A labyrinth of books

One of the things we loved about the first stop on our IBW2017 bookshop crawl was how unexpectedly big it was, with room after room opening up in front of us. That was nothing compared to the labyrinth my boyfriend and I found waiting for us later in the day.

The Haslemere Bookshop in Surrey looks like a typical welcoming indie from the doorway: compact, nicely stocked and beautiful. Had it been that, then we would've been happy. However, walk the length of the wall on the right and you find yourself in a large children's area. Turn a corner and there are cards and more new books. Turn another corner and there are stairs...

Going up a level you find room after room of secondhand books, some small, some large, some taking your round in a circle. More books are in a cupboard, and there's even a discounted area. We lost each other up here but neither of us really minded because of how much fun it was to make each new discovery.

I was taken with the vastness of the fiction, the secondhand area enabling a good offering of usual suspects so the new books could be equally accommodating but also much more diverse than I'd usually expect. Alternating between the two floors meant there were some real treats to be found. Once he'd returned from charity pig-spotting around the town, my boyfriend seemed equally impressed with the non-fiction.

From the very hungry caterpillar among the children's books, to a wall of letters from local schools, and a very handsome bear in a bowler hat behind the counter, this bookshop clearly reaches out to young readers too.

When it came to a purchase, despite the wide array of fiction that was calling out to me I had to buy Shop Cats of New York by Tamar Aslanian. Not a book I've seen before, it's a beautiful selection of photographs with brief explanations and made this Crazy Cat Lady want to hop on a plane immediately. Hopefully they'll still all be there in three years' time.

This book, our wonderful surroundings, and a question about the pigs scattered around the town*, prompted a very cheery conversation with the booksellers, further confirming my love for The Haslemere Bookshop. They had a natural enthusiasm for books and friendliness towards customers – the ones who wanted to say hello – that meant I'm sure anyone would feel welcome and at home here.

Not only did they share (humour?) my love of cats, they explained about the pigs and very generously increased my knowledge of the other bookshops in the not so near area. It's always a good sign when bookshops are friends with their neighbours, even if some of them are quite a distance away – who needs rivals when there's a wonderful booky community?

The Haslemere Bookshop
2 Causewayside, High Street,
Haslemere, Surrey, GU27 2JZ
Tel: 01428 652952
@HaslemereBooks

* Apparently the Haslemere Hogs were decorated by businesses and auctioned off to raise money for charity.