For some reason I never gave any thought to the book buying possibilities in Orkney, but as we were driving around Kirkwall looking for a place to park I spotted a sign saying those wonderful words – Secondhand Books. Luckily after visiting the town centre, Saint Magnus Cathedral and two Historic Scotland properties we were able to walk back to the car and find the bookshop not too far away. So my haul was.
1. The Tall Stranger by D.E. Stevenson
2. Evensong by Beverley Nichols
3. Hunting the Fairies by Compton Mackenzie
4. Rogues and Vagabonds by Compton Mackenzie
5. Cloak of Darkness by Helen MacInnes
6. North from Rome by Helen MacInnes
7. Britannia Mews by Margery Sharp
8. Off In a Boat (A Hebridean Voyage) by Neil M. Gunn
Six of them are by Scottish authors so they’ll come in handy for the Reading Scotland 2017 Challenge.
Have you read any of these?
So envious!
Peggy,
You would have loved the shop, and been very interested in the owner’s Orcadian accent.
A D. E. Stevenson I have never read! I am so envious. I am sure I read the Helen MacInnes books years ago. I binge read all of them at one point. I read Britannia Mews last year (or maybe earlier this year?) and enjoyed it. Beverly Nichols is an author that seems to keep popping up on blogs I read lately but I have never read any of his books. It looks like you had a very successful day. I always enjoy reading about your various excursions.
Jennifer,
I’ve read quite a few of Beverley Nichols’ books mainly the ones about gardens and his life. I think this one is a novel. Orkney was definitely different from our usual travels.
What great finds! Your bookshop radar was working well to have discovered the sign for the shop while looking for a place to park!
Stefanie,
I wasn’t even looking for a secondhand bookshop as they are so few and far between nowadays!
Katrina,
I can’t stop myself from saying, “Gee whiz! Didn’t you have some fun picking up books that I would have loved to snatch up!” Naturally, I’m very curious about the Beverly Nichols title, which must be a novel, am I right? Not sure at all. And the Hebridean sailing adventure, and the MacInnes’s novels I’m not sure that I’ve read… Did Jack report on any titles he picked up?
Judith,
No, Jack didn’t buy ANY books, he’s so much better (or worse if you are a bookseller!) than I am. He had a list and he looked for the books on that but couldn’t find any, so he didn’t even scan the rest of the books. I couldn’t do that. Yes the Nichols book seems to be a novel, who knows when I’ll get around to reading it though?!
The Tall Stranger! Well done.
Susan D,
Thanks. I’ve just realised how lucky I was to pick this one up for all of £1.