I have recently moved house to a lovely historic village, and our nearest small town is only five minutes drive away. Having spent a few weeks heaving boxes of books and then trying to find shelf-space for them all, I vowed to buy less books.
No sooner had I said this than I went to the supermarket in our local town and almost next door was this - Aargh! the lovely Carnforth bookshop with its 14 higgledy-piggledy rooms of 100,000 second hand books! As you can see, the door is wide open, and who could resist? When I got inside I found there is coffee on the boil and a downstairs section with new books. You can even buy the gift-wrap and cards if you want to buy a book as a present, or for the musical - indulge in reams of sheet music.
Needless to say, I was in there more than an hour (the appropriate for Lent idea of "shall I try giving up buying books" forgotten) and I came out with three books. As an antidote to internet buying, it is a true bookaholic's browsing experience. Particularly delightful is a room of hardback fiction all at £1.
Though I have to say the writer in me is reluctant to buy second hand as I know how much work goes into a book and how the royalties from it stack up, but I forgive the Carnforth bookshop as it has a very good section of new fiction that you come to first before going upstairs to the used books.
As a reader of course I can't resist cheap second hand books, and the smell of leather and old paper. And the charm of exploring narrow stairways and inter-connecting rooms all stacked floor-to-ceiling with mostly one-offs.
Guess I'll be needing a few more shelves.
And if you are searching for a rare out of print book, why not try them www.carnforthbooks.co.uk
What a lovely bookstore! We don't have any used bookstores in my small town, but some thrift stores that occasionally sell books and the discards from the library.
ReplyDeleteYes you can get great buys in thrift stores - here they are usually called "charity shops" and are run by Oxfam, Save The Children, Age Concern etc. Thrift store is a very evocative name for them.
ReplyDeleteI'm here with the SheWriter Blogger Ball. I wish I had a bookstore like that near me. I love your site. I'm a new follower.
ReplyDeleteI'm stopping by as part of the She Write blog hop. I'm also following you now.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had an indy bookstore by me. That would be glorious.
Talk about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. What a find after the drudgery of moving.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of living in a small town, as long as my whole family moved with me. I love exploring bookstores and love antique children's books. Here with Blog Hop as well. :)
ReplyDeleteHello everyone, thanks for stopping by, and thanks for following, Dawn.Janel - that is a beautiful dog!And Tanya, a lovely family photo. I'll stop by your blogs over the next few days. Have a nice Easter!
ReplyDeleteDeborah, your blog is beautiful, and congrats on finding such a quaint lil village to live in. Sounds heavenly. The rejections post is hilarious. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSounds like this bookstore has so much more charm and character than the Barnes & Nobles and Borders around where I live (Virginia USA). Not that I haven't spent hours in B & N and Borders.... By the way, I am visiting from the SheWrites Blog Hop. I enjoyed this post and look forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteCan't help loving book stores... at least it ignites the writing spark and sets it burning! May even be a tax deduction for some...
ReplyDeleteJust love the background on your blog, mmmm!
Hello. I am visiting from She Writes. Such a fantastic sounding bookstore in your neighborhood. It reminds of one my mother used to take me to when I was younger. I hope you enjoy the blogger ball!
ReplyDeleteOh, I have made the same promise to buy less books myself. Many, many times. But you're right. That bookstore is irresitable:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting everyone, I enjoyed my hop round most of the sites - got square eyes now!
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