We all love a good rummage in the Charity Shops and so many of them have tonnes of books on the shelves and you can often pick up a recent best seller for as little as 50p!
Every month our very own Cara De La Mare goes in search of the hottest reads she can find in the local Charity Shops right here in Guernsey and let's us know about her favourite finds....
Cara visits a different charity shop each month to check out what she can find on the shelves but these books can likely be found on the shelves of many various charity shops.
Book of the Month - January 2025
Happy New Year! This month I’ve visited UnLtd (Ron Short Centre) which is located at Beau Sejour, the shop is well laid out, bright and cheerful and they’ve got a great little selection of good quality books.
The Tea Planters Wife by Dinah Jeffries
Dinah Jeffries is outstanding storyteller and her 2015 novel
The Tea Planters Wife was a choice for the Richard and Judy Book Club and was in the Sunday Times best sellers list for 16 weeks continuously from September until Christmas 2015, topping it twice during that time!
I’ve got this book in my personal collection and I really couldn’t put it down when I read it a few years ago. It’s beautifully written and takes you back to colonial Ceylon where her lead character Gwendolyn begins her new married life, far away from England and her family in the exotic surroundings of their tea plantation.
But what will she discover about the mysteries and past of her new surroundings?
Cara’s other January hidden gems… 🕵️♀️
🌍 Long Way Down by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman
If you’re up for a little bit of adventure, and love travel writing like me, I highly recommend this amazing account by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman, which was inspired by their UNICEF visits to Africa. They set off on a 15,000 mile journey on their motorbikes from John O’Groats at the northernmost tip of Scotland, to the southernmost tip of South Africa, Agulhas.
You can follow their journey through spectacular scenery and facing some incredible challenges, mixed in with their honesty and humour as they explored this amazing continent.
Other super finds I discovered included the classic ‘Five Children and It’ by E Nesbitt. I dare say you have often thought about what you would do if you were granted three wishes. The five children - Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and their baby brother - had often talked about it but when they are faced with the grumpy sand-fairy they find it difficult to make up their minds. And that is just the beginning of their dilemmas.
UnLtd (Ron Short Centre) is a lovely shop with a great little selection of travel guides. Yes, some of the information might be out of date in terms of pricing but they’ll each give you maps and a fantastic background for research on things to do and places to go! It's well worth a look! 👀
Book of the Month - December 2024
This month, I’ve been at the Citizen's Advice shop in Mont Arrive...
Published in 2017 this debut novel won the 2017 Costa First Novel Award and also the British Book Awards Book of the Year in 2018, as well as being shortlisted for other writing awards since.
I read this a couple of years ago now, pretty much over just a couple of days whilst on holiday in France! Original, funny, warm and but also thought provoking and an eye opener into just how lonely life can be, despite being surrounded by people.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a super read and I highly recommend! One of the Sunday Times' 100 bestselling books of the past 50 years!!
Its film rights were snapped up by Reece Witherspoon’s production company and is due to be made into a major movie.
📣 This months finds are from the Citizens Advice charity shop in Mont Arrive, where hardback books are only £1 each and paperbacks only 50p each!!
Cara’s other December hidden gems… 🕵️♀️
📚 Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson... an oldie but a goodie!! Mr B is one of my favourite travel writers, he’s incredibly funny, proper laugh out loud, and his witty observations as he travels around the UK before returning back to the US are outstanding!
📚 Story Books by Roald Dahl. There was a lovely little bunch of Ronald Dahl favourites within the dedicated section of teen / children’s fiction. Always a good read!
Book of the Month - November 2024
This month, I’ve been at Les Bourgs Hospice shop in St. Andrew’s...
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
Apples Never Fall is a suspenseful drama, and you won’t be able to put it down!
The perfect successful happy family isn’t quite what it seems when police begin investigating the disappearance of one of them……
I am a huge fan of Liane Moriarty who has written ten novels, including the New York Times best sellers Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, and this one, Apples Never Fall is the latest book to have been adapted into television series (2024), starring Annette Bening and Sam Neill.
Cara’s other November hidden gems… 🕵️♀️
📚 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (now adapted to TV) took the world by storm last year and I devoured this in a couple of days, blooming awesome!
📚 The Lake House by Kate Moreton. If you’re looking for an ultimate page turner then you will never go wrong with anything by Kate Morton. Kate is an Australian Author, a wonderful storyteller and her latest novel Homecoming, from 2023 was one of this summers reads that I couldn’t put down!
📚 The Last Devil to Die (2024) by Richard Osman, part of his Thursday Murder Club mystery series.
📚 The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary is witty, original and perfect for fans of JoJo Moyes or Sophie Kinsella. Easy and fun to read.
Book of the Month - October 2024
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Whilst published in 2018 I think this book really hit it's stride about three years ago and by April 2023, the book had sold over 18 million copies and a film adaptation was released in July 2022.
I devoured this book in practically one sitting a couple of years ago, a real page turner, and an amazing plot twist towards the end! So for those of you who haven’t yet read it, I found this, as an all but brand new copy at the Red Cross charity shop.
There was a great selection of books of all sorts of genres, so don’t be afraid to have a rummage and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what you come up with for just a couple of pounds!
Cara’s other October hidden gems…
These were again in excellent condition ranging from £1 to £2.75!
📚 The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman (Hardback, looked unread!)
📚 The first two books of the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson
📚 The first two books from the series Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (this series continues to be enjoyed by my son and some of the books have been made into excellent family movies)
📚 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë. Absolute classic which I haven’t actually read since I was in my early 20s, and this has reminded me to pick it back up again, because I remember just immersing myself in early 19th century life, and in awe of Brontë as she wrote about (controversial to the time), subject matters dealing with domestic violence and the roles of women.
About Cara...
Cara loves to read! She's read so many books including the classics as well as the more recent best sellers. Cara loves nothing more than spending time with her family, be it bike riding, geocaching, looking after their menagerie of animals or adventuring in France!
Cara also runs Body Bliss with Cara and is a Neal’s Yard Remedies (NYR) Organics independent consultant based here in Guernsey. Cara offers the full range of Neal’s Yard Remedies Organics products at VAT free prices. You can view her details here - Body Bliss with Cara.
Where to Find Books in Guernsey
The obvious choice to read a book for FREE here in Guernsey is of course a visit to the library! The Guille-Allès Public Library is based in Market Square and is home to over 100,000 books, audiobooks and DVDs. You can search online for your book of choice and reserve it ready for collection. Visit the website here - Guille-Allès Public Library.
You can find LOTS of secondhand books at one of the many local charity shops here in Guernsey. Most of our charity shops are rammed with pre-loved books that can be purchased from as little as 50p! You can read our full list of Charity Shops in Guernsey right here - Charity Shops in Guernsey.
There's also a little second hand book shop in the Arcade in Town, it's tucked away in the corner at the top of the steps opposite the Town Church.
Car boot sales are a great place to find pre-loved / secondhand / nearly new books! I've picked up many a bargain from a car boot sale. My recent purchases being two hard cover cookbooks at 50p each!
The Princess Elizabeth Hospital (PEH) League of Friends also have three book trolleys at the hospital with all books at 50p. The trolley is located by the Porters Lodge at the main hospital entrance.
And you can often find book stalls on the hedge outside a book worms house - similar to a 'hedge veg' stall, but a book hedge stall!
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