It was probably the thought of paper available on water, the vulnerability of it, the novelty of it, that attracted me to this place. Walking down those grass steps to a gentle rocking of the boat, the friendly dog sniffing at me, the books for pounds, paperbacks and art books and children's books and books of all sorts all out in the open.
Just so you know, there is risk. A window or some fluctuation caused almost all of the books on the shelf on the side of the houseboat to come crashing down. Some books were lost to the crack of ebbing & flowing water. Most were lucky. It was deeply embarrassing, but the owner carried on and took away the broken boxes and restructured the shelves, putting together a different order of displayed books. Soon, we all carried on as well, looking at the books and thinking carefully about our selections. At least I was. Book buying is a big deal when you have limited space in your luggage.
There was loud salsa music blaring in the background. The dog would bark at other dogs trespassing on the territory but immediately back down as soon as the owner would touch his head gently to remind him, "Be nice, we love our customers, all of them."
I bought four books (there's a 2 paperback deal for five pounds, normally it is 3 pounds per paperback) and the owner inspected them, murmuring his approval. It was nice chatting with him briefly on PG Wodhouse and Margaret Atwood. If I'm ever back in London, you can bet your bonnet that I'll be here... though, next time, with a sunhat, a beer, a handheld portable fan, and a cart. read more