Book Haul: Barter Books and other secondhand stores.

In the spirit of ignoring my self-imposed rule of not buying any more books until I’ve read some of those I already own, today I decided to rebel and visit a few secondhand shops in the Nothumberland area, where I’m visiting this weekend. I just have no self-control.

First, I went to a charity shop in Seahouses, where we’re staying, and bought a copy of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne.

I’ve read both of these before but wanted physical copies for my shelves. I’m really pleased with The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas as it’s in such good condition and was only £1.75! It’s about the Holocaust and as it says on the back, you’re better off going into this book knowing nothing about the plot.

You probably already know the plot of The Da Vinci Code, but if not: Robert Langdon is a professor of iconography visiting Paris. While he’s there, his business contact is murdered and leaves a series of clues for Langdon to uncover a historical secret that he did not want to die with him. It’s had some flack for being badly written, but it’s great in terms of page-turneriness. (Not a word.)

I also went to the National Trust shop, in Seahouses, where I happened upon this poetry collection. It was so cheap, I couldn’t help myself…

Then I headed to Alnwick, which boasts one of the largest secondhand bookshops in Britain, called ‘Barter Books’. It’s massive and is in a restored train station so is really pretty inside. In some ways, it made me think of the Hogwarts library.

From here, I bought 4 books:

Animal Farm by George Orwell. This may be about talking animals but is not for kids! It’s a political novel about a group of animals who take over their farm and run it themselves, agreeing that all animals must be treated equally. However, power corrupts, and soon it becomes clear that ‘some animals are born more equal than others’… If you haven’t read it, please do! It’s a short, easy read.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. I’ve been interested in trying more of Jackson’s writings for a while. I read The Lottery, one of her short stories, at uni and really enjoyed it, and I’ve heard good things about her other work on Booktube.

The Helmet of Horror by Victor Pelevin. This is a retelling of the Ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, and is set in a labyrinth of internet chatrooms. I’m a big fan of Greek mythology so am really looking forward to reading this one.

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. Some people might be surprised to find out that The Da Vinci Code is a sequel! The first in the Langdon series is actually Angels and Demons, which also has a series of clues to follow, but this time Langdon must solve them in time to stop a spate of murders in Vatican City.

Click here if you’d like to follow me on Instagram

I was going to go back to the hotel after that, I promise. But then we were ambling past a charity shop and I saw a big book collection through the window so I dragged my boyfriend inside.

I found these stunning Daphne Du Maurier books for only 79p each! I’ve been looking for a really nice copy of Rebecca, one of my favourite classics, for ages so was really happy with this. I decided to get The Birds as well, which I’ve never read but always wanted to. This edition has a couple of other short stories by Du Maurier as well.

So I may have bought *cough* a few books, but they were all bargains so it’s not like my bank account took too much of a beating. STOP JUDGING ME, OK?!

Thanks for stopping by!