Just before Christmas, I was in London and came across a very interesting book shop called Daunt Books in the chic part of the city on Marylebone High Street. The bookshop hasn't been around that long, only since 1990, but the actual building dates back to 1910. The shop front gives its age away, but not its sheer depth and character. That's something you need to go inside to experience.
As soon as I walked in, the small shop area was jam packed with people. I could barely walk pass and had to slowly edge my way in. The fact it was the start of the school holidays and a few days before Christmas helped to fuel the frenzy buzz here.
As I got to the back of the book shop it was like a totally different world. Above me was a gorgeous skylight, oak shelves lined both sides extending inwards towards the back of the shop. And there was a gallery one level up. Interesting.
Whilst hubby was busy browsing (he loves books) I went to explore the gallery. Access to the upstairs was via a very narrow staircase just enough for one person to go or down. It was a bit of a squeeze if someone else was going the opposite direction. There were books lined up on both sides, which meant the books filled the entire floor space from top to bottom throughout the shop floor. As a person who 'likes' books but isn't a real book lover (sorry, I don't read much) I was more interested in the aesthetic of this place. The skylight allowed plenty of natural light to flush into the building, I wonder if book lovers would feel they're at the top of the world here.
The U shaped oak gallery goes from one side to the other, and was quite narrow. There's no point in making it too wide, no one is going to be browsing too far away from the shelves. And if you're not careful, you might fall over as the rail is quite low!
There's also a downstairs section leading down to America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Curious as to why these regions? Let's go downstairs to find out. Careful, being an Edwardian building, the staircase is quite narrow and steep compared to modern day buildings.
Daunts started off as a travel bookshop, hence all their title are arranged by region rather than genre across the three floors. Even thougg they sell non travel titles now, they retain this system. Hubby said he found it rather difficult to find books but I guess that all adds to the character of the bookshop.
Hubby ended up buying one of his favourite books recently called Chip War. He's read the electronic version already and was waiting for the soft back to come out. He always recommends it to people because it goes behind the geo political power and looks at how power is controlled by modern day critical resource. I'll have to sit down to read it sometime, and when I do, I'll probably do a book review but don't hold your breath for it.
Answers to January HPUD Guessing Contest
First of all, the good news! What a great start to the first HPUD Guessing Content in 2024, there were 43 entries👍 Thanks to everyone for joining in the fun and your support. Now for the bad news. No one guessed the correct answer this month. The tip I gave was around 12 to 20 truffles and we had guesses for all these numbers but NOT THE CORRECT ANSWER!!! Scroll down and see what's missing!!!
| Name | HPUD Answer cm | Power up ? |
|---|---|---|
| @hopestylist | 12 | - |
| @selflessgem | 13 | - |
| @cetb2008 | 13 | - |
| @adncabrera | 13 | - |
| @balikis95 | 14 | - |
| @bereal47 | 14 | - |
| @contestbox | 14 | - |
| @henrietta27 | 14 | - |
| @micheal87 | 15 | - |
| @gems.and.cookies | 15 | - |
| @lizelle | 15 | - |
| @nkemakonam89 | 15 | - |
| @jhymi | 15 | - |
| @beeeee | 16 | - |
| @wongi | 16 | - |
| @leaky20 | 16 | - |
| @crypticat | 16 | - |
| @pardinus | 16 | - |
| @xrayman | 16 | - |
| @svanbo | 16 | - |
| @luisdey | 16 | - |
| @blitzzzz | 16 | - |
| @incublus | 16 | - |
| @miljo76 | 16 | - |
| @coquicoin | 16 | - |
| @grindle | 16 | - |
| @kathrynkw | 16 | - |
| @ctrpch | 16 | - |
| @aslamrer | 16 | - |
| @ladymisa | 17 | - |
| @emeka4 | 17 | - |
| @coolmidwestguy | 17 | - |
| @kungfukid552 | 17 | - |
| @ellaturb | 17 | - |
| @nicklewis | 17 | - |
| @libertycrypto27 | 17 | - |
| @dbooster | 18 | yes |
| @dewabrata | 18 | yes |
| @ahmedhayat | 18 | yes |
| @ablaze | 18 | yes |
| @ace108 | 18 | yes |
| @soyunasantacruz | 20 | yes |
| @hoosie | 20 | yes |
That is so frustrating 😟 There were 19 truffles but no one guessed the correct answer. Why?? Why??😭😭
But that means we have 7 winners who guessed either 18 or 20, and all of them powered up on HPUD. In line with the HPUD spirit, this month I have changed the prize to 100 Hive power. I have just powered up 29 Hive to each of the winners. Congratulations to you all 🎉 🎉 🎉
Thanks to everyone who joined in this month, and look forward to you in the February HPUD Guessing Contest.
