...buying from independents!

So, it's no secret that I buy a lot of books...

I frequently post proud pictures of book hauls - mostly from Amazon or eBay, both of which make it fatally easy to bulk buy. Amazon helps me out with those new releases I'm convinced I can't live without and therefore have to employ Prime for next day delivery. And eBay feeds my book addition with cheap-as-chips second hand books, meaning I can indulge in one or two (dozen) with minimal book-buying-guilt...

...don't worry, I'm aware I have a problem...for which the only cure can be more books, right?

But let's talk for a minute about buying second hand. The recent pandemic might have closed down bookshops temporarily, but it hasn't stopped people (me) from buying from online sellers, or from rescuing books from decluttering sales outside houses.
I strongly recommend buying second hand! It gives books a second life. It's a form of recycling. And sometimes you get little mementos tucked between the pages that hint at its previous life, whether it's someone's misplaced shopping list, or a little inscription inside the cover of a vintage book that eludes to previous owners.

Most of the time, these books don't even look like they've been read. I frequently walk out of charity shops with ridiculous piles of pristine books that set me back less than £5.

Book Haul from my local charity shop earlier this year...

I'm also a huge believer in supporting independent book stores - which has become even more important given the recent pandemic and the fact that so many businesses were forced to close for so long!

Independent bookshops are quirkier, they're atmospheric, they're no more expensive than buying from high street bookshops such as Waterstones -- and yet, unfortunately they're a dying breed! Don't let them disappear from the corners of towns and villages.

For anyone Kent or London based, these are a few of my favourites with links to their websites:

INDEPEDENT BOOKSHOPS:
📘 Harbour Books in Whistable, Kent
📘 The Rye Bookshop - technically a Waterstones, though they operate with an independent ethos.
📘 The Chaucer Bookshop in Canterbury, Kent
📘 The Tiny Book Store in Rye, Kent - (no website) Church Square, Rye, TN31 7LB
📘 Halls Bookshop in Tunbridge Wells, Kent

SECOND HAND / ANTIQUE BOOKSHOPS:
📘 Baggins Book Bazaar in Rochester, Kent
📘 Wadard Books in Farningham, Kent
📘 The Oxfam Bookshop in Maidstone, Kent
📘 Quinto in Covent Garden, London
📘 Alice Through The Looking Glass in Covent Garden, London - this amazing shop is hard to categorise, but in their own words, they are an amazing shop "specialising in Alice iconography, 1st editions, rare illustrated editions, and unique objects created in collaboration with talented artists."

I did some posts with similar links during Independent Bookshop Week at the end of June, but I think businesses could use an extra boost right now. So here we go. Happy shopping. Happy reading!

Zuzu 🖋

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