We were on holiday for two weeks this month. The first week was spent in Yorkshire in a farm cottage near Scarborough and the second week with in-laws in Leicestershire but also spending three days in the Peak District. Whilst naturally sampling the local scenic delights, ice-cream, fish 'n' chips, and partially sunny climes, it was also a good opportunity to scour all the local charity shops and secondhand bookstores because - frankly - it's not possible to own too many books.
The Yorkshire holiday started off well with my partner Sophie setting herself on fire (I'm so dramatic, but hair and gas hobs don't mix - thankfully it was quickly extinguished). The charity shops and bookstores in the Whitby/Scarborough area however were a great disappointment. In the week we were away I bought the total number of 0 books! Sophie only picked up one. Still, I had taken something to read. An excellent collection of short stories by Joel Lane:
The first few days of the second part of the holiday were spent with my in-laws near Leicester. The week started off well with myself descending down their stairs head over heels in pitch blackness at 4 in the morning having mistaken the black opening of the stairway for the bedroom - and having decided not to turrn on a light as I didn't want to wake anybody up. Thankfully, despite bruises everywhere, I remained unscathed. One day we headed out to the ever reliable Astley Book Farm and between us picked up this little lot:
Once in the Peak District just outside of Ashbourne the charity shops were much better stocked than those in Yorkshire, with some eclectic reading to be had other than the obvious 'holiday' reading pap thats good for more or less nothing. Within a few brief days, and including a visit to the excellent discounted bookstore that is Brierlow Bar, we had this lot between us:
Some gems there. But when will I read them? As well as these pictured, we picked up a few others in Leicester and returned with around 31 new titles between us. My reading list - not counting books Sophie has that I want to read - currently stands at around 240. With that amount of choice, we've devised the best way to select new titles is to maintain a numbered list and Sophie picks a number at random for me each time I need a new book. Which is why I read this on holiday which I've had for years but never got round to reading (and might never have got round to reading based on choice alone, even though I thoroughly enjoyed it):
Thankfully, other than hair-burning and the stair-falling there were no other accidents other than me reversing into a post and the passenger side electric window failing on the car effecting a £250 repair. Blow! Especially when that amount of money would have been better spent on books!
For those interested, you can follow my reading habits and reviews on: Goodreads
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