The day we went to The Strand was the day of the poncho incident. It had been raining torrentially all day and I was, to put it nicely, not in the best of moods. But then I walked into the bookstore...and the excitement of it all nearly knocked me flat. Nothing makes me happier than being surrounded by books (can you imagine a better death than by a falling shelf? I'm looking at you Mr Bast) and the number of books in that one building was almost unimaginable. It was a beautiful moment. Once my jaw had come off the floor I got cracking with the display tables and then onto the stacks. Before I'd even tackled 'A' Mum, Dad and Liv had already wandered off to the pret opposite for a coffee. They knew I'd be some time and some time I definitely was.
It was hard to actually browse the store because of the sheer number of books so I tactically decided to look for books on my wish list and authors I am fond of. Three of the books I bought were used and only one was new and yes, I only bought four books, who's impressed?
TO THE BOOKS!
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| Not really sure why my hand is there...just roll with it. |
The Common Reader by Virginia Woolf
I read parts of this at uni but never really took it in. Reading A Room Of Ones Own for the Modern March event really put me in the mood for reading more of Wool's opinions and ideas so I thought why not start with some bite size essays.
A Rooms of One's Own/Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf
Another Woolf! I'm definitely over that fear I had of her when I started my degree. I read a review of Three Guineas the other day and it provided a bit of a synopsis which pointed out that this extended essay includes Woolf's thoughts and arguments about war and women. I don't think I'll ever get over my obsession of women and war so I figured this is a good place to go next. I almost bought a version that was just Three Guineas but I thought this double whammy was much more attractive and means I can take one book instead of two to London.
Ransom by David Malouf
I mentioned this book when I reviewed The Lost Books of the Odyssey as another retelling of the Iliad/Odyssey. I studied one of Malouf's books and uni and I remember his writing to be quite spectacular so I'm looking forward to encountering him again retelling one of my favourite stories.
The End of your Life Bookclub by Will Schwabe
I've had my eye on this for quite some time now but the last time I looked it was only available in hardback in England. I will always prefer a paperback for ease and to protect my poor back so I snapped this one up without a thought. It's a bookish memoir, need I say more?
There we have it, my very restrained but rather successful shopping trip to The Strand. I will be dreaming about that shop forever more.
Has anyone else been there and had a similarly mind-blowing experience? If you've read any of these books I'd love to hear your thoughts!
On a side note...I realise I've been a bit M.I.A around here recently, much to my own distress. I've got a million book reviews to write so with any luck I'll get a bit of down time when I can happily warble on about books again. I'll be posting regularly and spamming all your readers soon enough.
On a side note...I realise I've been a bit M.I.A around here recently, much to my own distress. I've got a million book reviews to write so with any luck I'll get a bit of down time when I can happily warble on about books again. I'll be posting regularly and spamming all your readers soon enough.
18 miles of books. Good grief, I think I'd die of happiness!
ReplyDeleteI almost did. I also almost had to sit in a corner and rock until I calmed down but, thankfully, I pulled myself together.
DeleteI live not all that far from NYC, but still have not been to the Strand -- I will have to remedy that on my next trip into the city!
ReplyDeleteYes do remedy that! It was utterly mind blowing.
DeleteELLIE- This is really weird but when I went to the Strand it was ALSO raining (after we came out HOURS later I stopped in the rain just to take a photo of the shop because HOW COULD I NOT?!) AND I'm pretty sure I bought four books there too! Oddddd! Ugh, it's just the best and I must go there immediately.
ReplyDeleteI think we should organise a pilgrimage there. Like bookish types from around the world descend on the Strand and just bask in its beauty. I'm game, you?
DeleteI did not take a photo and I am forever going to be disappointed in myself for that fact. Such a let down. Although it was raining really quite spectacularly hard.
So odd about the rain and buying four books. Positively weird, in fact.
Ransom looks interesting, I do love a good retelling!
ReplyDeleteAnd I just bought The End of Your Life Book Club recently on my kindle, great minds think alike :)
I do too, particularly when it's a retelling of something Trojan War related.
DeleteGreat minds do think alike! I look forward to seeing what you make of it :)
Oh my gosh - when we went to New York last autumn, I managed to persuade my completely non-book-loving boyfriend that it was definitely a good idea to spend some time wandering around and I was completely overwhelmed! I had absolutely no clue where to even start - it is AMAZING! Because I was worried about the weight of my bags on the way back, I bought ONE BOOK only (Elantris by Brandon Sanderson) and was super proud of myself for the rest of the holiday.
ReplyDeleteOne day, I'm going to fly over with plenty of baggage space and spend an entire day there. I'm so jealous that you got to visit!!
ONE BOOK?! How? How?! I thought I was restrained but I am completely impressed by your efforts. My case was really quite super heavy though so I think empty cases are the way forward.
DeleteHave never been to the Strand but have been to a huge book store in Nashville TN -sorry can't think of name. I read End of Your Life Book Club and had mixed feelings about it. I reviewed it on my blog awhile back. But will be interested to see what you think when you read it. Enjoy Malouf. He's one of our Aussie writer greats.
ReplyDeleteOoohh, I want to go to The Strand soooo badly! A good friend of mine from the NYC area introduced me to this story (the idea of it, anyway) when I was in my late teens. He sent me a postcard from there, and it's been long distance love ever since.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked The Strand, it is such a wonderful place! I've got The End of Your Life Book Club to read too. Enjoy your new books!
ReplyDeleteI just started The End Of Your Life Book Club, so far so good. I hope you enjoy it.
ReplyDelete