Shopping again: secondhand books
18 November, 2009
My sister asked if I wanted to go to Portobello Market in Notting Hill on Sunday, and as I hadn’t been there for a while, I thought why not? (Although I will be going to the Electric Cinema there next Sunday to watch New Moon – I cannot wait to see the wolf pack. I can’t help it, I’m Team Jacob.) But it was raining and we found ourselves hiding for cover in the Book and Comic Exchange shop which I had recently read about in Stuck in a Book‘s post. Naturally I thought of his post and made a dash for the basement where there were indeed three rooms full of books for 50p, and I came away with 5 books (two were for a pound each)!
Good Behaviour by Molly Keane
The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins
The Women’s Room by Marilyn French
Principles of Angels by Jaine Fenn
A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow by George R.R. Martin (Book 3 of A Song of Ice and Fire)
They had a pretty good science fiction and fantasy section in a little alcove at the top of the stairs and I saw someone with two volumes of the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson (yes, he was clutching a copy of The Confusion which I was eyeing intently but he breezed away with the book and I had to say goodbye to it).
It was raining so heavily we ended up running into several shops but turned back before we even hit the market, stopping by to grab some gelato as we walked back to the car. They had chocolate wasabi flavour which was rather yummy, but I opted for my favourite coffee gelato.
And … I also got these at my local charity shop last week:
True Blood by Charlaine Harris (I am loving the tv series)
The Pursuit of Love & Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford (I read this years ago at boarding school and have the DVD)
And … I bought this from Amazon:
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg – this is for creative research purposes so I don’t feel guilty about purchasing it.
chasing bawa 
18 November, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Found your blog via Book Snob. What a wonderful loot of books you have there. The Tortoise and the Hare is wonderful…one of my favourite Viragos!
18 November, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Thanks for stopping by! I’ve heard so many good things about The Tortoise and the Hare and can’t wait to read it.
18 November, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Surprisingly, I didn’t like the True Blood TV series. Book wasn’t too bad but Stephanie Meyers is a better writer (or could be that I’m prejudiced since I read the Twilight series first).
18 November, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I’m surprised you didn’t like the tv series. It’s on tonight, so I can’t wait to get home to see it. But it’s very different from the Twilight series (comparing the tv/films).
18 November, 2009 at 6:31 pm
I wonder whether you found the copy of The Tortoise and the Hare that Simon mentioned was there or if it happened to be another rogue copy… I prefer to think that it is one and the same and it means that I don’t need to take a jaunt to North London to liberate it!
I love True Blood the TV series and have read the first book and enjoyed it.
18 November, 2009 at 7:39 pm
There was only one copy there in the Virago section so it might have been the one he mentioned… sorry I got there first. I’m going to Notting Hill again on Sunday so I’ll have another look.
19 November, 2009 at 9:53 pm
I have just been sent the first two books in the True Blood (well whats become True Blood) series and will be giving them a go after I read New Moon which I am going to have to giev into at some point. I must must find this book shop. Simon told me all about it when we met up in London, I also told him of another gem of a store very near me just south of the Thames which he tried out too! But three rooms is amazing… just have to wait until this book buying ban ends this month.
20 November, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Hello! It’s near the tube station, on the way to the market. It’s difficult to find secondhand books in London that are real bargains. I used to think £1-99 was a good deal (often it’s £2-99 or more). I once saw a whole set of Anthony Powell’s novels for 20p each but that was at a charity shop in Hunstanton. Obviously I had to get them.