When we went on holiday to the Orkney Islands last month I didn’t really expect to find any books to buy there, but Jack did some research and discovered Birsay Books, on the part of the mainland called Birsay as you would expect. It was surprisingly good, for me anyway. If you’re looking for modernish books you wouldn’t be so impressed.
I bought:
Castaway Camp by M.E. Atkinson (I haven’t read anything by this author but somebody recommended her)
Tropical Issue by Dorothy Dunnett (a mystery)
A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep by Rumer Godden (her autobiography)
The Glad Eye by Ranger Gull (I bought this one for the cover, isn’t it great?!)
Swing, Brother, Swing by Ngaio Marsh (I’ve already read and reviewed this one)
Winter at Thrush Green by Miss Read (this one I got at a charity shop in Kirkwall)
A Certain Smile by Francois Sagan (it’s possible that I read this one back in the 1970s)
The Best of Rosemary Sutcliff ( this contains three of her books but I only had one of them)
Not a bad haul I think. Have you read any of them?
How nice to find a new book store to visit. The cover for The Glad Eye is very nice. That is a great mix of books.
tracybham,
Unfortunately the shop is about a ten hour drive and ferry trip from where we live, but it’s a great place for people who live in Orkney.
I adore the Miss Read books. My mother knew the author, so I learned about her books early in life and read every one I could find. I still have many of them in my house.
Aline,
That’s so interesting that your mother knew Miss Read. I remember that when I worked in libraries decades ago it was the wee old ladies who took out Miss Read books so I always associated them with – old ladies – but I suppose I’m one myself now! But really the books seem to deal with problems which could be common to lots of people and situations.
That’s a great selection of books – I hope you enjoy them! I prefer Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond and Niccolo books, but I’ve read two of her mysteries, including Tropical Issue, and will read the rest eventually.
Helen,
I haven’t read any of her mysteries although I have another one in the house. I suspect I will not enjoy them as much as her historical books.