Today I met up with a fantastic friend of mine, the lovely Kayla who some of you may know from her youtube channel, Mrs Bookaholic. It had been six months since we had last seen each other, and though that had been an equally dreary day in terms of weather, it was another day full of laughter, friendship and advice.
As usual, when the two of us get together we are lethal. We bought several books each, visited several different bookshops around Nottingham, and grabbed a bite to eat at the delightful Fox Cafe, that offers an extensive range of veggie and vegan sandwiches. Following that we went on a little trip to Lush and Boots, where we spent too much time admiring blue lipsticks and browsing the Nyx counter.
I'm sure it's the books that you're most interested in hearing about so let me tell you a little about that.
We started our adventure where all great book lovers begin: Waterstone's. Even though it has been two years since I have worked there, I am still greeted by Pete as though we only spoke yesterday. He is also quiet acquainted with Kayla, which was great because as we walked in together, he thrust a book into our hands, told us it was one of his favourites of last year and that we should buy it. He then walked off. Thanks Pete! We both of course bought this books, Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain by Barry Norris. I don't believe either of us really knew what the book was about, but we wandered around and looked at other books too, before deciding that yes, we would certainly take it home with such a recommendation... and a few bullying tactics.
Following this we had a little wander into The Works which ended in us each getting a copy of Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher. As I'm sure you're aware, I've been finding it very difficult to get my hands on Carrie Fisher's books, and I was astounded to find it for £3 in The Works, of all places! I am so excited to finally have my hands on this and so I will be reading it super soon, although I don't want to exhaust the material as there is now, sadly, a finite amount to read. I managed to convince Kayla to indulge in this book too, despite her having never seen Star Wars, by explaining just how important Carrie's work has been for mental health and drug awareness.
Next we had a little wander around the rest of Nottingham's bookshops, including Page 45, Fopp and Book Bargains. It was however in Oxfam that I found my final purchase of the day, which was a book that I am sure I have stumbled upon on youtube, and that is Wetlands by Charlotte Roche. Another book I'm not quite sure what it's about but hey, there's an avocado on the cover so how could I not purchase it? And for £1 and in hardcover and for charity, how could I possibly refuse?
And when I got home, I found a lovely little parcel all for me, containing my very own copy of The Princess Diarist, also by the magnificent Carrie Fisher. I ordered this book shortly after her death and have been waiting for it ever since. It is such a surreal thing to be holding a book I yearned for before her death and that she was promoting when she passed, and to be excited to read this book that was never intended to be her last. I will definitely be reading this with sadness and wonder.
I was so happy with my purchases, managing to scrounge 3 books for only £5 which was incredible for me. I spent more on a jar of hot chocolate as a treat for myself! Today has been a wonderful day and I am so grateful to have a friend I can have so many wonderful conversations with and to truly be myself.
As usual, I am awful at taking pictures throughout the day. I just have too much fun being involved in the moment. But I can assure you that both myself and Kayla looked FIERCE. This woman is a wonderful force in my life. I had an amazing time and I can't wait until we do it again.
Have you bought any exciting books lately? Please do let me know in the comments!
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