{"title":"Oliver Darkshire","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"isabella-nagg-and-the-pot-of-basil-paperback","title":"Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a tiny farm on the edge of the miserable village of East Grasby, Isabella Nagg is trying to get on with her tiny, miserable existence. Dividing her time between tolerating her feckless husband, caring for the farm's strange animals, cooking up \"scrunge,\" and crooning over her treasured pot of basil, Isabella can't help but think that there might be something more to life. When Mr. Nagg returns home with a spell book purloined from the local wizard, she thinks: what harm could a little magic do?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis debut novel by beloved rare bookseller and memoirist Oliver Darkshire reimagines a heroine of Boccaccio's \u003cem\u003eDecameron\u003c\/em\u003e in a delightfully deranged world of talking plants, walking corpses, sentient animals, and shape-shifting sorcerers. As Isabella and her grouchy, cat-like companion set off to save the village from an entrepreneurial villain running a goblin-fruit Ponzi scheme, Darkshire's tale revels in the ancient books and arcane folklore of a new and original kind of enchantment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA delightful and entertaining story of self-discovery--as well as fungus, capitalism, and sorcery--\u003cem\u003eIsabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil\u003c\/em\u003e is a story for those who can't help but find magic even in the oddest and most baffling circumstances.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101250064607,"sku":"9781324130796","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/N0DWptApQp9781324130796.webp?v=1781068562"},{"product_id":"the-devil-and-mrs-gooch-hardcover","title":"The Devil and Mrs. Gooch - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the storm-drenched city of Verdigris, home to indolent sorcerers and undead hotels, something is dreadfully wrong. Buildings are starting to crumble due to the kidnapping of their hobs, the many-legged house spirits that keep each home in order. In such times, one would ordinarily blame the Devil, but he has been enchanted by a new and enticing evil: The jackbooted villainy of Gwendolyn Gooch, who has taken the hobs for her latest diabolical scheme--apartments for rent. As the hobs retrofit the gaudy Gooch Towers, the fate of the city lies in the hands of the arboreal Professor Green; his rare, complete set of the \u003cem\u003eHousehold Gramarye\u003c\/em\u003e; and its famulus, the prim Mrs. Bobkins.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA delightful new novel in a series \"perfectly cut to fit the Pratchett-shaped hole in my heart\" (C. M. Waggoner), \u003cem\u003eThe Devil and Mrs. Gooch\u003c\/em\u003e is witty, imaginative, and brimming with charm.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eHousehold Gramarye\u003c\/em\u003e series may be read in any order you wish, as wizards care little for strict sequentiality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eIsabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Humorous and clever.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e--Becky Meloan, \u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"It will make you laugh and surprisingly tug on your heartstrings. . . . [L]eaves you with a feeling of hope and, dare I say it in these times, joy.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e--Vanessa Armstrong, \u003cem\u003eReactor\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A clever fantasy that abounds with medieval mystery and misadventures.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e--\u003cem\u003eBookPage\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eOnce Upon a Tome\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Witty. Whimsical. Smart. A cozy gem for people who love books, bookstores, and booksellers.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e--Jenny Lawson\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Brim[s] with self-effacing charm.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e--Caitlin Doughty\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Peculiarly hilarious!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e--William Gibson\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Utterly charming.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e--Tom Holland\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101845033183,"sku":"9781324124467","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/cY693mybep9781324124467.webp?v=1781075749"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/oliver-darkshire.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}