Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Travels & Tidbits

I've been enjoying some time off from my day job, but it's been a bit of a busman's holiday. Of course. I did take some time to do some farmer's marketing, but then, we headed off to explore a nearby used bookshop, The Old Goat, in Waterloo. Did I find some treasures? You might say so. Here is what I found:



You will also notice a lovely new journal I received in the mail today from Canada Writes. Nice!

The most unexpected find was the Persephone paperback -- I've never seen any Persephone in a used bookstore yet, so I grabbed this one. And this particular title, Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple, was one I've been really wanting to read!

*And just one more photo, this one of another bookstore trip -- this is a great staycation ;) We really scored on this trip, and I discovered a new bookshop, Attic Books, in London, Ontario. Good selection and great prices! Most of these books came from Attic, with a handful found at 3 other shops.



******************************************


Another interesting tidbit that has come to my attention...

The first title I recommended in my occasional "Revivals" series (my suggestions for republication) was Luella Creighton's High Bright Buggy Wheels. Now I have serendipitiously discovered that Oxford University Press Canada is going to be reissuing it! And despite that fact that there is no causal link between these two happenings, they've set the date of publication for my birthday...weird...;)

******************************************


I am still reading along in my own Postal Reading Challenge. I've been both writing more letters and noticing postal ephemera much more frequently as a result. Lately I saw this trunk in my local fabric store. Just the right size to store a blanket or two...or lots of stationery... I was particularly tickled by it since my sister was in Cairns, Australia very recently and sent me photos, as well as flyers and materials, from the Cairns Library (doing my busman's holiday duties for me).


I also came across this delightful new picture book at work last week, The Day the Crayons Quit. It looked charming, but imagine my surprise when I opened it and discovered that it is a marvellous, epistolary picture book! I snapped a couple of photos to give you the idea. This is one that I will be adding to my own collection, too. (see more images at Jeffers' website)

First page

RED -- each crayon gets a say & they
are all amusing & quirky

*******************************************

So there you have a rambling take on what I've been up to recently. I promise that we will return to regular programming soon. But lately I have been so busy reading I have not been reviewing! Summer blahs, perhaps. I'm enjoying lazing in the sun with a book too much to remember to log on or blog on...

10 comments:

  1. Talking of epistolary picture books, you do know Janet and Allan Ahlberg's 'The Jolly Postman' don't you?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I love it! There are some great letter-focused picture books, and they are still such a delight to read, even without kids ;)

      Delete
  2. Sounds like you're having an awesome summer. What's better than a bunch of new books and time to read them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly! It has been pretty fabulous so far...

      Delete
  3. That trunk is wonderful--I love interesting looking storage boxes for letters, etc..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was so tempted to buy this one...but I didn't really need it, so the picture must suffice :) I love neat storage boxes too, but I have SO MANY already!

      Delete
  4. I don't spend nearly as much time in used book stores as I used to, or should. Though my shelves disagree mightily. There's something remarkable about the serendipity of a used book store...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree that my shelves don't show it, but I haven't spent as much time with used books as I used to -- maybe because I used to live in Montreal and had 6 great shops within walking distance. Smaller towns mean fewer books. Probably a good thing for my shelves though...

      Delete
  5. Ahhh... don't you just LOVE a great book haul like that? And discovering awesome used-bookstores? I've never been in a Waterloo bookstore, but I do remember going to nearby Stratford once and nabbing some real gems in a quaint little shop called Yesterday's Books. Two real rare finds -- Boxen, by Walter Hooper and Bright Shadow of Reality by Corbin Scott Cornell. Two books about C.S. Lewis that are just impossible to find anywhere.
    It's fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cip, this was the master of all book hauls! I was quite delighted. Yes, the discovery of a new used bookstore is cause for celebration. I've found a few unlikely gems myself at Yesterday's Things. Maybe next time you want to browse that store we can join you ;)

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by ~ I always enjoy hearing your comments so please feel free to leave some!