Gay’s the Word was my third stop in October bookshop-crawl, it was not a planned one either, it just happened to be on the way from Judd Books to Atlantis. It was definitely less crowded than Judd Books, more like Housmans, just with a different theme. The bookshelves again were beautifully curated, focusing on LGBTQ topics.

As you can see below it is nothing special in terms of decor, it is the content that makes it special. There are plenty of staff recommendations, which adds a lot of personal touches. Also on the day I was there there was an absolutely charming, chatty bookseller, she spoke to everyone in the shop. Even got me to talk (I am not the most talkative of people), when she asked me if I need a bag and I guiltily said ‘yes, please. I’ve been in two other bookshops already.’ She happily exclaimed ‘You are on a bookshop-crawl, how lovely!’. So there that’s how my madness got a more acceptable name. Binge drinking = pub-crawl, binge book-buying = bookshop-crawl. I know which one I prefer.

It was a charming place with a good vibe and a selection of books that tempts you to explore. What more can one ask from a good bookshop?

Here is what I bought:

1. The Paying Guests – Sarah Waters – I read a lot of good words written about this book and I never read Sarah Waters, so this is me being moderately adventurous.
2. Art Objects. Essays on Ecstasy and Effrontery (r)- Jeanette Winterson – ever since I read Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? I am an adamant fan of Jeanette Winterson. I may have liked Oranges a little less, but that does not change the fact that I’ll happily buy more of her books.
3. Art & Lies – Jeanette Winterson – if I bought essays on art, of course, I would buy fiction on art. That was a no-brainer.
4. The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula K. Le Guin – described by Sarah as The Left Hand of Meh, it is a book that I always wanted to read, one of those ‘classics’. I read Sarah’s review after I bought it, so it got relegated lower down the TBR, but I am still curious about it.