I read about one book a week, so I have this rule about only buying one book a week. As you can see from the pictures, I broke the rules this month. I blame London! There are the most wonderfully inspiring book shops. Particularly Waterstones. They really make an effort displaying the books, dividing them into themes, playing with the words and subjects. And they have such gorgeous collections of classics.
I went a bit crazy in Penguin’s Little Black Classics: they published 80 classics for 80p each on the 80th anniversary of the first Penguins. Such a brilliant idea! They are temptingly pretty and cheap, and their size make them perfect to fit in your bag. I bought 9:
Oscar Wilde: Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime
H. G. Wells: A Slip Under the Microscope
Katherine Mansfield: Miss Brill
Brothers Grimm: The Robber Bridegroom
Kate Chopin: A Pair of Silk Stockings
Henry James: The Figure in the Carpet
Jane Austen: The Beautiful Cassandra
Robert Louis Stevensen: Olalla
I was in a classic mood so stocked up on some lovely editions of old favorites and books I haven’t read yet:
Oscar Wilde: Best Plays
I’ve read them all before, but couldn’t resist this beautiful little pocket sized book with golden edges.
Herman Melville: Bartleby The Scrivener
I read it years ago at university, but have never had an actual copy.
Henry James: Daisy Miller
The same reason as the one above!
H. G. Wells: The Time Machine
A classic I’ve always wanted to read.
Loren D. Estleman: Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula
This idea seemed so fun and silly and utterly brilliant I had to check it out!
Daphne Du Maurier: Rebecca
I’ve wanted to read this one for ages but couldn’t find a copy I liked. Now this pretty thing is mine!
Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Herland & The Yellow Wallpaper
I’ve read Yellow a couple of times, but never Herland! I’m intrigued …
Monica Dickens: Mariana
This one was praised over at Paperback Castles, so I decided to give it a go. I’ve looked for it online, but didn’t like the cover (looks like a 50s YA romance novel) so I found a used Penguin for next to nothing. But its smell was awful! Whenever I touch it, I feel like I need to be disinfected. I would have to wear gloves if I ever were to read this copy. Luckily I found this clean and straight copy at Hatchards.
Frances Burney: Evaline
I wanted one of the many pretty Penguin classics, but I’d already read most of them, and the ones I hadn’t read, didn’t interest me. Then I found this little pretty darling of a book that I’d never heard of before, and decided to try my luck.
Knowing that I was going to London for some serious book shopping didn’t stop me from ordering my one-book-a-week books … and then some …
Monica Dickens: Mariana
And here it is: the smelly edition I can’t bare to touch … I feel like I need a shower just talking about it!
Nick Hornby: Funny Girl
A new Nick Hornby novel!!! And about a girl in the 60s who becomes an actress on a sitcom! I think I’ll have a good time with this one.
Betty Smith: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Another book I’ve heard so many good things about and been meaning to read for ages.
Daphne du Maurier: The Doll, the lost short stories
I need it for a group read over at Goodreads in October – but I don’t know what to expect from it.
Josh Malerman: Bird Box
I scary read that was recommended to me … I think it’ll be my Halloween read this year.
Paula Hawkins: The Girl on the Train
Everybody’s talking about it, so now I have to see what all the fuss is about.
Looking back on the pictures from the book stores, I’m actually proud I didn’t buy any more books …
Wow – sikke mange fine bøger du har fået købt i London! Håber at du havde den dejligste tur:0)
Jeg har også købt `Mariana”, og glæder mig meget til at læse bogen, da den jo har fået gode anbefalinger. Var det ikke svært at vælge de helt rigtige bøger, som skulle med hjem i kufferten? Jeg var nok aldrig kommet hjem;0)
Nu kender jeg dig ikke, men jeg er meget imponeret over at du ikke har købt flere bøger. Jeg tror ikke jeg havde kunne begrænse mig helt så meget som dig. Den Vintage-udgave af Charlotte Perkins Gilman synes jeg ikke jeg kan finde på Saxo, har du isbn-nummeret? Jeg er vild med den udgave af Rebecca, men jeg er ikke helt sikker på om det er en bog for mig 🙂
Sikke mange skønne bøger! Og ja London er altså stedet, hvis man skal bryde sin regel om bogindkøb. Jeg kan heller aldrig styre mig, når jeg er derovre. Det er jo rent paradis at træde ind i de store boghandlere derovre! 🙂
Åh, sikke en fantastisk stak bøger! Jeg elsker, at stakken er lige så høj som din kat ;D Og de der black classics er jo slet ikke til at stå for!
Jo, det var rigtig svært at vælge! Der var SÅ mange jeg gerne ville have med hjem. Ville bare ikke have overvægt i kufferten – igen 😀
Åh, jeg kunne have købt mange flere, hvis jeg bare kunne slæbe dem 😀 Gilman-bogen har ISBN 978-1-784-87052-2 – og de har den på The Book Depository.
Jeg kan bruge timer i Waterstones – det er SÅ inspirerende! Og det udvalg!
Nej, de er SÅ fine! Er helt vild med konceptet.
Tak 🙂