C is for City Basement Books, Corpse, and Cliffhanger

Kinsey Millhone-inspired, I have been on a protracted mission to complete my Sue Grafton alphabet detective books. 

Finally found the last one, “C is for Corpse”, deep in the caverns of City Basement Books, while strolling during a conference lunch break.  With this last book in hand, all I needed was letter “Z” (rumours were, the last one would be titled, “Z is for Zero”).

Sadly, my mission will forever remain unresolved. Sue Grafton passed away yesterday at age 77, adamant to the end that she’ll never allow a ghost writer to write in her name.  Unlike Stieg Larsson’s estate, there appears to be no internal dissension in the Grafton family. It's probably safe to assume that the detective series, published in 28 countries and 26 languages, ends with finality at “Y is for Yesterday” – the ultimate Kinsey Millhone cliffhanger.  

City Basement Books

342 Flinders St.

Melbourne, Victoria 3000

Open: 
Monday to Friday 10.00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. 
Saturday 10.00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Email here 

Adelaide's Pre-Loved Books

“Second hand books are wild books, homeless books; they have come together in vast flocks of variegated feather, and have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack.”

-                                                                                                                                                                   - Virginia Wolf

Adelaide, South Australia has been appearing in the radar as one of the best places to live with its bohemian vibe, wine regions, crowd-free beaches, pedestrian-friendly lanes, music and art festivals throughout the year, and vibrant cafes and restaurants.

What has not been mentioned is the treasure trove of small bookstores and second hand bookshops scattered in the city.

Step out into the central business district with your book bag and you will likely have your book lover’s heart swooning.

Oxfam Second Hand Bookshop

Adelaide 5-6 Hutt Street

Open: 9.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday

I would say this is the best second hand bookshop in the city (raise your hand if you know of a better one)! Books in almost mint condition are neatly classified in shelves, there's a continuous stream of new book arrivals,  it has accommodating staff and truly bargain prices! It also helps that when you purchase a book, you know that the proceeds go to a good cause.

  

Adelaide’s Pop-up Bookshop

Central Market

10 Gouger St., Adelaide

Open: 9.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday

9.00 a.m. – 9.00 p.m. Friday

9.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m. Saturday

The place to go for  discriminating bibliophiles.  The bookshop boasts of superbly curated literature, edgy modern fiction, cult classics, and iconic genre titles. If you’ve been searching high and low for a book in your hard-to-find list, chances are, you’ll find it here. The bookshop also carries beautiful first editions and special signed copies. No mass-marketed books in this shop.

New Morning Books

155 Frome St.

Adelaide

Open: 10.00 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. Monday to Saturday

Stepping into this bookshop is like finding a treasure chest.  Dusty volumes are precariously stacked all over the place. Utterly delightful, the bookshop’s collection ranges from the classics to the mundane. Don’t forget to have a look at the charming art prints also for sale!

Central Market Books

Stall R40, Central Market

Gouger St., Adelaide

Check out this bookshop if you’re out for a romp and have several minutes to spare for aimless meandering. Popular mainstream literature, magazines, and cookbooks abound. If you’re patient, you could be rewarded with finding a complete set of the Last Kingdom series!

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Library Day (2)

The little one has started Reception in July this year and I find myself looking forward to reading every Friday night the book he’s chosen from the school library.

Lately, he’s been hooked into the Zac Power series. Zac Power is a 12-year old boy who goes to school like any ordinary boy his age. Zac, however, is anything but ordinary as he is actually a government spy agent who carries the code name Agent Rock Star. In fact, all the members in his family are secret agents! This family undertakes all sorts of hair-raising missions and they’ve got the coolest gadgets imaginable.

He has ruefully told me that a lot of the kids in his school are enamoured with the series and there’s a jostle during lunch break to get hold of these books. I promised the little one that if he reaches his 50^th reading night, his reward will be his own Zac Power book. Imagine his utter delight when what he got was a book with four missions! He said, “Mom, not even the Library has a book with four missions in it. At most, each book has only  two. Now I have a book as thick as yours!”  

You can be sure that my smile was as big as his that night I gave him his reward. 

Book Week

If there’s something we now wait with bated breath every August, it’s the school announcement on the Book Week. The little one and I discuss months before what book he’s been most excited about and how this can possibly translate to the Book Week Parade.

This year, he’s been into a lot of pirate-related stories: Peter Pan, Jake and the Never Land Pirates, the Treasure Island, and tales of hunting for  lost treasure. Hands down, he had to be a pirate this year.

Last year, his favourite character was Mike the Knight and he had an insatiable desire to learn all about knights and their chain mails, sword fighting, dragons, and chasing Vikings!

We were overseas the year before that and we celebrated Book Week by visiting favourite book haunts in Manila.

Library Day!

Thursdays are extra special for our Pre-Schooler as he gets to choose a book from the school library and bring the book home for a week!

As our toddler exercises autonomy in the selection, I get a gleam of his current interests, his concerns, and what makes him laugh out loud.

Daisy's Sleepover

The idea of this project is to take home a school's doll and write a story about the family's special time with her. You can say that we surely had fun with this assignment!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Adelaide's favourite local bookshops and news agencies

Petra Starke makes a rundown of Adelaide's wonderful bookshops and news agencies. I have to say though that this list is just the tip of the iceberg. Adelaide has more of these gems waiting to be explored!

Happy New Year!

It's been a three-year hiatus from blogging. Mr. Gaiman, I do hope to write more this year!