PERSONAL: Means of getting books
My parents know me too well. They got a hold of some second hand books, which included Shakespeares, and I have been assured that I will get a look-in on them next weekend before they are removed of. There is a Shirley Flight--Air Hostess among the bunch, and they promised that that would certainly be set aside for me. I don't think that I have it. I have hopes that there'll be more from this stash, but we'll see. The helium raising my balloon of hopes is that it was through similar means that I got a non Chalet School Brent-Dyer.
Also, a Borders is opening near me quite soon. It had been said to be coming for a while, but then it sounded as if the company was pulling out of the UK, so I thought it might not. But I saw it with my own eyes yesterday, and though there was no opening date on the massive posters in the window, behind them, I could see books on shelves. This suggests that 'soon' really is 'soon'.
It is within a couple of minutes' walk to the nearest Waterstones. I like Watersones well enough, I always have done since I first came across it - though in their lightness and airiness, Borders shops do score points. Admittedly, Amazon has stolen a march on any physical store, and my first-hand book purchases have always been rarer than my second-hand ones, but the competition may be a good thing. My experience of late has been of Ottakar's turning into Waterstones, which doesn't feel like that much of a change, and goes to prove how much of a clone/wannabe Ottaker's was. Anyway, on the few occasions I've been to Borders, I've liked the experience and bought a book there.
This Borders is even nearer to a second hand book shop that I feel I'll have to visit every time I go there. But that's a whole different issue. The thing I'll always remember about this shop is that I passed over a chance to buy The Blue Castle there, at quite a decent price.
(The next entry will probably be a review of 'Stanton's Comes of Age' by Sylvia Little.)
Also, a Borders is opening near me quite soon. It had been said to be coming for a while, but then it sounded as if the company was pulling out of the UK, so I thought it might not. But I saw it with my own eyes yesterday, and though there was no opening date on the massive posters in the window, behind them, I could see books on shelves. This suggests that 'soon' really is 'soon'.
It is within a couple of minutes' walk to the nearest Waterstones. I like Watersones well enough, I always have done since I first came across it - though in their lightness and airiness, Borders shops do score points. Admittedly, Amazon has stolen a march on any physical store, and my first-hand book purchases have always been rarer than my second-hand ones, but the competition may be a good thing. My experience of late has been of Ottakar's turning into Waterstones, which doesn't feel like that much of a change, and goes to prove how much of a clone/wannabe Ottaker's was. Anyway, on the few occasions I've been to Borders, I've liked the experience and bought a book there.
This Borders is even nearer to a second hand book shop that I feel I'll have to visit every time I go there. But that's a whole different issue. The thing I'll always remember about this shop is that I passed over a chance to buy The Blue Castle there, at quite a decent price.
(The next entry will probably be a review of 'Stanton's Comes of Age' by Sylvia Little.)