One of my favourite bookshops is Barter Books in Alnwick, so a trip there is always a treat. We were actually on our way to visit friends in Lancashire but stopped for a coffee in the shop, which is in a converted railway station, absolutely full of all kinds of books. I didn’t have any books in mind and just browsed the shelves, finding these, all in great condition:
- An Omnibus edition of Wycliffe by W J Burley – Wycliffe and the Last Rites and Wycliffe and the House of Fear. I haven’t read any of the Wycliffe books before but if these two are anything to go by I’ll be looking for more. They are murder mysteries set in Cornwall where Burley lived. He was a schoolmaster until he retired to concentrate on writing. These two novels concern the deaths of two women, one from a community filled with hatred and the other from a dysfunctional family. Looking at the long list of Wycliffe books there will be plenty more to choose from.
- The Women’s Room by Marilyn French. Wikipedia tells me that ‘it has been described as one of the most influential novels of the modern feminist movement.’ It was first published in 1977 to a barrage of criticism. Set in 1968 it describes Mira’s life as she decides it’s time for a change after subscribing for years to the American dream of husband, children and a spotless kitchen.
- Two Moons by Jennifer Johnston. This looks like a brand new copy, with no creases on the spine as though it has never been read. I enjoyed The Illusionist a while ago and hope this one will be as good. Set in Ireland, it’s about three generations of women, ‘a modern fairy tale with a dark theme.’
- Past Imperfect by Julian Fellowes, described on the back cover as a story that takes us back to the Debutante Season of 1968 – ‘Poignant, funny, fascinating and moving’ .
It was a good job that we only had a limited time in Barter Books, or I could easily have bought more books.
BooksPlease 
Margaret – It looks as though you’ve got a nice lot there. I think you’ll like the Burley one very much – I hope you will, anyway. And I read the French one years ago when it came out; it may have been highly criticized, but it made quite a splash.
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Oh, two Wycliffe stories in one! I couldn´t have resisted that book either. I reviewed the first some time ago, but I know him best from the splendid TV series a few years ago.
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Nice stack of books you have there. The Wycliffe stories look interesting, I will add Burley to my TBR list. I love my local used book stores. I live in a city with several different ones in different neighborhoods and it is always an adventure visiting them.
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That sounds like a great bookshop! And what a nice haul you got! It’s many years since I read The Women’s Room, but I think I remember enjoying it! I’ve read a few ‘Wycliffe’ novels and, although I enjoyed the TV series, I found there was much more to the books and was frustrated at how much was missed out in the TV versions.
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What a great haul. I love second-hand bookshops. When I was studying the 18th C Novel for my MA I had to buy Clarissa and it was about £18 at the time. I happened to go into St Mary’s Church in Hinckley, which has a great second hand bookshop in it (http://www.stmarysparishchurchhinckley.co.uk/), and found it for £2. Bargain! Your comment on my blog about Nigella did make me smile – oh to cook like that and look like that! (I’m trying to lose weight too – I’ve lost 2 stone so far but it’s not easy).
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The Women’s Room – now that’s a blast from the past! It was such a controversy at the time, but I imagine that now it won’t seem like a big deal. Not that it isn’t good, but thankfully the world has changed dramatically since it came out.
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I loved that shop. Worth another holiday in Northumbria just to visit again.
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I enjoy ‘Wycliffe’ on t.v. so will check out the books.
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I inhaled The Women’s Room when I read it in college in the late 1970’s. Definitely an influential book, but I imagine it will feel awfully dated. Still, I lent my copy, which never was returned, but it might be good to have on the shelf for old time’s sake.
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Barter Books is one of my favorite book shops, so it’s unfortunate that I live so far away from it. I even wrote a spotlight post about it for Dawn of She Is Too Fond of Books.
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