Friday 27 March 2020

Bookshelf Travelling for Insane Times


Crikey, Friday came around again quickly didn't it? Time for another round of Bookshelf Travelling for Insane Times which is being hosted by Judith at Reader in the Wilderness. The idea is to share your bookshelves with other bloggers. Any aspect you like:

1. Home.
2. Books in the home.
3. Touring books in the home.
4. Books organized or not organized on shelves, in bookcases, in stacks, or heaped in a helter-skelter fashion on any surface, including the floor, the top of the piano, etc.
5. Talking about books and reading experiences from the past, present, or future.

Whatever you fancy as long as you have fun basically.

Today I'm just going to showcase the four books I bought while I was away in Cornwall a couple of weeks ago. I bought them at The Edge of the World Bookshop in Penzance which is one of my all time favourite independent bookshops.


I didn't think to take a photo of the outside of the shop so I snagged this off their Facebook page. Assuming that's ok.

Anyway, these are the books I bought:


As you can see, I like the colour blue.

From the bottom:


The Cabin in the Mountains by Robert Ferguson recounts how the author bought a piece of land in Northern Norway and built a cabin on it. Sounds like everything I ever wanted to be honest!

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver is a supernatural story about a manor house in The Fens of East Anglia. I loved her Dark Matter and am hoping this is as good.



The Path to the Sea by Liz Fenwick is another Cornwall based novel about a house called Boskenna, on the Cornish cliffs, and the women who have lived there.

Crimson Snow, edited by Martin Edwards, is a book of Winter and Christmas based vintage crime short stories.

What stunning covers these have all got, so funny that they're all blue, but very pleased indeed with my purchases.

~~~oOO~~~

11 comments:

Kay said...

Wow! Blue indeed and I love the look of that bookshop, Cath. Wish I could visit it, but you're letting me visit remotely. All the independent bookstores and shops will need our help in coming days I'm thinking. A couple of these books look interesting to me. Will check them out.

Lark said...

I'd love to visit that bookstore someday! And that short stack of books looks like some good reading. :)

Margaret @ BooksPlease said...

That bookshop looks good, Cath. I did enjoy Wakenhyrst, it's steeped in atmosphere. I like the look of your other books too.

TracyK said...

Those are gorgeous covers. I think I like the Wakenhyrst cover the best, but The Cabin in the Mountains sounds like the most interesting read.

Judith said...

Hi Cath,
Oh, gosh, I felt like leaping out of my chair because all four of your books sound gloriously perfect for me! How delightful! The Ferguson novel sounds so perfect, and I'm going to look up each and every one asap. I had a dreadful night last night--loaded with nightmares of stupid things, like war and invasions and mass criminals. I know my psyche is merely processing and dealing with the stress of these days during my sleep time, but really! Our state is having a very, very hard time. Our governor Andrew Cuomo is so exceedingly presidential, and he leads in his own style, with confidence and with a "I know people are going to hate me for this, but..."
I'm coping because we have Sandy who needs loads of walkies and loads of affection and playtime. And I'm coping because after chores and walks, I retire with books and knitting and audiobooks for at least three hours every afternoon. That is my sanity. How about you?

Cath said...

Kay: Yes, very blue. I'm reminded of the story where someone walked in a bookshop and said that they couldn't remember the title of the book they wanted but the cover was blue. I'd fit right in there. LOL Yes, I really hope our indie book shops will survive this, I'm worried for them.

Lark: I would be very happy with a complete holiday just visiting bookstores. In fact, that would be 'perfect'.

Margaret: Pleased to hear that Wakenhyrst is good.

Tracy: I love a good cover I must admit. I'm hoping that the Cabin book is good, will probably read it for the European challenge.

Judith: I have to admit I was really chuffed with my choice of books. I wish this bookshop was in the town where I live. Although it would probably bankrupt me!

I'm really sorry to hear you had a bad night last night. So many people struggling with what's going on and no wonder. It feels like a really scary science fiction novel of the kind I used to read but felt was unlikely to happen in real life. I saw on the news that New York state is the worst hit area in the US and I did think of you. Please take care. I know you're away from New York City but still.

I'm doing okay thanks. Unsettled but trying not to worry too much. Like you I spend several hours in the afternoon with books, or I knit and watch a doc that my husband isn't interested in (usually involves digging up bones) or I've just started a 3000 piece jigsaw puzzle. So, plenty to do and really it's not that different to our normal days, it's just that we now know we shouldn't go out and there are police on the streets questioning people I gather, and *that* is disturbing in all sorts of ways. (Not that I have any issues with our police I should add.) My head can't quite believe it's really happening.

Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews said...

Hi Cath,

I wonder if it was the individual cover art which caught your eye the most and you didn't realise the colour block until you went to pay, or whether you were literally going through a 'blue phase', where you were blind to all other colours?

Just about every aspect of society is suffering through this crisis and the publishing industry is obviously no exception. There is a definite dearth of new titles coming through and the only Blog Tours I have in the foreseeable future, take place in May and June, with none of the content yet having been confirmed, so who knows if they will go ahead!

The social review platforms such as NetGalley and Goodreads are appealing for readers and bloggers to read books they already have in their TBR piles and keep posting reviews, to keep the flame alive until we emerge from the present gloomy outlook.

I wonder just how many of the smaller, independent bookstores will have the financial or emotional resilience to pick up the pieces, in what was already a struggling retail sector?

I have enough books to keep me in lockdown mode for the rest of my life, so now all I need is the motivation and concentration to knuckle down and read. I have started a new 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, which I am really enjoying, so after days of moping this week, next week is going to be 100% better!

Oh! and by the way, I am adding 'The Path To The Sea' and 'Crimson Snow' to my list - just in case I run out of reviews to publish :)

Stay Safe :)

Yvonne xx

Sam said...

What a perfect bookstore name for a Penzance bookstore, one pretty close to Lands End and all. It looks like a place i could park myself for a few hours very easily. I suppose that it's locked up tight by now? If so, good luck to it and its customers.

I managed to keep the television news at bay for almost the whole day today, and I actually got a good bit of reading done for the first time in a couple of weeks. Still can't concentrate on anything for long without the virus mess creeping back into my consciousness.

I hope you all are doing well.

Cath said...

Yvonne: I honestly think it was pure coincidence that the covers are all blue. I didn't even notice it until a day or two after I got home. I just thought it was funny.

Yes, I'm certain that the publishing industry will be hard hit. I feel so sorry for anyone bringing out a new book within the next few months, especially if it's a first book, what a terribly disappointing situation that would be. I've no doubt though that us bookbloggers will keep on reading and posting about books, it's what we do after all and there should be more time now, not that I'm finding that that is so...

I hope your jigsaw is going well. I also hope this week is better for you than last week.

You stay safe too and I hope all is well. xx

Sam: Yes, it's such an appropriate name for a bookshop at the end of England. Very original. Yes, sadly I believe they have had to close, I got in there just in time.

Glad you've managed to get back to some reading.

We're doing ok thanks, I hope you are too.

Susan said...

I love bookshops and that one looks lovely! I'm glad you enjoy your visits there :)

Cath said...

Susan: I would happily have a whole holiday where I just travelled from bookshop to bookshop. LOL