CHARITY SHOP HAUL

When I was a bookseller I couldn't imagine not buying books brand new. But. I was only paying £3.50 for a paperback so of course I would. Now, with being currently unemployed but a desperate desire to own my own books I have rediscovered my love of charity shops! 

In some ways they are worse for me than working in a bookstore was as the stores near me often have a deal on where you get 3 or 4 books for 99p (!!) but if you only want one or two, it's still 99p so you're like 'may as well just grab something!' This sis exactly what happened to me last week. I picked up 5 books - although in the first shop where I bought two I easily could have bought about 7! - two of which I only bought as it was 3 for 99p! However, I am thrilled with what I did find as normally it's just Harry Potter, Twilight, some Cassandra Clare and John Green as well as the occasional other popular series that I either own, have read, or don't want, that are available in my local charity shops.

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I'll start with the shop where I picked up random books just because. 

First up, I grabbed Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter as I own the first book in the series and although I'm yet to read it, I feel like it's a series that will be quick and easy to read so decided to collect them all in case I decide to marathon them! 

I was then stuck on what else to pick up as there wasn't a huge selection of kids/YA here. In fact, they only had about one and a bit shelves of books at all! However, I don't know if this happens to anyone else but I have to look at shelves in a charity shop at least three times because I ALWAYS miss a book or two that I end up thing 'YES I NEED IT'. No matter how carefully I go along a row of books it will take me a good five minutes going back over them to spot the book i've been longing for forever in an out of print edition. I have no idea how I manage to miss them, but I do. I was about to but just the one book when I spotted Gone by Michael Grant which is a series I've had my eye on for a while but had decided I wouldn't read after seeing how rude Grant has been but hey, it's a charity shop, the money goes to them, not him, so I bought it - and the person at the counter said it's brilliant so who knows, maybe I will have to hunt down the other 6 books!

All was well at this point until I realised I'd looked over the shelves way more than necessary and even my mum didn't fancy any of the books when I happened to discover a hidden kids book shelve at about hip height and, whilst it mostly contained early reader books and horrible histories, Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner was there! I don't know much about it other than it's an award-winner and gets shelved in YA so that book concluded my search! 

​Now, the good stuff! I only picked up two books in PDSA but they had so many I wanted - albeit I probably wouldn't read them, I just knew of them and knew I'd maybe pick them up - but these books were individually priced, a few at 99p but most at £2 which, for a battered up book I knew would be in another charity shop eventually in one of the 3 for 99p deals I restrained myself. 

First up, I got a bargain with The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon In Two by Catherynne M Valence in hardback for 99p! It's in perfect condition too!! This is the third book in the Fairyland series, which, again, I own but haven't read, but I just couldn't leave it there! 

My final, and possibly favourite purchase was that of Poison Study by Maria V Snyder! I've heard a lot of talk about this book, mostly in older booktube videos (to be fair the book came out in 2005!) but have never really known what it was about. It's one of those books that I honestly couldn't tell you even what genre it's in but had an inkling that I'd like it and that I should buy it so I saw it and bought it for £2 even with the cracked spine and got home and read the synopsis - finally! - and oh my goodness, it sounds FANTASTIC! I have a bit of a weird system for picking out books to read and I always prioritise my brand new books over charity shop books but I have a feeling I'm going to have to pick up Poison Study the second I finish my current read! 

And that's what I bought! I'm sorry I haven't given much detail about the books but honestly, I couldn't tell you what they're about! You may have noticed a few little changes to the blog. There's nothing major happening, Booklycat is still the bookblog you know and love, but every now and then you'll be seeing a theatre review or the like!

- Emma