Thursday 9 July 2020

The Books at the Van


I obviously haven't got all my books here at the Van as they are needed at home in Wales to make the bookshelves look appealing for house viewings.

But bit by bit over the course of the next few months I will bring dribs and drabs of them here to the Van.  Better for them to be here nearer to where I will eventually be living and where I can read them than back there on the shelves.

Someone asked me about the ones I have here after seeing the small stack on yesterdays post.  So I went round photographing all my Van books this morning ... and here they are.

The top photo is the little shelves in the kitchen, such an annoying size as even my Miguel Barclay books can't quite stand up on them  🙁


The rest of the shelves hold the things that are in daily use.  

I really don't like open shelves like these at the end of a run of kitchen units.  They just end up looking messy no matter what you do, how much better and more useful this would have been if it was another little cupboard.


Obviously there are the ones you saw yesterday on the mantlepiece, this photo is the one from yesterdays post.


There are just two by my bedside at the moment.  I picked these up from a charity shop back in March for just 50p each.  You can't say no for that price can you.  They are both waiting to be read when the mood takes me.


Also in the bedroom are these on the chest of drawers at the end of the bed, neatly organised in their little crate bookshelves.


These are currently in the little spare room waiting to be housed where I do not know. 

 I need some proper shelves, ones that will take an upright book.  But I think I'll just wait until I can buy my new little house and then find them all a good permanent home on some shelves in the kitchen.  There's no rush I can add to this line on the spare bed over the course of the next few months.


Oh, and there's this one that was lying behind the computer, the one I'm currently reading.  There are some good recipes in here and a few good ideas.

So that's it all the books that are here at the Van at the moment.  I'm trying not to buy too many books at the moment after having such a good sort at home ready for moving.  Although saying that, I have the new Deliciously Ella book waiting to be picked up from Waterstones in Llandudno and the new Happy Pear vegan cookbook on it's way from Amazon ... I just can't stop can I !!

My name is Sue and I am ... and always will be ... a bookaholic 🤣


Sue xx





31 comments:

  1. I love books too. I just reread Anne of Green Gables! I just needed to read something innocent and wholesome. It was wonderful. I've enough books on my shelves to keep me going through many lockdowns if necessary! Our wee local Tesco had a charity bookshelf until Covid and it was great for swopping out books. I miss stopping to have a look at it now. I bought the Anne of Green Gables set of 8 books secondhand on Amazon so I'll work my way through them and pass them onto my granddaughter after. Perhaps we should start a support group?! lol. x

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    1. I remember reading Anne of Green Gables when I was a small child, ill in bed with nothing to do it really resonated.

      I haven't read it since, I recently watched the first few ever episodes of Little House on the Prairie which was also innocent and wholesome.

      Yes, I miss the charity bookshelf at our little Tesco too, I hope it comes back one day.

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  2. I'm not a big book person. I have one shelf of books that contains cookery, gardening and a couple of fiction books. But I have the library app and read virtually everyday. I buy from charity shops and give them back when I'm finished. We used to have a swap shelf at work which was great.

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    1. Ooh how can that be 😃🤣

      I love to have my books around me, they are like little paper friends. The trouble with me going to the library is that I bring too many home ... and my own little friends get jealous 🤣🤣

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  3. The statement "I'm not a big book person" does not compute in my head lol! I have thousands of them despite not being particularly materialistic about anything else. I, like Sue am a book addict!

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    1. When I first met my sister in law I couldn't put my finger on what seemed 'wrong' about her house ... then I realised NOT ONE SINGLE BOOK 😲

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  4. Oh Sue, that last sentence made me laugh. Juet take out Sue and insert Pat and you have me to a T

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    1. But it's a nice healthy addiction isn't it 😄

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  5. I love books too, Sue, although I had to let 99% of my collection go before we moved to our new home. I only have one shelf in my bedroom to put them on and I keep a few cookery books in the sideboard in the living room. I have the "Feed your family for £20 a week" one but was a bit disappointed to find that the costings rely on a bulk shopping trip once a month. I see you have an Erica James book, I love her books! And I have read all of Maeve Binchy's over the years. You have lots of pleasant reading in store :)

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    1. Ooh 99% must have been hard to let go of 😬

      Yes doing the one big shop is strange, as a single person or a couple you just wouldn't shop that way. Although I guess if you were on monthly benefits it might have the advantage of making you buy enough food for the month before frttering the money on less important things.

      I have noticed she buys ONE 500g pot of yoghurt and then uses it a couple of times a week for four people. I wish my yoghurt stretched that far 🤣😃

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    2. Yes, Sue, it was quite a wrench letting go of my books but it had to be done. I kept just a few of my favourites, the ones I will happily re-read at some point. I do have a few on my kindle but much prefer the feel of a physical book.
      I know what you mean about the yogurt. We like some on our breakfast cereal so one pot a month would certainly never be enough 😳😁🤣

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    3. err, can I chip in? Sue you said as a single person or a couple you just wouldn't shop that way

      Well, I do, have done for years. With a bit of thought and a little planning it doesn’t take much to work how how much of any grocery/dry goods you use in a month, and we have a list in the kitchen where everything used is noted down. One massive shop every 4/5 weeks saves so much time and means I only need to go out very quickly each week for fresh veggies and dairy. Also saves money because I make a point of buying things on offer, for example when laundry powder is half price I will buy three, and by the time I need more (usually months!) it will be discounted again 😁

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    4. Point taken ... you and your bloody chips ;-)

      But yes you are right, it's just that there's something not quite right about the book, even though it is good in some respects. She spends £160 in one fell swoop (some prices a bit weird and a mystery £10 off voucher that is never mentioned but magically brings her in just under the £160 maximum spend) and it's supposed to last them for 8 weeks. It's just not completely thought through, but it should still be a good help for someone learning to make budget meals and doubling up for the freezer etc.

      I have shopped once a month in the past for some things ... and even once a year for some things that were on a spectacular offer thinking about it, so you are right.

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    5. I'm afraid, Jayne, that I'm just not that organized. A month's shop in one go would be too much for my brain cells to cope with!

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  6. You'll love Ella's book . I have been reading it this evening. I love books.

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    1. Hopefully Alan is picking it up for me, when he takes Mavis on a doggy walk in Llandudno. He's coming to the Van today with it 😃

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  7. Replies
    1. We are all in good company, it's one of the better addictions in my opinion 😄

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  8. I recently read 'Wild' by Cheryl Strayed myself. I've always loved collecting books.

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    1. I haven't read it yet. I watched the film and then saw this copy in the charity shop late last year, so I had to get it.

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  9. Books!! So many lovely books! I think they all look great - packed with promise.
    I love the Jack Monroe and the Barclay books too and love the Maeve Binchey stories.
    xx

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    1. That's exactly how I feel, I'm glad you get it 😃

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  10. An interesting collection, your currrnt read looks optimistic, feeding even one person for twenty quid a week would be a challenge round here! Our library opened up again this week, i will look out for some of yours!

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    1. Really ... gosh £20 a week for 4 is so much easier than trying £5 a week for one.

      I think there's a Challenge for me in that 😃

      Libraries opening again will be brilliant, they are a lifeline for so many people, and not just for the books

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  11. I have around 200 books that I would never part with, I think ... I will have to count them. But lots of others are waiting to be sold if we manage a car boot sale this year and of course lots went last year.

    Yes I love Miguel's recipes, do you follow him on Instagram Stories? I love seeing what they're up to, he's such a happy, smiley guy. I have the stickers but not the t shirt 😃🤣

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  12. You did make me laugh with your SIL comment . . . I too have been in houses that just felt “wrong” and it is usually because there are no books!

    Glad it is not just me who hates those end shelves. Useless dust catchers.

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    1. It's weird isn't it, you can tell so much about a person by their bookshelves and odd books lying here and there ready for dipping into or just admiring.

      Those shelves are the bane of my life, they're the first thing you see when you step into the Van as well. When my SIL stayed with us here her German Shepherd stepped in after a wet walk and showered everything on them when he shook ... yes she redeems herself by bring a dog lover 🤣🤣

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  13. I love reading but do not collect books as I do not re-read books, I am always disappointed if I realise by page 2 that I have read it before. I do have gardening and cookery books but I find my tablet and computer are making these redundant. I am desperate for the local library to open although I have been using the e-books free loans system here in Essex which has been a lifesaver.

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    1. Oh I love to re-read old favourites and re-watch oft watched films and tv series. It's like settling back in comfort for something that you just know will be good. The only ones I don't re-read are whodunnit types. Once you know who did it ... you know!!

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  14. Ah, books. When visiting UK in January, I visited bookshops in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Returned with 10 books (brought a fold-up bag just for that purpose), but was brokenhearted to leave so many others behind. So, yes. Another book-aholic here. :)

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    1. There are so many of us, it's a good gang the Bookaholics Club

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