Regular readers may remember my unfortunate penchant for putting my foot well and truly in it during surprise encounters with celebrities, and how occasionally I manage to refrain from making a complete chump of myself.
It's Chorlton Book Festival week this week and next. As part of the celebrations our book club was asked to participate. We suggested doing a book swap at Chorlton Library and they offered us the 2-4pm slot immediately after an event featuring local crime fiction author Mandasue Heller talking about her work.
When I arrived at the library at 10 to 2, things were already in full swing. Since it was such a lovely sunny day Dave the librarian had suggested we set up on the pavement outside the main entrance. Three of our members had managed to fill two tables with swappable books so I added the dozen or so that I'd brought along and retired to prop up the fence, observe the proceedings and chat with friends. Two or three people had started browsing and the activity around the table soon attracted more. We explained the concept of a book swap: we weren't allowed to sell anything because we didn't have a trader's licence, but if they had books they wanted to get rid of they could bring them along and swap them, one for one.
This concept obviously appealed to the trendy left-wing liberati of Chorlton because several people beetled off home to collect books and bring them back!
One elegant lady dressed in black with long flowing blonde hair even re-entered the library and persuaded Dave to give her two old library books with which to complete her swaps! We also suggested that people might like to visit the local charity shop, buy a few books they didn't really want and bring them along to swap. What a great way to help the local economy, as well as have a great time. Sitting in the sun all afternoon chatting to friends and passersby about books and whatever else came to mind.
About two-thirty the elegant lady returned with another book to swap. A very new looking copy of Mandasue Heller's latest novel! Thinking she must have picked up a free copy from the earlier seminar, and also being so conspicuously "Chorlton" that she'd be game for a laugh, I pointed to the book and declared loudly:
"Sacrilege! You can't swap one of those! She was here this morning!"
She looked at me, a wry smile playing across her lips.
"I know," she said, "I am her."
Funny, I've never seen the pavement open up in Chorlton and swallow anyone, but I sure wished it would right then. I recovered gamely (I thought):
"Well you can only leave it behind if you sign it."
Which she graciously did, even offering to dedicate it to someone if I wished. I declined. Equally graciously, I hope.
The book swap closed at 4pm and was declared a resounding success. Our initial stock had been turned over by at least 50% and, as most people had brought more books than they took away, we were left with plenty to hold another event, possibly at Beech Road festival in the summer.
We retired to the Marble Beer House for some well-earned refreshment. If we hadn't had a previous appointment with a karaoke DJ we'd still be there now!
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2 comments:
LOL Digger John!
Just think, one day someone will be writing a blog about a bloke swapping the current world-wide best-selling novel at the Chorlton book swap. The blogger can't believe his/her luck to get his/her hands on the also critically acclaimed book (because it's sold out everywhere) in exchange for a paperback version of The Egg and I ...
The blogger makes rather funny remarks to the swapper and refers to him as a man out of his mind ..
Then he discovers YOU are the author of that best-selling book!
Of course, as s/he gets to know you, s/he will still think you're out of your mind .. but .. well, you catch the drift ... ;-)
*chuckle* and the tradition continues ;))
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