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.
