Book lovers' paradise: LondON

Suddenly missed London terribly when Hubby MSNed me the price of a book; £8 for a 400+ paged book called “The Poker Face of Wall Street”. Sigh...

If there is something great about London, BOOKS will definitely be part of it. Books books books!!! Books on any subjects! Brand new, second hand or even leather bound family heirlooms and antiques! Books on any subject, at any price. Books are just so affordable there. Yup, it cost less than a fast food meal for a paperback.

I am a nosey as ever. Despite the English’s privacy thing, I managed to peep into people's homes during my long walks, and also into people’s cars and vans. Ok, I admit most of my walks are around the Notting Hill area, (yup, that area and THAT book store), so it is not a reflective sampling of London. But hey, at least in these areas, I noticed a really strong love for books!!!

I saw piles of books in the cars' back seats. I saw a good pile of sci-fis’ in a plumber’s van (which I happily told hubby… “Look! Plumbers here read more than you!!”, and which as usual he would conveniently ignore such "insults" from me). I see basements filled with book cases, I see people relaxing on balconies, gardens, parks, or riding Tubes and buses and having a good read. I see young kids clutching books (“real” books, not TEXT books!!).

And in my charity store, I know regulars who pop-in, at least once a week to grab a book and pay £2, and return a few days later to “return” (ie donate) the books, and spend another £2-3 on another book. I also had a woman (OK, "lady" would be more appropriate) coming in with 3 large suitcases of books (sans maids). Her books were obviously read through many times (can see the thumbing stains), and with price tags from all over the world. Yup, from pesos to AUS$, RM to US$.

Throng the Notting Hill Gate area, and you will see a few book stores in just that high street alone, and we are not even talking about second hand book shops and charity stores or walking down to High Street Kensington! The bookshops in London are BUZZING!!!! Yup! Waterstone’s, Books etc….. and we are not even talking about Charring Cross Road which is bubbling with BOOK SHOPS!!! Even Oxfam run bookshops!

Even if you are DAMN broke, and cannot spare 50p (which is the cost of a pee in some tourist areas) for a book, fret not. The public libraries are FANTASTIC!!!

15 books at one go, 3-week loan! You can renew by calling them. Elderly, disabled? They deliver to you! (That started my “retire here!!” thought) And yeah, when greedy me borrowed huge piles, the friendly librarians would always offer me free bags to cart them home. Wow, I never had that from the libraries! And you get NEW titles there! They order multiple copies of chart toppers, and display them prominently, so that busy people could still dash in a “grab” a good book. Unlike here… where I got to pay to reserve or wait long LONGGGGG, I managed to read quite a number of top sellers there.

If there is something I LUV A LOT about London, it is the BOOKS. Yup, BOOKS!

Stop sniggering… I am a book worm, I know. At least I am a happy worm in London, cos books are affordable there! When I am here, I see I sigh, I leave. So depressing.

Shhh.. needless to say, Oxford is also a fantastic place for books. I went there and “got lost” in the shops. Ha...ha… The best day so far was a day spent lazing around in an old church’s backyard, facing the magnificient dome of the theatre, with a book in hand , and coffee from The Vault. That was a perfect summer day for me. When i go back, i wil take the megabus.com's £1 offer, just to go there and get lost in the book shops (...and of course ogle, and salivate at the handsome aristrocratic ie Prince William-type-of- look students there!!!)