Barter Books

Possibly my favourite place on earth.

Yeeeeah!

It's a book shop. And a cafe. In an old train station.
There's a roaring fire. And a constantly warming coffee pot. And books. Oh, so many books.
(Funnily enough.)

It's apparently the one of the largest second-hand books shops in Europe, yet it still has that unique, train station atmosphere - the underlying sense of anticipation as to whether one will miss the next train, or in our case, the next bargain book. As me fam and I proceed through the station doors, we spread out in a focused, strategic fashion. As Dad heads for the theology section, me Sis promenades to the French literature. Mam moves, deep in thought, to the books on counselling, and I am generally, found among fiction.

We've also trained Pippa as a sniffer dog - that girl can find a bargain.

After an intense sweep of the vicinity, we regroup in the waiting room caf and await buttery bacon sandwiches and hot coffee.

Wanna steal dem cushions.

I think I want to decorate my house in precisely a Barter Books fashion. I might miss out the Mining and Engineering sections, but I'll nab that velvet sofa. (Future house-mates, beware.)

And those massive bauble lights. I'll 'ave them.

Also, I might stick this up in the kitchen:

Amen, sista