Books Are My Bag & a local book sale – My super Saturday book haul

p1020889-600x800It’s Books Are My Bag BAMB day at independent bookshops in the UK.

Each year the BAMB team commission a limited edition bookbag. Last year was Grayson Perry’s typically challenging but great fun design – see right.

This year, however, they have commissioned a bag you can take out without having to check which side is facing the public. This year’s bag is grey with winding leafy tendrils creeping over the bag with little insects creeping amongst them.

The illustrator is Coralie Bickford Smith and the bag is simply GORGEOUS! In fact I may need to buy another as my daughter loves it too. The bags are £10 or free at our local bookshop if you spend £50 – that was a challenge that was just too easy. (Knowing this was coming, I’d refrained from bookbuying for a couple of weeks).

Also this morning was the annual second hand book sale at Shippon Church Hall. just up the road from us on the edge of Abingdon. It’s open until 4pm if you’re in the area.

So I had a super Saturday Book Haul today!  Here they are:

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The Book Sale haul is on the left – £1 each.

  • Nights at the Museum by Kate Atkinson – her first book, and one I want to re-read as I didn’t enjoy it so much when it first came out in 1995
  • A Multitude of Sins by Hugh Cornwell – Loved The Stranglers back in the day. This memoir will be fun.
  • Harriet by Elizabeth Jenkins – Yes, I managed to find 3 Persephone books – but sadly no bookmarks in them.
  • The Expendable Man by Dorothy B Hughes – very excited to find this one.
  • Manja by Anna Gmeyer – I know nothing about this one – but it’s a Persephone!
  • The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy – only read the first volume, now I can do all three.
  • Consolation by Anna Gavalda – a highly thought of French author – what’s not to like.
  • Always Unreliable by Clive James – anthology of his first 3 vols of memoir.

Now for my BAMB haul from the wonderful Mostly Books in Abingdon.

  • Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra – a sort of novel told in multiple choice questions. Couldn’t resist.
  • We are all stardust – conversations with Stefan Klein – science talk plus a lovely cover.
  • Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford – 1926 – BBC – Women broadcasters.
  • Orphans of the Carnival by Carol Birch. Loved Jamrach’s Menagerie (review at my old blog here).
  • Three-Martini Lunch by Suzanne Rindell. Late 1950s New York. One of my favourite time/place combos.
  • The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe – a pop-up book by David Pelham and Christopher Wormell. This is fabulous! I love the idea of pop-up books for grown-ups.

5-go-booksellingPlus… Five Go Bookselling – an exclusive short story for BAMB by Bruno Vincent – ‘Enid Blyton for Grown-ups’ – only from Indie Bookshops.

I think you’ll agree – that’s quite a haul!

6 thoughts on “Books Are My Bag & a local book sale – My super Saturday book haul

  1. Rebecca Foster says:

    I like the new tote design! I have 2 BAMB totes, including a Tracey Emin one.

    Great finds, especially at the book sale. I’ve been meaning to read McCarthy’s Border Trilogy and didn’t know they were available in one volume. The Rindell is wonderful, one of my favourites from this year. I’ve also been contemplating the Birch, which is on my Kindle.

    • AnnaBookBel says:

      I’m collecting the BAMB totes it seems! I too have the Emin, and original one, plus Lauren Child’s Charlie & Lola one, the BFG one in addition to Grayson Perry and now the gorgeous CBS one. I know I’ll enjoy the Rindell given my Mad Men addiction – glad you recommend it.

  2. kaggsysbookishramblings says:

    Those are seriously good finds Annabel – particularly the Persphones!! Well done! Alas, I have no local independent bookshop – I did pop into Waterstones today but they didn’t seem to be doing the BAMB this year – shame…. I do have the Emin tote and the original one though, but I doubt I’ll see this year’s!

  3. Geralyn Clark says:

    Looks like a great selection of books. I was at the event when they had the Tracy Emin bag. I am so jealous I can’t be there this year as I live in the US. I do work in my local public library so that is some comfort.

  4. Alice says:

    Your post is the reason I knew this was happening, and I’m so grateful. I only ended up getting two books (because money) but I loved the Winnie the Pooh tote bag I got as well.

  5. Romaine says:

    This iѕ actually աhy some producers have creɑted the
    extra-wide bаby gate”, or the incredibly broad entrance. These gates are created to fit over ONE HUNDRED ins wide openings!

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