Bookish treats -- and a couple of beers thrown in for good measure!
I had a lovely day today, exploring Bloomsbury on foot and treating myself to a book or two or -- OK, I confess -- six (!!). I have a good excuse though. Yesterday was my birthday and I always like to buy something bookish for myself as way of celebration.
My afternoon comprised a serious dose of book browsing, kicking off with a much-anticipated visit to Persephone Books on Lambs Conduit Street.
My partner and I were the only ones in the shop, which was probably just as well, because it is tiny. Along three walls there are pine cubic-shelves crammed with books, many of them already gift-wrapped in distinctive hot-pink tissue paper. Another wall is lined with piles of boxes with little heaps of dove-grey books arranged on top, and there's a display table or two (with gift cards), as well as a couple of armchairs if you feel like sitting down and having a bit of a read. I loved the period lamps and the polished floor boards and the framed prints on the walls. It lent the shop a special kind of ambiance. Oh, and did I mention the smell, a delicious mix of ink and fresh, clean paper?
I enjoyed perusing the shelves, although I struggled to make a selection, because almost everything I picked up appealed. The company might only have 72 books in print, but my god I'd love every one of them!
In the end it wasn't so much as making a proper reasoned decision, but simply picking whatever my hands landed on! I splurged on four titles (all with matching bookmarks):
A House in the Country by Jocelyn Playfair (a comedy of manners and social niceties set in 1944);
The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding (a pyschological thriller from 1947);
The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes (another thriller, written in 1963); and
The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Persephone's latest book, about American heiresses marrying English aristocrats, which was first published in 1907).
I scored a free jute carry bag in the process (because I bought three books or more), which was promptly filled with more books when we crossed the road and visited The Lamb Bookshop.
This shop has a rather small selection of fiction, but every book is half-price or less. And unlike a lot of discount book shops this one has relatively highbrow tastes. I came away with two novels: How the Light Gets In by MJ Hyland and The Night Watch by Sarah Waters.
So after so much book-buying we spent the rest of the afternoon seeking refreshments: we had coffee (and a bite to eat) in nearby Red Lion Square Gardens, followed by a pint in the Queen's Larder and another pint in the Friend at Hand. All up it was a relaxing day -- and the best Saturday I've had in a long time.
