On Monday I had the day off, so I decided to go to Hidcote National Trust because I’m young and vibrant. It is a really beautiful garden and June seems like the perfect time to see it. After a wander, I spent quite a while sitting there, reading The Feast by Margaret Kennedy in preparation for the next episode of ‘Tea or Books?’
But while I was up that way, I thought I’d google for local secondhand bookshops – and that’s how I came across Draycott Books in Chipping Camden. It’s less than an hour from my house and somehow I haven’t been before?? Will certainly be rectifying, as it’s a lovely little shop – a great selection of books, affordable and in nice condition. Apparently there’s also a cat, but sadly I didn’t see him/her.
If it weren’t for Project 24, I’d have come away with an armful of books – I left behind a Pamela Frankau I don’t have, the short stories of Theodora Benson, and three boxfuls of Virago Modern Classics (although I did own most of them already). In the end, I chose two –
In No Strange Land by Jane Oliver
Like lots of us, I loved Jane Oliver and Ann Stafford’s Business As Usual, and I’ve been wondering what their other books are like. The info with the book seemed to suggest they weren’t necessarily of the same calibre – but at least this way I can find out for myself.
The Fiery Gate by Ronald Fraser
I’ve read a couple of books by Fraser, both of which were in my doctoral thesis to different extents – Flower Phantoms (where a woman turns into a plant) and The Flying Draper (where, uh, a draper can fly). Apparently The Fiery Gate is another one of his fantastic narratives – and, while his writing wasn’t particularly brilliant in the novels I’ve read, that’s enough for me to be keen to give it a try.
I’ve jumped ahead of my rationing a little, as 11 books takes me to halfway through July. And I definitely have a bookshop trip or two planned in July. I guess I might have to be particularly abstemious in August!