Happy Birthday to The Book Lounge and hip, hip hooray!

From one five year old to another “Happy Birthday!” (Modjaji Books also turned five this year).

The Book Lounge is our go to book store for launches. We had our first launch at an art gallery in October 2007, a couple of months before the Book Lounge was born. That launch was for Fourth Child, by Megan Hall which went on to win the Ingrid Jonker prize.

Almost all of our books which were written by Cape Town-based authors have launched at The Book Lounge, and many by authors from other parts of the country have also launched there. The launch team has always been incredibly efficient and generous. It was mostly Mervyn in the early days, and usually included a gorgeous touch from Verushka (for example, I’m thinking of the cookies she made for our Bed Book of Short Stories launch) and above and beyond the call of duty involvement from other staff (again the Bed Book launch – where Werner and another staff member – apologies for forgetting who – organised, fetched and returned a double bunk bed from the Kimberley Hotel). We’ve had huge launches (Reclaiming the L-Word) and small ones, and many in-between ones.

I can’t imagine what Cape Town would be like without The Book Lounge. What an amazing store, what incredible service, you are living legends. You have built a community around books, a place for “us” to go, to meet, to launch, to buy books, many of which we can’t buy anywhere else. You sell poetry! You have poetry readings and launches. Here is to long life, survival, thriving, and continuing to do what you do.

Modjaji Books would not have been able to survive and thrive without your being there. Thank you, Thank you, Mervyn, Johan, Verushka, Megan, Werner, Lwandiso, and Sebastian and others who work part-time and who used to work there, but don’t anymore. Thank you for all you do, for being your fabulous, creative, imaginative, enthusiastic selves. For going the extra mile. For caring about books and reading. For caring about school libraries. For making authors feel special. For keeping on keeping on. For making a place in Cape Town that is full and rich and just right for us readers of all interests and age groups, publishers, and writers. Your “can do” approach to book-selling, all things bookish and events is inspiring!

Happy Birthday Book Lounge and many many more!

By the way I was feeling tired and somewhat down at heart – been a tough year personally and as publisher (in spite of lots of prizes and other successes) but after being at your 5th birthday party, I felt cheered up, a little more confident and feeling strengthened to keep on keeping on what I do too.

Book details

• The Bed Book of Short Stories edited by Joanne Hichens
  EAN: 9781920397319
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The Bed Book of Short Stories

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• Reclaiming the L-Word: Sappho’s daughters out in Africa edited by Alleyn Diesel
  EAN: 9781920397289
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