introduce the keynote speaker, former President of the Philippines, Corazon Aquino. After her husband, Senator Benigno Aquino, was assassinated in 1983, Mrs. Aquino led the opposition that eventually ended the dictatorship of then President Ferdinand E. Marcos . She was elected as Asia’s first woman President and served from 1986-1992.

The only sad note was that with the close of these meetings, my term as Chairman of IIRR’s Board came to an end. I will, however, remain involved with the organization as a Special Advisor for Africa. I have also agreed to take on another project, helping a group of bright young people from Mexico start a new NGO that will try to help alleviate poverty among the rural poor in that country.

Seven days later, at about two o’clock in the morning, I was home in Portimao. With delays and bad weather, the 30-hour trip turned into 37 hours. But I was back on the tennis court by 10:00 am the same morning. The only problem is that with jet lag, you usually see three tennis balls instead of one and it is a real challenge to figure out which one to hit.”

Just before midnight...

2007-07-22T15:33:00.000+01:00

At around 11:30pm we decided to open the door to let some cool air into the shop. Instead we had a rush of people coming in. The road outside is poorly lit so it looked as if a crowd suddenly materialised before our eyes.

Kids, of course, were impatient and with half an hour to go I was happy I printed the "Harry Potter: puzzles & quizzes" from Bloomsbury's web site. This kept them busy until 00:01.

I managed to take pictures while everyone was waiting but didn't get the chance to get any of the crowd with their much waited "Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows" copies . As you can imagine, after midnight it was hard to keep up...but more photos will follow from the "Witches & Wizards Breakfast" at the Hotel Garbe.

***

If you purchased your copy of "Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows" from our shop while on holiday in the Algarve, please send us your photos holding your book to: info@magnacartabookshop.com Photos will be published in our blog.

Witches & Wizards Breakfast

2007-07-02T21:50:00.000+01:00

Join us at the Hotel Garbe, Bar Boa Vista on July 21st, from 9am - 1pm

Buy your "Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows" and treat yourself to a wicked breakfast

==Special Breakfast Menu ==

Buterbeer Milkshakes - 3,50€

Liquorice Wands - 0,50€

Calming Teas - 2,00€

Cauldron Cake - 1,50€

Pumpkin Pasties - 2,00€

Coffee with milk - 2,00€

Fresh Orange Juice - 2,80€

Toast with butter - 2,50€

Hot chocolate - 2,00€

Pancake with honey or lemon and sugar - 2,50€

**Be among the first 20 people to buy your copy of the seventh Harry Potter book and win a Genuine Feather Quill.

**Participate in the Harry Potter Look-alike contest - the best will win a Harry Potter Replica Wand.

**Book also available at 00:01, July 21st, from the shop and during the day from 10am.

Harry Potter Party!

2007-06-04T21:28:00.000+01:00

To celebrate the release of the seventh Harry Potter book Magna Carta Book Shop in Alvor is holding a Wizards and Witches Breakfast on the 21st July from 9,00 am to 1.00pm in the Bar Boa Vista of the Hotel Garbe. As well as buying your edition of this much awaited book, you will be able to enjoy a breakfast fit for Wizards. Dress up– prize for the best Harry Potter look-alike. Also we will be anouncing the winners of the Portugal Resident competition. Please contact Susana at Magna Carta to reserve your copy of the book now (for collection on 21st July). Tel/Fax: (+351) 282 496 001

2007-06-01T14:30:00.000+01:00

WIN! WIN! WIN!
WOULD YOU like to read the most anticipated book of the year for free?The Resident, in association with Magna Carta in Alvor, is offering two students a copy of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows.

Tells us, in no more than 150 words (English or Portuguese), who is your favourite character and why, and the best two entries will win a copy of the seventh Harry Potter book. Entries will only be accepted from students aged between eight and 16.

Submit your work to The Resident/Harry Potter Competition, at Rua Visconde de Lagoa, nº2 e 3, 8400-329 Lagoa, at email news@portugalresident.com or fax 282 342 939, no later than June 22. Watch this space to find out if you are a winner and to know more about the big Harry Potter day on July 21!

**********

PARTICIPA E GANHA!

GOSTAVAS DE GANHAR uma cópia do livro mais esperado do ano?

O jornal “The Resident”, em associação com a livraria Magna Carta em Alvor, está a oferecer a dois estudantes uma cópia do “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”.
Diz-nos em não mais de 150 palavras (em Inglês ou Português), quem é a tua personagem preferida e porquê. As duas melhores respostas vão receber o 7º e último livro na série do Harry Potter completamente grátis. Aceitam-se participações de alunos entre os 8 e os 16 anos.

Enviem o vosso trabalho para The Resident/Harry Potter Competition, Rua Visconde de Lagoa nº2 e 3, 8400-329 Lagoa ou por e-mail para news@portugalresident.com , ou ainda pelo fax nº 282 342 939, até ao dia 22 de Junho. Fica atento(a) ao The Resident para mais novidades sobre o lançamento do livro Harry Potter e descobre se foste um(a) dos felizes contemplados.

Book Signing, this Saturday May 26!

2007-05-22T10:52:00.000+01:00

As a relief to the sombre academic literature on issues related to developing countries in Africa and Asia, this book takes a critical but light-hearted look at the international aid industry. It follows the author’s career from a youthful “do-gooder” in the Philippines to Director General of the Kenya based African Medical & Research Foundation (AMREF) and its renowned Flying Doctor Service.

Topics covered include the Peace Corps, debt relief, the aid business, health, food and cultural practices, among many other subjects. Tales from Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Philippines, India and additional countries form the backdrop to this entertaining, critical and eye-opening book.

The author will be donating all royalties he receives from sales of this book to a charity - The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR).

If you’re unable to make it on Saturday you may still purchase the book online (click here) or reserve a copy by telephone or e-mail. (Please let us know if you’d like it signed by the author).

Budapest book launch, by Dr. John Piper

2007-05-20T22:07:00.000+01:00

The Budapest Launch of my novel Motherkillers was held in the Library of the University Institute on the West bank (Buda) of the River Danube. The room is a magnificent high ceilinged elegant nineteenth century venue lined by beautiful carved wooden cupboards containing treasured volumes, some of which are over 500 years old.

Odete and I were greeted by the Chief of the Library Dr Laszlo Magyar who showed us some of his treasures while the guests were arriving. Copies of the book were on sale and sold well, among those present were the Hungarian contributors acknowledged at the beginning of the novel. They had already received signed copies and had read them.

The Meeting was chaired by Dr Benedek Varga deputy director of the Semmelweis museum and he also did the translating for those who did not speak English. Most of the discussion focussed around Semmelweis’ mental condition and my views expressed in the book were supported. I read that portion of the book in which Semmelweis and Kolletchka discussed hand washing. The Professor of the history of medicine spoke at length on this subject. The novel was well received.

We were presented with a signed portrait of Semmelweis in later life, some beautiful pottery and a miniature 1861 copy of Semmelweis book on childbed fever written in German. Dr. Susan Turi, the head of Obstetrics at the Saint Rochus Hospital gave me a card in which she wrote “ I feel this masterpiece covers a wide gap which should have been done much before; anyway at last we have it”

(pictured above: Ignaz Semmelweis, 1/7/1818 - 13/8/1865)

Buy Motherkillers by Dr. John Piper

Look into my eyes!

2007-05-20T21:58:00.000+01:00

Missing since 3rd May 2007. Can you help?

2007-05-08T20:40:00.000+01:00

Madeleine McCann was last seen in Praia da Luz (Algarve, Portugal) on thursday May 3rd while she was on holiday with her parents.

If you have any information about her whereabouts please contact Polícia Judiciária (PJ) in Portugal on (+351) 282 405 400 or (+351) 289 884 500.

And here is our brand NEW shop...

2007-05-07T23:50:00.000+01:00

It's only next door from where we were before, you can't miss us...

2007-05-07T23:45:00.000+01:00

2007-05-07T23:42:00.000+01:00

2007-05-07T23:37:00.000+01:00

2007-05-04T21:56:00.000+01:00

Our e-mail is OK again. Thank you.

**IMPORTANT**

We are currently experiencing problems with our main e-mail address. Until further notice please use magnacartabookshop@hotmail.com

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Sweet Teeth and Loose Bowels by Michael S Gerber

2007-04-20T09:50:00.000+01:00

Against a backdrop set in countries such as Somalia and Ethiopia, it is packed with humourous and sceptical accounts of topics including life as a 'do-gooder' in the Peace Corps, corruption, debt relief, African governments, refugees, transportation, food and disparities between extreme wealth and poverty.

In the 1970's Dr. Michael S Gerber was selected to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer, living in the Philippines with his wife and three young sons and surviving on £110 a month. Twenty eight years later, having lived and worked in many of the poorest countries in Africa and Asia, he retired as a Director General of the Kenya-based African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) - the largest non-governmental health organisation on the African Continent. It also operates the world famous Flying Doctors.

One morning, on the outskirts of Nairobi, a Kenyan policeman stopped a driver at the side of the road. "Sir, you committed a crime. When you passed that lorry, your vehicle crossed a solid white line." The road in question was a single carriageway full of pot holes, with no markings on it, white or otherwise. The poorly paid police would receive wages at the end of the month, if at all. Invisible white lines were a good way to shake down motorists for extra cash. One should have known better than to cross an invisible white line, as the month was coming to a close.

About the author: Since 1968, Dr. Michael S Gerber has been involved in some of the least developed countries around the world. Now retired, he donates his time as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), a non-governmental organisation working in Asia, Africa and Latin America. He lives in Portugal with his wife.

**A book signing session will take place at Magna Carta Bookshop on Sat May 26, between 11AM-1PM.**

The author will be donating all royalties he receives from sales of this book to a charity - The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR).

Price: 13,50€ (Publication date 9th May 2007)

2007-04-12T14:57:00.000+01:00

Author of "On Chesil Beach" faces heavy fine after "borrowing" some pebbles off the beach he used as background for his new novel of the same name. Read more here...

Happy Easter Everyone!

2007-04-05T13:18:00.001+01:00

Half of a Yellow Sun by by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2007-03-19T18:29:00.000Z

Buy here

Top Islands of the World (Various Authors)

2007-02-28T22:05:00.000Z

It's like browsing photos of paradise and then find out that the glorious eden can be found, here on earth! This beautifully illustrated book, contains photographs of paradisiacal islands throughout the world, including Europe and the Mediterranean, Africa and the Indian Ocean, Asia and the Pacific, and the Caribbean and North America.

Far from being a tourist guide, this large format book is more suitable for your coffee table, where it can be easily reached and browsed (and you'll never tire of turning the pages on this one!). Every island is described with visual and text detail, including its history, the atmosphere (including the smells, the sounds, the people), what to expect in terms of tourism (is it busy or is it relatively unexplored) and of course, whereabouts it can be found on the planet (with the help of a map).

Unsuprisingly, the beautiful island of Madeira here in Portugal is one of the many chosen by the various authors who compiled this book. "Portugal may have owned Madeira for the best part of five centuries, but the British have been residents for three and have been such a weighty presence that, at times, Westminster viewed Madeira more as a colony than as foreign territory", says Rodney Bolt regarding this Portuguese island.

Another interesting fact regarding Madeira is that "A glass of Madeira sealed the signing of the American Declaration of Independence, it was the favourite tipple of Shakespeare's cherry drunkard Falstaff, and is still used to toast anyone offered the Freedom of the City of London", also according to the same author.

On the last pages of "Top Islands of the World" you will find a directory with what there is to do in each of the 27 islands presented, and the official tourism boards contact and web sites.

If you're stuck for ideas on what to buy for someone special, or if indeed what you're looking for is a perfect holiday, this book will not disappoint.

The Top Islands of the World can be purchased for 45,00€ click here to buy

More on "The Secret"

2007-02-21T20:45:00.000Z

Film “THE SECRET”

If you are not satisfied with your current life,
if you would like to do better but can´t
see any opportunities, if you are worried about
your future security, then you MUST see the Secret.
The Secret can make all the difference to your life

17th of March, 2007 15 h to 17.30 h

Nova Vida, Tunes

Price: 8 €

Please book until 10th of March

Seminar :

„ Law of Attraction“

given by Dr. Veronica Mauvis

14th of April 2007, 10 h to 16 h

at Nova Vida, Tunes

Price : 65,00 € incl. lunch

Have you seen The Secret?
Do you want to use The Secret to get better results in your life?
Have you tried to use it and wonder why it’s not working for you?
Will it help your children to get better results?
What is the correct way to create the Life of Your Dreams?
The Secret is the film that has been spreading round the world like a bush fire because it opens the door to the real secrets of success all over the world.
It is possibly the most powerful, scientifically backed, method of personal development ever discovered. You need this knowledge to get what YOU want in all areas of your life.
If you want changes to your financial status, your relationships, your health you will find answers book for the seminar

Please book until 6th of April 2007

Contact:
Angela Schulz-Henke
OrgaNice Eventmanagement

Apartado 2016, Gil Eanes
P-8501-902 Portimão

tel. +351 282 181 604
fax +351 282 181 606
tm +351 936 384 275
eventmanagement8@aol.com
www.organice-pt.com

Magna Carta's recommended reading list for this theme:

The Law of Attraction by Esther Hicks

Ask and it is Given by Esther Hicks

The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer

You’ll See it When You Believe it by Wayne Dyer

Manifest Your Destiny by Wayne Dyer

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Synchrodestiny by Deepak Chopra

You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay

"The Secret" Uncovered!

2007-02-11T22:40:00.000Z

23rd February 2007 Film „ The Secret“ at the CLCC in Portimão.
19.30 h – 22.00 h (organised by Angela Schulz-Henke
OrgaNice Eventmanagement)

If you are not satisfied with your current life, if you would like to do better but can´t see any
opportunities, if you are worried about your future security, then you MUST see the Secret. The Secret can make all the difference to your life …

Veronica Mauvis (English)

Vegetarian Snacks – Claudia + Marisa

Magna Carta will be participating with books concerning the film.

Book Signing with Dr. Piper

2007-02-10T14:37:00.000Z

Meet Dr. Piper, the author of "Motherkillers" - out 22nd February - at the Hospital Particular in Alvor for 7pm. There will be a cocktail party where you'll have the opportunity to talk to Dr. Piper about his work and have your book signed.

Order your book from Magna Carta Bookshop before the releasing date and pay 22.50€ only (you save 3€).

From a local author...

2007-01-10T21:24:00.000Z

“In 1845 a killer stalked the great maternity hospitals of Europe and North America … Mothers and babies were slaughtered in great suffering on a monumental scale by this mass murderer. The name given to this assassin was puerperal fever… [or] childbed fever.”

This powerful novel recounts the history of the struggle to control the devastating disease known as “childbed fever” – the horrific disease that killed thousands of women and their babies across Europe and North America.

Set in 19th Century Vienna, John Piper’s book is based on the true story of Ignaz Semmelweis, a young Hungarian obstetrician. Through the eyes of a fictional young woman (Charlotte) who is having her baby in hospital, we witness the squalor and overcrowding – and we feel the terror experienced by the mothers and mothers-to-be. Charlotte, herself, contracts the dreaded disease.

Told with passion and a meticulous eye for historical accuracy, this novel describes the appalling conditions in which doctors and nurses worked in the latter half of the 19th Century and shows how Semmelweis overcame the ignorance and bigotry in the medical profession at the time to find the cause of (and a cure for) this horrendous illness.

Dr John Piper NB, BS, FRCS was born in Essex. He read medicine at the University of London, trained in surgery at the Royal Free Hospital and worked as a consultant surgeon in hospitals in England until 1977 and then in Iran, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and South Africa. In 1985 he created the Department of Surgery in the new Manapo Hospital in the Black South African Homeland of Qwagwa.
Dr Piper now lives in Portugal.

MOTHER KILLERS by John Piper can be pre-ordered at Magna Carta Bookshop for 25.50€ (hardback) and will be available from 22nd February 2007.

Keeping Faity by Jodi Picoult

2007-01-05T15:51:00.000Z

Reviewed by

Hayley Jones

Unlike the better-known My Sister's Keeper and The Pact, the courtroom doesn't assume a major part in Keeping Faith and even draws itself into question. How many times have you heard something along the lines of "God has no place in a courtroom?" Have you considered how strange that is, considering that witnesses are expected to swear on the Bible?

Jodi Picoult throws up all kinds of religious and spiritual questions in this novel, allowing the reader to muse over and debate them as much as the characters do. Keeping Faith certainly displays Picoult's talent for portraying complex issues without dictating to her audience.

Faith White is a normal seven-year-old girl in many respects - she loves to play on the swings and scribble with crayons - but she becomes a media attraction almost overnight when she starts, apparently, having visions of God and develops wounds that can only currently be explained as stigmata.

What makes her situation even more interesting is that Faith knows nothing about religion, let alone Christianity. Her mother, Mariah, is a non-practicing Jew and her father a non-practicing Episcopalian: Faith has never seen a Bible, yet she quotes verses from it.Mariah can hardly believe this is happening, but she knows her daughter's not a liar and she is extremely concerned about the psychological and physical symptoms that Faith is displaying. Her priority is Faith's safety, which is difficult to take care of when a range of cult members, TV crews and sick people hoping for Faith to cure them are camping on their driveway.

One person particularly determined to prove that Faith is a fraud is Ian Fletcher, a tele-atheist who is determined to prove that all religious 'miracles' are fakes and ends up getting more involved than he means to...Mariah is still reeling from her divorce - initiated by her husband, Colin, after she and Faith catch him in the bedroom with another woman - and insult is added to injury when Colin announces that he wants custody of Faith. Mariah not only has to face criticism from the media, but also a very public trial that sees Colin dragging up darker times in her past in order to prove that she is harming Faith and somehow causing the hallucinations.

Trust is a major issue in Keeping Faith. Particularly poignant for me was seeing how Mariah's past gets thrown up and used against her, even though she's now a very different person, allowing Colin to betray her even further. It questions whether skeptics are objectively in pursuit of the truth or whether they simply can't let themselves trust and have faith. You may even find that you question your own beliefs and opinions - another thing that Picoult is skilled at.

I never thought I'd read a novel that incorporates religious ecstasy, mental illness and potential child abuse, but it actually works really well. It's different from Picoult's other novels and, despite first being published in 1999 in the US (2006 in Britain), it's every bit as accomplished as her later novels. The writing is strong and heartfelt, managing to portray Mariah with both vulnerability and Lioness-style protectiveness.

Although Mariah and her family are extremely 'normal', I think this is necessary, as too flamboyant or unique a character would seem unbelievable. Mariah is certainly more 'human' than a lot of Picoult's female protagonists. Picoult also flirts with the notion of 'unreliable narrator', which creates the opportunity for further debate and is done subtly and cleverly, so it's up to the reader to decide which of the characters - if any - to believe.

I think that Mariah is one of the most fully-formed, realistic characters that Picoult has written and Keeping Faith is certainly refreshingly different. Even if you hate Picoult's other novels, I recommend that you give this a try: it doesn't conform to the formula in several of her other novels and it's not so reminiscent of a courtroom drama. I also think this is the kind of book you will either love or hate and I'm happy that, for me, it's the former. Whether you're an atheist, a militant believer or (like most of the characters) an agnostic, there is little to upset you here as long as you read it with an open mind.

Picoult is careful not to tread on too many toes, although she doesn't sacrifice story for political correctness. Unlike many contemporary authors, who focus on family and relationships and little else, Picoult isn't afraid to study the major issues that dramatically affect these relationships. Stigmata and religious visions are unusual topics to address, but Picoult pulls it off without it seeming too unrealistic and with a lot of flair.

Christmas opening times & holidays

2006-12-14T23:42:00.000Z

Magna Carta Bookshop will be open as normal until Saturday 23rd December. After that date we will be closed until 3rd January 2007.

During this time we'll still be accepting your book orders, either via our web site or e-mail.

Merry Christmas

Thank you all so much for another great year and for all the support.

APAA Support

2006-12-11T17:03:00.000Z

We strongly support the animal cause in the Algarve, therefore we have posted the message below hoping there will be someone out there who may contribute to the solution to the problems the "Associação Protecção Animal do Algarve" is currently facing.

Any other charities needing any kind of help are also welcome to use this space. Please contact our bookshop for the effect.

Thank you,
Susana