Origami Girl

Thursday 18 July 2013

In which there are books and love


I don't like to harp on about the fact that I just got married too much, but it has left me with a whole host of fun photos to share and if not going on about the wedding, I want to share the location of our honeymoon because more people show love this place.

I am sorry if this is just be spamming with you my holiday pictures, but it's mostly books. Just to keep it exciting I put a few pictures of me in there too... and then chocolate!

So where we for all this? It's a little town in Wales called Hay-on-Wye. It's excusable if you have never heard of it, unless that is you are fond of books. In which case, I beg you to take a little holiday here too. The town is famous for its bookshops. There are 30 second hand books shops in this little place. One in a cinema, one just for crime, two for children's, one for gardening books, outdoor, indoor, huge or cosy. All the books you can dream of. It is a tiny place really, but it was absolutely perfect for our holiday. We did very little at all, but bought lots of books!
In this bookshop they had an entire basement of sci-fi books! All the books you can see here, and then another aisle full of them.
That same bookshop had a cafe we had recommended to us which served incredible food. Like chocolate and cardamom ice cream.

Indeed.
Oh my, folios. All those books across from me? Folio editions. I die from the beauty.

We ate a dinner out in a lovely deserted pub. We got served directly by the landlord who took our drink orders all night and lazed in massive armchairs. I'd been saving this dress for the occasion. I love a form dress with pockets!



This town was crazy about penguin editions. I am generally just crazy about matching books.

Perfection.


Crime bookshop.
Picnic by the river with some classic sci-fi.

My sister got us this lunchbag as a wedding present and I utterly love it!

This was the dinner I cooked up for us sitting outside with champagne in our little holiday house.

Yes, an outdoor bookshop. This one just had an honesty box.
Finally: The haul. 
After visiting a mere twelve of the bookshops over the week the above picture shows the final stack (bar about 2 I think that we got as leaving!) that we came away with. The day we left was swelteringly hot but we made it back to London with our bags packed with wedding outfit, cards, presents and books.
For those interested it included: Folio E Nesbit books, vintage Bunty annuals, hard bound art books on favourite painters, Clive Barker children's horror, lots of John Wyndham, Anne McCaffery and Tanith Lee, a book on the treatment of madness in women, a dungeons and dragons book and some more unusual folklore-inspired tales.

2 comments:

  1. god, these book shops look beautiful! i just a love a good used book store. looks like so much fun. :)

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  2. This place sounds amazing. SO MANY BOOKSTORES!!! Hooray!!!

    Also, don't feel bad about talking about just being married (well, I felt that way too, but..) people like to hear about trips and weddings and honeymoons. It is fun to feel connected in someway to your adventures.

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