You know that I am a fan of crime fiction and when I was at school I devoured the Agatha Christie books and so too Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books and stories.  I also think that my Great Grandfather looked a lot like Conan Doyle (I will have to find a picture of him!).

Anyway the show “Elementary” began in 2012 staring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu and I really enjoyed it as it was set in current times with Jonny as Holmes but Lucy Liu as Joan Watson which was a good twist.  The two actors really had a great chemistry and the writers resisted the temptation of writing them as a couple.  Thanks to streaming services I have been able to watch all seven series in order and I again realised how much I really enjoyed it.

When I worked at the solicitors when I first went to work in the 80’s Abbey National Building Society had their head office at 221B Baker Street in London.  Today it houses the museum of Sherlock Holmes.  Alot of people think that Sherlock Holmes was an actual person especially as it was around the same time as Jack The Ripper, there have even been plays and films connecting the two, which is why I think people think he is a real person.  Anyway this is going to be on my list for when we next visit London.

Of course Bookshops abound in London and there really are too many to mention in one go.  One I have been directed to go to, again the next time we are down there, is Foyles on Charing Cross Road.

It was founded in 1903 by brothers William & Gilbert Foyle and in 2018 after 115 years was sold to the big bookstore Waterstones, who bought it to save the high street bookshops from closing because of Amazon and other on-line retailers.

It has five floors covered in books and I will definitely be going to visit. 

Do you prefer bookshops which sell everything or do you prefer bookshops who specialise in one or two subjects?  I personally like to browse along the bookshelves with all subjects in one roof rather than going to different shops.  It is sad to say that a lot of independent bookshops have closed or been bought out by bigger firms.  At one time Waterstones was lambasted for buying local bookshops and closing them down but they are now seen as the saviour of high street bookshops compared to Amazon.

Before Waterstones in Nottingham the above was our bookshop.  It sold all subjects of books and you also went here when you needed any text books for school which they ordered in for you.  I remember going here when I needed all the books for my English Litereature exam. There was a specific desk you went to with list in hand of the books you needed and then they would send you a postcard to say the books were in.  Needless to say when I used to go in to collect school books I always came out with more books to read.

Whatever you are up to this weekend I hope you get time to read, I will be.  Have a great one. 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Treacle xx