…where book burrowing souls can spend lots and lots of time while being sustained by coffee and delicious home made cakes.
You can find Aardvark Books just up the lane from the 300 yard cloud hedge (see previous post) – a barn full of books – old and new – on a working farm with butterscotch coloured cows out in the yard and fine country views all around.
And it’s not only the books, but the inscriptions inside some of the volumes: handwritten words that speak of previous owners, or heartfelt sentiments expressed to long ago friends in the gift of a very particular work, and you the late-comer voyeur can only guess at why it was chosen and wonder at the kind of person for whom it was meant.
But there are also disturbing thoughts beyond the ghosts of relationships past. Standing among these mountains of books, you are also left feeling that if all of them have been well read, shouldn’t we be more enlightened and wise than we often seem to be. Or does the fact that so many books can be discarded like this (hopefully, if doubtfully to be reclaimed by somebody sometime) tell quite another story about our present condition? Time to get thinking perhaps?
Tish Farrell 
Yay books and a cafe, my type of place . . . . . . . if you heard some of the things people say to secondhand booksellers (ie my hubby!) you may not be so surprised about the lack of wisdom.
I’m getting a sense of long-suffering hubby here, Becky. It’s not always easy dealing with ‘the public’, is it? So many unself-aware folks about.
Hee hee, he’s in fact given up on the shop this year and only does online now. Much easier!!
That sounds much better for the health and temper.
Time to get thinking indeed, Tish… Also, I am still nostalgic for second hand bookshops of yore
Yes, they’ve become a bit industrial these days. In Wenlock we’re lucky. We have one and half second hand book stores. The half is the upstairs of lovely Wenlock Books which has new books downstairs – so the best of both worlds.
Sounds excellent – long may it continue
A handheld book is like a gift from the heavens.
Especially when new and crispy ‘minted’ 🙂
I enjoyed this post. I too ponder why so much written wisdom does not seem to make it off the page and into practice. I have spent the past month reading American history. It seems we have grappled with these same issues before. I guess the term cycle applies. Let’s keep reading and hoping for improvement.
We certainly need to keep the brain cells active. Some powers of discretion wouldn’t go amiss too.
Looks a beautiful place for a writer to be.
we’re very lucky in rural England, Lazarus. It’s easy to take it all for granted though.
You indeed lucky, and I envy you people.
Alas, as we age and move from houses to flats, many of the books have to go. Thankfully second hand bookstores take them, ink- and mold- (UK mould?) stained inscriptions and all. As for the content, I have no patience anymore for writing (non-fiction) whatever its age, which takes a chapter to say what could have been said in a page. Out they went. End of rant. Nonetheless, I’d visit your Aardvark and Cafe!
I do have to agree with you, Bunty. I too have had to dispose of many books, and I try very hard not to acquire new ones. And I know if we’d all used our UK libraries more and let them keep the books on our behalf, our library services wouldn’t be on their last legs, and it would make for a lot less dusting of overburdened shelves at home. eBooks sort of serve the purpose, but they are a pain to move around in, should you need to. And yes, overwordy tomes – can’t be doing with those either.
Libraries over here are treasure troves Tish, going from strength to strength, incorporating technology and very user friendly with fantastic staff always willing to help. I must admit I troll through book stores checking latest titles then request them from the library. If they don’t have them they will get them in for you. I LOVE the library. But I do have shelves full of art books for reference
One always needs reference books (that’s my story anyway!) But how lovely to hear your libraries are thriving. We have lovely librarians too but one does feel they are manning sinking ships.
There is nothing that can replace reading a good book! (even though I do spend far too much time on this damn laptop)
Yep, that darn little gadget just sucks us in!
Great, I have marked this place on our private map of things to do and visit. Thank you for introducing Aardvark Books to us, Tish – the bookfayries are all smiles now. 🙂 🙂
Lots of opportunities for fayries to run wild amongst all those books 🙂
Another good place to spend the day.
Oh no! Now the guilt trip! We had to get rid of so many books to enable us to move here without sinking the carrier. 😦 😦 Not sure what it says about me but I couldn’t part with a hefty compendium of Winnie the Pooh 🙂
Of course not. Winnie has to many good quotes to get us throught the day,week and year.
Absolutely. Pooh words are for life, and possibly beyond 🙂
Oh dear no. Pooh should never be discarded. I would not part with mine either. Might need him and the Six Acre Wood crew when I’m in my dotage. Or even well before.
🙂 🙂
Coffeehouses with used books are my favorite places to hang out!
Hello Annette. You’re back! I’ve just been reading your post before finding you here too. Well met in Word Press!
Many years ago when we lovingly chose books to give the grandchildren for Christmas we were told they only read books on the internet. How sad to not discover the joy of holding a real book
That is sad. Here though, children still seem to love their books, those who do read that is.
oh my God, what I dream of being able to spend hours there ….
these book shelves make me dizzy
That it is a good description, Yoshimi. The sheer quantity of books is indeed dizzying 🙂
I wish I had known about this place when I lived in Ludlow – then again probably best I didn’t! I still love books and we frequent our local library every week. They are very good at reserving books for free here so I can look up the authors I like and then see if they have the books. We also got rid of a lot of books when we moved – to Oxfam. And I buy the Aussie grandbabies a Cornish book every Christmas – they love them, but I know there will come a time when they’ll prefer the tablet / phone / x-box.
That sounds like a very good library service.
Yes, it’s not bad. The council keep threatening to close some branches though, it would be such a shame as there are many groups who use the libraries here and they perform a lot more roles than just lending books.
Yes, they are real community centres, aren’t they. Our Wenlock library struggles on, but only because the town council has taken most of the costs on from Shropshire Council.
I imagine if the councils don’t get more money soon, we’ll have to fund some of these places ourselves. A shame to lose them as they are a vital community hub.
I think the bankers should fund them.
Agreed!!
A book cafe! … the only thing that would make it better if there was a wee hardware/nursery shop attached! 😀
Now that would be heaven!
Oh my, the magic of bookstores! I remember Garry and I finally had to make rules about book stores. We simply couldn’t go in. We always spent a lot of money because there were all those books!
I know. I know. Even when under strictest orders only to LOOK, it never works.
Just love your story Tish, what a wealth of books, would just love to spend time there. I have, however, a while ago landed a voluntary job looking after books donated to a charity here in town, all 4500 of them….some quite old too. Your story reminded me of the joy I find in my work with the books 🙂
That’s a very worthy pursuit, Agnes. Who knows what treasures you might find.