Elimy Down South

If you were wondering why it's been a little quiet here lately, it's because I have been on an adventure in the South and South West of WA for the last couple of weeks. We began our trip in Albany, then moved to picturesque Margaret River after a week. It's been a fortnight filled with walking, reading, eating, and more reading, with a little wine drinking thrown in for good measure. I managed to finish reading eight books in two weeks... a number I am a little astounded at myself because it wasn't like we spent every waking moment with books in our hands... but it is a wonder what some rest can do!

For those of you who are bookworms, we checked out a few choice literary establishments while we were down south, and if you're heading that way too you can check out the following:

* Gemini Secondhand Bookshop, York Street, Albany- An Aladdin's cave of books with a great selection of sci-fi/ fantasy. Friendly and knowlegable staff. I even managed to find a book with a sticker from the bookstore I used to work at on the back, one I very likely sold in the first place.

* Paperbark Merchants, York Street, Albany- This is a newsagent and bookstore, which is more for the new releases than the secondhand treasures you may be hunting for. It used to be the Angus and Robertson, but I am super glad to see that Albany still has a bookstore at all after that chain closed.

* Margaret River Bookstore, Bussell Highway, Margaret River- I've been to this charming store before as I've now been to the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival twice. Sadly, they didn't have the book I was desperately seeking (To the Sea by Christine Dibley) but they did have lots of other lovely things.

* Margaret River Secondhand Bookshop, Bussell Highway, Margaret River- This was a bit of an odd one. The first time I went there, I traded a Liane Moriarty for a much sought-after Anita Brookner, and I was struck by how hard it was to search the high shelves, and how hot and stuffy it was inside. But when I went back a few days later to get all the other Anita Brookners they had in stock, I couldn't stop finding hard to get books, or out of print classics that I wanted to read. It's not as idyllic as your usual secondhand shop but I think the stock is worth it!