"Summer Books"

I took this picture during our visit to The Little Bookshop in Cookham. I really like the retro display. Anyway, as you know, I loathe summertime. I try to survive it, through various means. Among them, of course, is reading. I loathe summertime, but I do read seasonally, because I enjoy summer books, paradoxically. So I always eagerly pick up this free seasonal leaflet from Books Are My Bag. It always has something in there that is worth reading, or at least buying. So yeah, I picked one leaflet, checked it, and bought a book listed in it. Because for me, summer can only be tolerable if I lose myself in a book.

The Little Bookshop

I have been wanting to visit it since 2020. Yesterday, I finally got my wish granted: we went to The Little Bookshop in Cookham. I think I'm in love, it's like the perfect quaint village bookshop. As it was also the first day of Independent Bookshop Week, I decided not to behave, I spent like a drunken sailor and I bought myself five books. I would have bought more, but Wolfie didn't find anything he liked and my wife did not dare, fearing rightly I might go on a hoarding spree. Then again, I thought I would spoil myself as it is today Father's Day. Which the bookshop advertised quite a lot, so it's all fair. Anyway, we will not go back to Cookham any time soon, so I think it's okay to make the best of our short visit. Until next time.

Independent Bookshop week

 Quick announcement for those living in the UK and who love books: today is the beginning of Independent Bookshop Week. I will of course make time to go to the local bookshop, where I might not behave.

About Independent Bookshop Week

For those living in the UK, please mark your calendars: between the 14th and the 21st of June 2025, it will be Independent Bookshop Week . So identify your nearest independent bookshop, hopefully a local one, then go there and buy some books. I know I will. My wife would say that I don't need more books and that I buy them faster than I can read them, that said I think it's important to encourage independent businesses and promote culture and literacy. On a side note, I love their promotional picture.

Summer Books 2024

Quick post today, just as a quick reminder. One reminder and one quick moment of musing. First, the reminder: it is still Independent Bookshop Week, until tomorrow. Second, as summertime isofficially here, it is time to get some summer books. It may not be my favourite season, but I still enjoy a good summer read. Although my summer reads rarely go beyond July. Sometimes I finish them sooner. But that's just me. In any case, I will get my hand the free guide provided by Books Are My Bag as soon as possible. Anyway, if you have any suggestions for summer reads, please put them in the comments. I might do the same in future posts.

Spy Thriller in the Bookshop

As this is Independent Bookshop Week, we went to the local bookshop recently. I love to support local businesses, especially local bookshops. I love our local bookshop for another reason: I always find some book I did not know existed, but worth checking. So yes, I found A Spy Alone by Charles Beaumont. I have no idea if it is going to be good or not, but I have been in the mood for a spy thriller. And Beaumont being a former MI6 operative, it should be well documented if nothing else.

#CosyReadingNight

 Mark your calendar, at least if you live in the UK: in a month's time, for Independent Bookshop Week, a special event has been organised to mark its end: #CosyReadingNight. I don't know what kind of activities there will be, but I guess the name is pretty much self-explanatory. And I am all for a quiet night spent reading in a comfy chair. So yeah, I have one Saturday evening sorted out.

Indie Bookshop Week this year

Quick announcement for my UK readers: the dates for Independent Bookshop Week have been set. It's going to be between the 15th of June 2024 and see the banner for, well, not more details because there are barely any, but it's a nice banner. Oh and hashtag is #IndieBookshopWeek. Not that I use hashtags all that much.

Independent Bookshop Week 2023

Quick announcement: as of today and for a week, it is Independent Bookshop Week in this country. So I intend to visit he local bookshop and buy something. I encourage you to do the same.

A bookshop to visit in Derbyshire

The things I learn thanks to Independent Bookshop Week, which is ending today (which reminds me, I must visit our local one). So anyway, I found out on social media that there is a bookshop in Buxton, Derbyshire that looks like a freaking tower. Scrivener's Books and it sells secondhand books. And look at how stylish it is. I have never been to Buxton, but we have friends in Derbyshire, so maybe we could find a way to go there. I know, I know, it i a bit far, but visiting it must be quite an experience. And I can only imagine the many treasures I could find in there.

Independent Bookshop Week

Quick bit of news for those among you who don't know already: this week in the UK (and maybe elsewhere, for all I know) is Independent Bookshop Week. It started last Saturday and it is ending on Saturday the 25th of June. Now I promised my wife I would behave, as we have a lot of books already and many books on my to-read list. But I should take time at some point to go to our local bookshop and buy a little something, if only to encourage a local business.

Independent Bookshop Week

Since yesterday, it is Independent Bookshop Week. I celebrated by going to the local bookshop, which is of course an independent one, and I bought a few books. Not that many, I behaved myself (mostly). And I got lots of goodies: a £5.00 voucher as I am a regular client, a £5.00 book token for the occasion and a free bag. What I like about Independent Bookshop Week is that I help a local business by truly treating myself, then I get some freebies on top of that.

Visiting the local bookshop again

Here it is, at long last, I finally, finally, finally pay the local bookshop a visit, after at least six months! And to make it even better, I did it during the Independent Bookshop Week, which is ending today. It was good to be back, after a few minutes of getting used to the safety protocol, I was back in my element. I bought a few books, which was exhilarating, and even got a new £5 voucher! After a few months of lockdown and pandemic, it felt like some kind of normality was now in effect.

Independent Bookshop Week

Little bit of news I got from my local bookshop on social media: since yesterday it is the Independent Bookshop Week. It will carry on until the 27th of June. I love the new promotional design, with the reading place and the bookshelves in the back. This is heaven in a nutshell. I don't know how we will celebrate Father's Day today, but I might go there and treat myself to a book, just because: 1)it's important to support local busunesses, 2)I haven't been there in ages and 3)what better way to celebrate fatherhood than show that you promote literacy?

A bookmark for a book (but which book?)

I blogged earlier this week about the freebie bookmark I got with my purchase at the local bookshop during the Independent Bookshop Week. Here is its other side, but I am not blogging about the other side. I said in my first post about it that it is a bookmark for summertime. I think it is fitting that I use it on summertime books or, to be more precise, on books which atmosphere, topic, subject matter, what have you, fit this bookmark. And it struck me after publishing my previous post that I don't have that many summer books at the moment, not unread ones anyway, and I fear that I have no book whatsoever set on a beach or anything approaching. So I need to find a book that goes with it. If you have any suggestions, please put them in the Comments section.

Summertime Bookmark

This year's Independent Bookshop Week is already gone, but I did find time to stop at our local independent bookshop when it was going on and make a few purchases. I also received as a bonus this cool bookmark. (By the way, that is one thing I love about buying from a bookshop instead of ordering online: you get a free bookmark with your purchase). They made the bookmark it very summery looking, showing the image of people reading on the beach they put everywhere in their promotional material. When it was going on, it was not very fitting, and it did not look like summer was here. But now that the season has come back in full force, this bookmark just fits perfectly with this time of year. Which means that I now have a new summertime bookmark, to use for the light and maybe not so light reads of the next few weeks.

#IndieBookshopWeek

I generally don't do hashtags for this blog, but I make an exception. I learned from the Facebook page of our independent bookshop that this week was Independent Bookshop Week. They went for a summery look on this picture. Big mistake, as it does not look summery at all outside. Be that as it may, I think it is important to support your local bookshop, especially if it is an indie one, so please take this opportunity to buy a book or two this week.

A stop at the local bookshop?

Today is the last day of the Independent Bookshop Week. We have a fairly busy day running errands, but I hope we can find time to spend a few minutes (and a few pounds?) at the local bookshop. My favourite shop in town, as you know or have guessed. It has been here two years already, or almost. Time flies.

The Independent Bookshop Week

I rarely go on Twitter, but when I do I sometimes find something worthy of interest. So I learned that since yesterday, it is the Independent Bookshop Week. In the town where I live, we have an independent bookshop (although technically it is a very, very small chain). I don't know yet if they are doing anything special for it. I wanted to go there today to check )and to spoil myself, being Father's Day and all), but got sick like a dog. Hopefully I will get better by the end of this week and will have time to spend a few moments there and a few quids.