A meeting of book lovers

I wonder what is the collective noun for a large group of Virago collectors on a mission?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I went to London to meet up with some members of the Librarything Virago group – and to buy some books. We all know I have no need of more books – but what’s need ever had to do with it?

I took my friend Meg along with me – as I am hopeless at finding my way around London, luckily Meg is a book lover too, and so she fitted right in. Several members of the group I had met a few times before, including Simon from stuckinabook whose blog I am sure you all read, and it was great meeting up with them again. But it was even more exciting to meet up with people who I feel I know really well already but hadn’t met before, including Karen from Kaggsy’sbookishramblings, and Laura who many of you will remember used to blog at Laura’s Musings – and is over from Philadelphia for a week. There were a couple of other Librarything members who know Laura from other LT groups and so we made a pretty large group when we gathered in the café of Foyles yesterday morning.
I resisted temptation in Foyles only my second ever visit there – I had a lovely cup of tea instead – I was saving my brand new book shopping for the Persephone shop at the end of the day. Oh but isn’t Foyles a wonderful shop? I wish it was here in Birmingham – though I might have to sell the house.

 

From Foyles 12 excited Librarythingers made our way down Charing Cross road to Henry Pordes and Any Amount of books – two shops I have been to before and had been looking forward to – I bought four books there. Two Willa Cather books, Death Comes for the Archbishop and The Professor’s House – for my continuing Cather kick, a beautiful VMC designer edition of Frenchman’s Creek, which I will read on my birthday as Daphne and I are birthday buddies, and The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West.

 

 

While in Any Amount of books we were joined by Luci – who always brings a bagful of lovely books with her to share out. Yesterday was no exception at lunchtime Luci’s books got passed around and I think most of them found new homes.

 

 

We then went for lunch – and a welcome sit down – we all wanted to examine our purchases too I think. Lunch was at My Old Dutch in Holborn. A Dutch pancake house – beautiful paper thin pancakes with a massive range of fillings spread on top – like a pizza – I had seafood – it was divine. Luci’s books got passed around as we waited for the food and I acquired three and happily pressed some on Meg. So thank you Luci for Dangerous Calm an edition of short stories I don’t have by my favourite woman writer, The Tortoise and the Hare and The Rehearsal.

After lunch we headed for the Oxfam bookshop in Bloomsbury – what a great shop it is – and I bought two lovely books, Jigsaw; an unsentimental education by Sybille Bedford, and The Village by Marghanita Laski, a lovely Persephone edition, with its bookmark! I have The Village already in a 1950’s hardback edition, but I had wanted the Persephone edition to go with it – it’s a fantastic book. We then headed to the London Review Bookshop – not a shop I have ever been to before – it is a beautiful shop and there were a lot of gorgeous temptations laid out before us. However I found a chair and sat down and resisted temptation as the books were all brand new full price – and I was conscious of having spent a little already.

Then it was Persephone time. I just love that shop, three people had had to leave by this time so there were ten of us and we did rather fill the space of that lovely shop. I bought three (one of which is a birthday gift from Liz – though my birthday isn’t till May – does that mean I have to give it to her to wrap?) Bricks and Mortar, Tea with Mr Rochester and Tell it to a Stranger – the latter two short stories, I find I adore Persephone short stories. Those Persephone purchases brings my Persephone collection to 72 (I had been saying all day it was about 60 – seems I miscalculated) 11 of them unread on my tbr.

While some people rushed off to catch trains etc. – six of us went across the road for a very welcome cup of tea. It was then time to head back to Euston for our train home, we decided to walk, and a lovely walk it was too, a bit cold and breezy but lovely bright blue skies above. Though as we crossed the road in front of Euston station just after 5 O’clock there came an almighty rumble of thunder – and we headed inside, probably just in time. I sat back on the train with a contented sigh, I was tired but it had been a lovely day filled with wonderful people, bookish loveliness and one amazing pancake.