Books and shopping

[callmemadam]

Do you play the game of 'which book is currently most commonly found in charity shops'? I looked in a few shops yesterday and the answer is: anything by Dave Pelzer. Also Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. No doubt many people, like me, bought and then never read it.

Remember the knitted Royal Wedding? The Book People have the knitting book for £3.99. Still with wedding fever, The Book Depository offers me this morning a free eBook: The Royal Wedding for Dummies. Where are the tea towels?

In other news on the high street: our lovely hardware shop where you could buy thingamyjigs has become a Surplus Store; two new charity shops have opened. So much for the Waitrose factor, which was supposed to increase the town's prosperity.

Comments

[land-girl.livejournal.com]

Our local charity shops have all taken to stacking the Dan Brown books together in a long line, which always amuses me. An awful lot of people must have bought those books when they came out.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I don't see so many of those. Frank McCourt is coming up strong though.

[lizarfau.livejournal.com]

I've been offered that free eBook as well! I don't know how many Aussies they think will be planning street parties!

Have you downloaded it?

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Why not be the first? No, I haven't downloaded it though I may do just to see what on earth they've found to write about.

[lizarfau.livejournal.com]

I will be in Dubai, that's why!

Though actually, you know, a free ebook is a free ebook and all that.

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Not Dolloways!? But ooh, charity shops.

It always used to be 'Shardik' and David Niven's autobiographies. One I often see nowadays is that one with a doughnut on the cover, which I think is called 'This Book Will Change Your Life'.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Sadly, yes. Now where will I get all those mysterious little bits and bobs you need around the home?
The new shops are Julia's House and Lewis Manning.
The doughnut book is a new one on me.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

It's too early yet to assess the effect of Co-op becoming Waitrose here - but it's always packed, whereas the Co-op was often half-empty, and there are a lot of mainland registration numbers in the car park
I use it mostly for the loos, and quite a few people use it for the cafeteria.
Whether people who cross the bridge to reach it go further into the island is a question. - it really annoys me that they don't stock island cheese or meat - it's all from the mainkand

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

We had Safeway, which became Morrisons, which became Somerfield and then the Co-op. Each change was a downward one. Shopping in the Co-op is not a happy experience and I've several times walked out because of poor service.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

Waitrose took over the Bridge Co-op when Somerfields amalgamated with the Co-op at lLanfarpg. Holyhead has Morrisons and Tesco and the Co-op, but the nearest Waitrose is in England - so people travel quite long distances
i agree that Co-op staff training tends to be a bit slack, but i knew most of the people who worked there - and most of them now work for Waitrose

[mrsmsmeanderings.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

I do hope the new charity shops have more realistic prices than some of the others in your neck of the woods - I was shocked when I visited recently!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

At a quick glance: just as expensive if not more so than the rest!

[karamina.livejournal.com]

Half of a Yellow Sun was suggested by a rather pretentious woman in our bookgroup. She'd already read it and wanted to ponce about sharing her wisdom. Unfortunately half the group hated it, and the other half couldn't be bothered to finish it.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Hee!

[(Anonymous)]

I had to look up the 'waitrose factor.' It sounds like this is an upscale store which is supposed to draw good stores (and people?) to an area. Is that right? In our local town, I think Main St. = High St. and sadly there are all too many cut-rate stores; used clothing, pawn shops, and nail shops. The independent bookstore which was the center of Main St. life for years is struggling. Sadly, I rarely shop there anymore. I filled out a survey they sent out and said that I simply could not pay full price for a book when I can get it online for half that. So many nice stores have closed and there are empty storefronts. All this since the 'big box' stores came in just outside of town. Again, sadly, I do shop at Lowe's etc. I guess this is what is called changing times, and I'm not sure the end result is clear to anyone at this point.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Spot on with the Waitrose factor. It's an upmarket i.e. expensive food chain offering good quality goods. After fierce controversy (see here), Waitrose got planning permission for the site. To be fair, it is very nicely landscaped and now provides an open space where children can ride bikes and older people stroll about. It's supposed to attract more people to the town, which is picturesque in many ways. It also has expensive parking and too many empty premises.

I have mixed feeling about local shopping. We still have an independent bookshop but they never have anything I want and it's half price on Amazon anyway. Then when I recently asked for something in the chemist's (pharmacy) the assistant actually suggested I look online; no 'we could get it for you'. They have to provide what people want or they can't expect people to shop with them.

Charity shop books

[(Anonymous)]

Lots of Dan Brown up in this neck of the woods, these days... John (DH) and I used to always joke that it hadn't passed the 'charity shop test' if it didn't have This Old House by Norah Lofts (actually a favourite author of ours). Then it was Some Other Rainbow by John McCarthy and his girlfriend, whose name I'm afraid I've forgotten...

Re: Charity shop books

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Ha ha! I've never read anything by Norah Lofts.
Jill something; I can't remember either but yes, their book was everywhere at one time.

[(Anonymous)]

I donated Sebastian Faulks, A Week in December to Oxfam Books and there was already a copy on the shelves, so that's two of us who weren't keen ...

Nicola@vintagereads

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I find his books boring and that includes Birdsong.