Wednesday 22 March 2017

Secondhand book buys

Sometimes you come across the best book buys when you're least expecting it. We had to visit a local small town on Monday for my husband to have his hearing aid adjusted. They have a Health Centre there, one to which we'd never been before. As soon as I walked in I sensed books. LOL! And there they were, quite a few of them, 50p each in aid of the Health Centre and being looked after by a lovely volunteer. We chatted while I picked out books. And what books!


First I spotted one of the delightful British Library Classic crime reissues, then another... eventually I had SIX.

From the bottom:

The Cheltenham Square Murder - John Bude
Death on The Cherwell - Mavis Doriel Hay
Antidote to Venom - Freeman Wills Crofts
Thirteen Guests - J. Jefferson Farjeon
The Poisoned Chocolate Case - Anthony Berkeley
The Cornish Coast Murder - John Bude

New, these are £8.99. I got six for £3. Fantastic bargain! Plus, several are books I wanted to read as I'd already read books by those authors and liked them.

On the other pile:

Mysterious Air Stories - edited by William Pattrick. An AM buy.
A Book of Railway Journeys edited by Ludovic Kennedy. Also an AM buy.
The Christmas Collection - Mary & Carol Higgins Clark. Bought at the Health Centre.
The Girl In Blue - P.G. Wodehouse. Also from the Health Centre.
Best Foot Forward - Susie Kelly. A walking in France book, AM buy.

Hubby's face when I approached him carrying a bag of books rather than one or two, was a picture... wish I'd taken it on my phone. I left a fiver in the honesty box and thought the fiver very well spent... and a good cause.

~~~oOo~~~

15 comments:

DesLily said...

gotta love a good bargain!! Even with all the thrift stores I go to I have never found that many good books at one place!! Happy reading sis! I hope Peter is up to the second knee being done.

Peggy Ann said...

Now that was a stellar day! All those beautiful British Library Crime Classics!

Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews said...

You have no idea Cath!!!

I volunteer in the local hospice charity shop, where the sorting, pricing and display of the books, is down to me!

It is like being a child in a sweetie shop.

My daily dilemma is just how to get those lovely books as far as the shelves without first buying them myself.

Then there is the pile of books I am left with which are just that bit too dilapidated to sell and need to be sent on for recycling. Surely I could buy those and live long enough to read them all!!

The answer, some books are just too good to pass by and end up on my staff purchase page, which is why just about every nook and cranny in our place is crammed with bookshelves and books stacked two or three rows deep.

And that doesn't assuage my habit totally, as I will still stop to look at every place selling books, wherever we visit. I really do think I have a serious problem developing here, as I can still look at your lovely pile of purchases and become very jealous, especially of the crime classics selection.

Thanks for sharing and I hope that all is well with you :)

Yvonne

Cath said...

Pat: Nope, I've never found that many books I really want in one place, so cheaply, either. I couldn't believe my luck! Incredible.

No, Peter's op can't go ahead yet. His blood sugar is still way too high. He now has to go on a really strict diet for 6 weeks and then he'll be tested again and we'll go from there. He could be looking at insulin rather than diet controlled diabetes. Feel rather sorry for him to be honest.

Peggy: I just could not believe my luck. I was delighted when I found one but to end up with six... and so cheaply.

Yvonne: Oh gosh, your comment made me laugh. Especially the 'child in a sweet shop' one. So funny. And you're in charge of all these books? I used to work for the CLIC charity shop years ago in Barnstaple but the book selection wasn't all that great... a lot of Mills & Boon etc. These days with the popularity of crime books I suspect there would be a lot of those and I would have a real problem. I have to say, I love the sound of your house...

'every nook and cranny in our place is crammed with bookshelves and books stacked two or three rows deep'.

Wonderful! Mind, ours is not much better. LOL! And like you, whenever I see books *anywhere* I'm there like a shot. So funny... but there are worse things to be addicted to.

Thanks for dropping by! :-)

Nan said...

Such a deal! I'm sorry to read about Peter's diabetes being worse.

Val said...

Glorious treasure ! Well done you!

Kailana said...

Looks like a great haul of books!

Cath said...

Nan: Thankyou... he has 6 weeks to get his blood sugar down via diet and if not he may have to go onto insulin, which he really doesn't want.

Val: Thankyou... I was pretty chuffed to spot those.

Kelly: Yep, not often I do that well.

BooksPlease said...

That's a good find - I've read The Cheltenham Square Murder, but the others are new to me. Happy reading!

Well as I suspect you won't be surprised that I can't pass by charity shops etc either without checking the books. I've a check-up tomorrow at the hospital and there's a table in the waiting area there usually piled with books. I'm hoping to find one or two books there.

I hope Peter's blood sugar levels come down soon - injections are not something to look forward to.

TracyK said...

What a bargain! I don't need any books and I am still envious. I enjoy buying books way too much.

Cath said...

Margaret: Glad I'm not the only one who can't pass a charity shop without going in. I hope your check-up goes well and you find some good books on the table there.

Thanks for your good wishes about Peter's blood sugar levals.

Tracy: I enjoy buying books way too much too... possibly as much as I like reading them!

BooksPlease said...

Cath my check-up went very well, thanks for asking. I didn't have chance to look at the books as I went straight in to my appointment as soon as I arrived. And as I've been given the all-clear - cancer free for 5 years and can come off the medication - I was on cloud nine and just left without even thinking about books!!!

Cath said...

Oh Margaret, I'm so pleased that you were given the all-clear and can come off medication. That's wonderful news! I'm not surprised that books were the last thing on your mind. Buy yourself a nice book to celebrate. :-)

Vintage Reading said...

Good haul! I'm planning to buy more second hand books this year.

Cath said...

Nicola: Likewise. We're off to Cornwall in a couple of weeks and I'm hoping to find a few treasures down there.