Books and Buns

Several weeks ago, I received an email from someone who reads my blog.  She was wondering which second-hand bookshops I could recommend in Toronto.  It then came to my attention that bookshops carrying new were my usual haunts when in the city.  It was my responsibility to do some research and the sooner the better!  Saturday was to be the nicest day of the weekend so R and I grabbed a bagel and a tea/coffee and off we went.  Our first stop was BMV Books, I had read that there was a large supply of remainders and second-hand titles but that some of the staff were a bit on the rude side...hmmm.  Finding a copy of Angel by Elizabeth Taylor made my day, further finds by Rebecca West, Rose Macaulay and Elizabeth von Arnim had me beaming.  Then I asked a clerk where the Art Deco books were.  'In the Arts section' came her dry, unenthusiastic reply.  'No shit, Sherlock' was what I wanted to say but instead I replied 'That's lovely!'

Driving to another area of Toronto we stopped at The Book Exchange, where I found a copy of I'm Not Complaining by Ruth Adams.  I know nothing about her but the characters in this book consist of a promiscuous Jenny, a communist Freda and a spinsterish Miss Jones.  Yes, please!  Right next door was Dencan Books...oh my goodness.  R wondered if the collapsing shelves with books spilled all over the window display was some sort of artsy statement.  Cautiously opening the door, we were greeted with the overwhelming smell of mold.  It was total chaos with piles of books littering the floor, there was barely a path to allow any meandering at all.  Bravely we began to browse the ridiculously stuffed shelves and after a few minutes, R called me over.  He was checking for some authors and found...Dickens, Dickens, Dickens, Beginner Accounting, Dickens, Dickens...and so on.  It was definitely time for a change of scenery so we drove off to find a bakery but I swear I coughed mold spores for several minutes afterwards.

The Hot Oven Bakery was just the place for rest and refreshment and oh, the gorgeous aromas floating in the air, way better than mold!  R ordered some cookies to go, I chose the Empire cookies (the large ones) and he decided on chocolate chip.  Then we munched on cinnamon buns and sipped our hot drinks while we chatted and thought about what we might like to try the next time we stop by. 

All too soon it was time for the drive back to Burlington.  My research mission was pretty successful but I am quite sure that there is more work still to be done.  And if you've read any of the Viragos I found please let me know what you thought!