I have invented the best game in the world.

Shall we play a game? It’s better than Pokemon. It’s called: What I Got From The Book Shop and Why.

I usually play this with Timothy when I come home from the library. The Book Shop edition is rarer but much more exciting. And Tim is working late tonight, so I thought I might play it with you instead.

(It’s definitely his favourite game, before you ask.)

Here’s what I got from the bookshop, after I’d wheeled Henry round every aisle three times over and run my hands over all the covers.

e. e. cummings first. Long overdue – he’s one of my besties, and I don’t have any of his collections. Faber volumes are among my favourites to cover-stroke, too. I very nearly bought a collected Wendy Cope because the teal-blue cover was so delicious, before I remembered that I already have everything in there.

Then: I caved, and bought The Hunger Games. So many people have told me how much they enjoyed this trilogy, and no one has said that the writing was so bad they wanted to remove their own eyes with a spork (mentioning no other famous-young-adult-trilogies-with-dramatic-black-covers I could name). So I’m pretty excited. It worries me slightly that the Queen of Sporkdom herself is recommending it on the spine, but you can’t have everything.

And finally: Sherlock Holmes. Because I’ve never read any on the page, though I’ve listened to quite a few on audiobook, and I’m still upset about Benedict Cumberbatch leaping off that building.

Alongside this hour of fabulousness, we went to Paperchase and bought a notebook and some pretty cards, and ate a chicken wrap and Gu chocolate mousse all covertly in the John Lewis boob room. It’s a nice place to sit, should you ever find yourself in there. You probably need a baby to get in, but that shouldn’t be too hard to arrange. Henry had lunch too, though he was much more interested in mine. Oh dear. Is this the start of something?

(P.S. – speaking of books, have you read Cold Comfort Farm? I read it in one gulp the other night, and it was just delightful. The sort of book that should be accompanied with cake.)