Happy Tuesday!
I hope you’re all having a good week so far. Mine is proving to be very busy but I’m going to do my best to keep on top of my blog posts after a couple of quieter weeks.
You may have noticed that I’ve written a couple of posts recently about my visit to Edinburgh, where I did a bookshop crawl and bought loads of lovely books! If not, be sure to visit my other posts when you’re done here.
During my adventure, I visited one particular bookshop that had been on my ‘to do’ list for a while – Golden Hare Books. I was so blown away by my experience that I decided it deserved its own blog post, so here we are…
Who are Golden Hare Books?
Golden Hare Books is an independent bookshop based in the Stockbridge area of Edinburgh. It is small but perfectly formed, selling fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books.
What makes them so great?
*Contented sigh* Where to begin? Apart from being entirely aesthetically pleasing, there are other things I love about Golden Hare Books.
I’m going to start with the staff, as I always feel like they’re mentioned last, when a bookseller can totally make or break an experience. I chatted with the person working that day and totally failed to get her name (I am so sorry – if you see this let me know and I’ll give you a mention!) but she was lovely. I told her I was writing up blog posts and she kindly agreed to let me take some photos and also helped me pick out a book (but more on that later).
Next, the books. In most cases (not all), there is only one copy of each book out on display. It made for a really pleasurable browsing experience as they were nicely spaced out but there was a big selection. It’s a clever way of making the most of not a particularly large space without it feeling overwhelming.
My happiest moment whilst browsing was discovering the graphic novel section. Graphic novels are so underrated and, relative to the size of the shop, they had a large selection. I swear I was in there for so long I looked at the blurb for nearly every graphic novel they had, but I didn’t leave with one (for good reason, I wanted Blankets by Craig Thompson but it’s huge and I had quite a bit of my day left to go in Edinburgh).
They also have the *most* wonderful children’s section. Not only is the selection of books phenomenal but the room is so snuggly and cosy I honestly could’ve stayed in there forever. My photo does not do it justice (nor does it show the other two walls of books).
So what did you get?
After much deliberation, I decided to give fate a chance and got my first mystery book.
The label reads:
Immerse yourself in this sumptuous, mesmeric novel set in Victorian England, written by one of the most talented and sensitive writers at work today. *SIGNED!*
I had a chat with the bookseller to ensure that it was something I’d typically go for and she looked genuinely pleased I’d picked that particular book. She was also kind enough to give me a bookmark and a lovely Golden Hare Books bag which has garnered me lots of comments (“Oooh that’s nice!”) and I’ve had to stop it from wandering off.
What is the mystery book?
Drum roll, please….
My mystery book is Sarah Moss’ Bodies of Light. This book is totally new to me and although I am not entirely convinced I would’ve picked it for myself, I am more than happy to be pushed outside of my comfort zone. For me, this is exactly what a mystery book should do.
It’s high up on my TBR list, so a review will be up in the not too distant future!
Visiting Golden Hare Books
As you can probably tell from this post, I love this bookshop. For me, it’s everything a bookshop should be. Welcoming, unassuming, and… indulgent.
I had a wonderful visit – if you fancy a visit to Golden Hare Books (which I highly recommend you do!), you can find details of their location here. If Edinburgh is a bit too far away for you, you can still purchase books from the shop via the website. Please consider doing so as supporting independent bookshops is so important.
You can also find them on Twitter where they post details of lovely books and upcoming events should you be in the area.
Comment below
I hope you enjoyed my bookshop stop post. Tell me below about your favourite bookshop – feel free to link your blog posts. And don’t forget to let me know if you’ve been to Golden Hare Books!
I was not asked by Golden Hare Books to write this post. I did so as I really love the bookshop and I want to do everything I can to support independent bookshops.
I love the mystery book idea! If I’m ever in Edinburgh again I will have a look 🙂
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