I went back to a bookshop!

Since the pandemic hit the UK, I have only been in one bookshop – a quick look around Barter Books in Alnwick, as I was there for a wedding and couldn’t miss the opportunity. Other than that, I didn’t want to risk it – knowing I could buy books online. Obviously this is very small fry in the things that people have experienced this past year, but I have really missed being in one.

And yesterday, I went to Waterstones in Oxford! I was spending a day with a friend, and decided it was time to brave it. Mostly because I have yet to see the British Library Women Writers series in a bookshop, and I was very excited to see them ‘in the flesh’ – you can probably see how delighted I was, even behind a mask:

As series consultant, I get copies of these – so I didn’t need to buy any. But I did buy a small handful of books to celebrate being back in a bookshop…

The Bear by Marian Engel

If you follow Dorian of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau on Twitter, chances are you’ve heard about The Bear by Marian Engel. It has recently been republished by the ever-reliable Daunt Books, so I’ve decided to give it a go – despite being called ‘the most controversial novel ever published in Canada'(!) I probably won’t actually read it for a few months – because it was published in 1976, making it perfect for October’s 1976 Club.

Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver

A couple of years ago I loved Pigs in Heaven by Kingsolver so much that it made me want to read much more by her. It was actually the third of her books that I’d read, but far and away my favourite. She does tend to write enormous books, and we all know how I feel about them – but now it’s on the shelf, it’s more of a possibility.

In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova

There is a definite irony that I can never remember the author’s name of a book called In Memory of Memory… this is a Fitzcarraldo Edition from their non-fiction series, and I cannot resist those. I’ve had a slightly mixed success with them, as some are a bit too clever for me, but at their best they are incredible. And their best is This Little Art by Kate Briggs, FYI.

There you go – a mini haul, because I tend to go bigger in secondhand bookshops where the books are cheaper. And, let’s face it, months spent surrounded by my unread books has reminded me that I don’t really need to buy more. But it felt so good to be back, supporting a bookshop and having a browse.

43 thoughts on “I went back to a bookshop!

    • May 4, 2021 at 10:24 am
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      Hooray indeed!

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  • May 1, 2021 at 2:52 pm
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    Isn’t it fantastic being back in an actual shop!

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:24 am
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      It was wonderful!

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  • May 1, 2021 at 3:52 pm
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    Well done. Today I went to a public library to borrow a book for the first time in many months :-)

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:23 am
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      I also returned a book at the library that I’d had out for about a year!

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:22 am
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      Thanks!

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  • May 1, 2021 at 4:50 pm
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    I loved Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behaviour, possibly more than some of her others. Although I have visited my local library very recently for a browse, I’ve yet to visit a bookshop – maybe next week.

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:22 am
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      ENjoy, when you do! Good to be back.

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  • May 1, 2021 at 5:14 pm
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    Hello! I will be interested to learn what your opinion is of Flight Behavior. I adore Barbara Kingsolver, and I actually met her at an outdoor event on a beautiful horse farm in Kentucky where she was speaking about that very book before its release. After all of the anticipation I have to admit that it is my least favorite of her novels. Sigh. Well, maybe you’ll feel differently.

    I’m glad you’re out and about and shopping in bookstores 🙂

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:21 am
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      Fingers crossed! what was it you didn’t like as much about this one?

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  • May 1, 2021 at 6:07 pm
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    I was in Waterstones (in Glasgow) earlier this week, I don’t even particularly love Waterstones but I had to buy a couple of books just to celebrate being back in a bookshop again

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:21 am
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      It felt like getting a souvenir!

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:20 am
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      It was so good to be back!

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  • May 1, 2021 at 8:02 pm
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    I have managed to get into a couple of bookshops, and although I have bought books online and on the phone, but there is nothing like being back in a shop to handle (thought not too much!) the real thing. I think you were very restrained!

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:19 am
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      Yes, it’s special, isn’t it?

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  • May 1, 2021 at 9:21 pm
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    I thought you’d have been first in the door, Simon! When I saw those photos of the queue outside Any Amount of Books, I was looking for your face!
    Good to see you back in your natural habitat. I’ve been to the library today, too.

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:19 am
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      I’ve been a bit too cautious about it, but with cases so low at the moment, it felt doable!

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  • May 2, 2021 at 4:24 am
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    There’s nothing to compare to being back in an actual bookshop, is there? Under the circumstances, I think you were most restrained!
    I also enjoy Kingsolver’s work — The Bean Trees being my own personal favorite.

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:19 am
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      Yes, easing myself in :D When I can go back to a secondhand bookshop, all bets are off. Bizarrely, Oxford doesn’t have one – Oxford, of all places!

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  • May 2, 2021 at 8:11 am
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    Whoo hoo! How brilliant to see the books actually on display!

    I went into Oxfam Books once between lockdowns and bought three books, one of them because I couldn’t work out the protocol for putting it back once I’d taken it off the shelf … I am keen to go back in but need to do my Annual Book Token Splurge first. As we only have one independent and it’s TINY and won’t stock the ones I want, I am spending them on bookshop.org and sending the profit to a favoured indie I haven’t been able to visit recently – or maybe half to each of two if I can work it out.

    Oh and I love Kingsolver and that’s my second favourite of hers …

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:18 am
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      Ha, yes the protocol was probably a clever way to get books bought :D And great news about the Kingsolver, thanks.

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  • May 2, 2021 at 9:47 am
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    There is a big difference between things you NEED to buy and things you WANT to buy. The former – petrol, cleaning products etc, give no pleasure. The latter – books, flowers, chocolate – are entirely about pleasure. So you might not have needed to buy any more books, but boy didn’t you enjoy doing so.

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:17 am
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      Amen amen amen!

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  • May 2, 2021 at 9:48 am
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    How lovely for you to see the BL Women Writers editions in the wild, and so beautifully displayed too – no wonder you were thrilled! There’s nothing like being able to browse in bookshops again, that feeling of chance or serendipity when you stumble across something interesting is very hard to replicate online.

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:16 am
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      It was such a nice surprise! I was hoping there’d be a display, but wasn’t sure. The wonderful Maria at British Library is very persuasive!

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  • May 2, 2021 at 12:58 pm
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    So glad your return to a bookshop was so positive, there’s nothing quite like browsing bookshop shelves. I have had Flight Behaviour tbr for years, and I recently bought In Memory of Memory too. Great to see those British Library women writers books on shop shelves. Don’t they look beautiful.

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:15 am
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      I had no idea they had a display, so that was a lovely surprise!

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  • May 2, 2021 at 2:31 pm
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    I volunteer in an Oxfam bookshop and at least 2 people a shift, say how pleased that are to see the shop re-open and that they can choose books again. It is also wonderful to see how many children come in to buy books and walk away enthusiastic to read them.

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:14 am
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      Oh that’s lovely! Are you inundated with everyone’s clear-outs?

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  • May 3, 2021 at 12:38 am
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    Can’t wait to browse again in a bookshop or library! Hopefully it will be really soon. I loved “ Flight Behavior”. That’s a great pick!

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:14 am
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      Oh good to know, thanks!

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  • May 3, 2021 at 11:00 am
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    The book shops have been open here for a while but it doesn’t feel the same and since we don’t travel to the larger cities, I’ve only been to our small book shop around the corner which I’m more than happy to support. But I know how you feel.

    Anyway, Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favourite authors though I haven’t read all of her books, either. “Flight Behaviour” is absolutely marvellous, I’m sure you’ll love it. Happy Reading.

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:14 am
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      Yes, ours have been open for a long time, on and off, but haven’t felt brave enough til now. And good to know about Flight Behaviour!

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  • May 4, 2021 at 12:46 am
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    Oh I love the Oxford Waterstones – dare I say it – more than Blackwells. Must pay a visit.

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    • May 4, 2021 at 10:13 am
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      I do love it there! Blackwells probably has my heart, but thankfully don’t have to choose :D

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  • May 4, 2021 at 2:04 pm
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    Aaaaa this sounds wonderful! My mother, sister, niece and nephew, and I were able to go a bookstore recently — it was one of those situations where they were closed to browsing for everyone but us and we just got to browse around for a while in our masks. It was SO lovely and rejuvenating. I wanted to hug every book in the place.

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  • May 4, 2021 at 3:27 pm
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    Mazal Tov! May I too soon be able to visit a book store! (Not here where I live, but in the UK.)

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  • May 4, 2021 at 8:24 pm
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    I went to the library today, being able to browse was great, I’ll never take it for granted again. I’m planning a trip to St Andrews tomorrow, just for the bookshops really, they’re the one thing I’ve really missed.

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  • May 6, 2021 at 2:43 am
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    Awwww how wonderful! Our experience down here in Australia has (obviously) been very different, but my heart still swells to see U.K. booklovers finally getting back to their “natural habitat”. Enjoy your new reads!

    Reply

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