Sometimes you have the best intentions; I had brought my laptop away to write some posts whilst we were away. But I found I just relaxed in the evenings when we watched a film,I didn’t make much of a dent in the pile of books I brought. But we had chosen East Anglia as our summer holiday this year as my only living Aunt is there and so it was a chance to see them and a cousin that lives nearby, so we picked a rural cottage just outside a small village called Lodden. This was the perfect retreat of the road, about a quarter of a mile in the middle of fields. The owners had chickens and DUCKS, and there were woodpeckers just outside the cottage’s back door.
We called in Norwich on the way to the cottage. We had intended to go another day, but this was our only visit, and I managed to get to the Book Hive, an independent shop I had been told about. I brought four books, and they had a rather nice tote bag as well to buy.
For Spanish lit month, I brought two books in mind, The Simple Art of Killing a Woman, by Brazilian writer Patricia Melo, about oppressed women in the AMazion. It appealed as it was from Indigo Press, which has brought a few books that have caught my eye for months. Then Forty Years follows a woman who rises to be a dressmaker during the Franco era and covers the years of his rule in Catalan .and two others that I had seen good reviews about Yell Sam if you still can is about the last years of the Irish writer Samuel Beckett in France. Then Vladivostok Circus by Elisa Shua Dusapin is a writer I needed to read more of.
On our first full day, I had lunch with my Aunt and spent an hour in Lowestoft and Southwold. iI bought a single book at the Waterstones in Lowestoft a small shop like ours in Chesterfield I brought the latest books from Yoko Tawada just because the title made me smile.A short novella one imagines has Surreal edge with the title The bridegroom was a dog
Then we had a day in Norfolk on the Norfolk Railway , I love a ride on an old train line. It was only an old diesel pacer train from the 70s, but it was a good half-hour ride. They had five stations on the line we went to the end station at Wymondham Abbey. we meet a lovely chap in a cafe in the local church who we chatted with for over an hour and then had a picnic lunch in the Abbey grounds and back on the train.
Then we had a day in Yarmouth, which had a nice pier, but I found a little to buy for me and maybe not to my taste, but we got some rock to take home. Then we visited Aldeburgh on what is the hottest day this year. This has a pebble beach and a nice little high street. We got a lovely cake at a local baker called Two Magpies and walk on the beach plus they had two bookshops but I visited one as we only could for two hours the larger Aldeburgh books had a great selection infact a wonderful collection of travel writing books. I found two books here
Elias Canetti spent his life collecting a mixture of his own words and others around death in this collection from Fitzcarraldo. I recently picked a collection of his wartime writing. Then, Denis Theriault’s latest book, which I thought I had read his earlier books from several years ago, which a lot of people loved, The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman. But I may be read it but hadn’t reviewed it. But this cover just jumped out at me. We then head back to Southwold. Tried to park in the centre but had to go back to ear the pier we walked into the small town and had lunch at a small cafe; I can’t remember the name but it was just down from Southwold Books. I had wanted to look at this shop as it was one of those Waterstone bookshops that looks and does feel like a small local type bookshop which it did in a way. I brought two more books here
Mahmoud Darwish’s In the Presence of Absence, I got it because I wanted to try him. I think I do have about book by him, but this was an Archipelago book by a favourite publisher of mine with the lovely square books . Then, Another World tackles a migrant story. I hadn’t heard of this book. It just appealed from the blurb. We then played quirky games on Southwold Pier. The arcade has homemade arcade games such as Whack a Banker, bathysphere a Submarine under Southwold, and watch the Sewage and Fish in the local waters. Also, you can fly around as a fly trying to escape getting hit whilst in a human’s house. These are real fun games .We met up with my cousins, and their wonderful kids had a meal with them. It was good to connect with them after so many years. We will be back in this part of the world; we want to see a lot more so another visit is on the cards.
Sounds like you had a lovely vacation. I tend to read less than I expect to when travelling and come back with more books than I can carry! Especially when I go to India. Next time, with the long flights involved, I think I will be best to load up my Kindle and only pack a couple of small paper books. I can always buy something else to read along the way if needed.
In the Presence of Absence is a wonderful place to start with Darwish. He wrote it when he knew he was dying of cancer and it is a self-elegy—beautiful and moving.
What a lovely post, thank you for sharing. I do like those square Archipelago editions.
I had heard that Waterstone’s had bought the Southwold bookshop, it’s a good way of keeping bookshops going when they can’t survive as independents. Better than another nail bar! You were very busy, thanks for such a lovely post!
Sounds like a lovely break! I was in Aldeburgh at the weekend and went in both bookshops but amazingly only bought one book!!!!
Glad you had a good break, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the Dusapin 🙂
Sounds like you had a lovely break, Stu. I don’t know this area at all, but it looks beautiful. Good to hear you were able to catch up with your family, too!