Other sections include sci-fi, travel, music, movies, Australiana, farming, dogs, horses, war, and even journalism and publishing.
Anyone who reads this blog will know by now that my go-to place in any bookshop is the children's section. If I was delighted by the sports books, I was disappointed by the children's books. There are lots of shelves devoted to them, but most of them were titles published from the 1990s onwards. Any old hardbacks were of the Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Heidi variety, that have been published over and again. No rare titles in sight.
 |
| The music section at Book Heaven |
Something that struck me as odd about the children's section was that it was next to the fire. As it was a cold day the fire was going, which was fine for me as a browsing adult. But if I'd gone in with a young child, I'd have been a bit worried about it.
While 100,000 books should be every reader's idea of heaven (hence the name, I guess!), I must confess I found having so many rooms of books a bit overwhelming. This, I am sure, was because we only had a few hours in Castlemaine, and couldn't spare the amount of time needed to delve properly into the delights this bookshop has to offer. So if you visit Castlemaine, be aware that you could easily devote an entire morning or afternoon to browsing at Book Heaven.
After leaving Book Heaven, we had lunch, then headed for the final bookshop on the Castlemaine trail: Soldier & Scholar. This bookshop's reputation precedes it: two years ago there was an article in a local newspaper about a sign the owner had put up asking people to enter the shop only if they wanted to buy a book. She didn't just want browsers.
I couldn't see the sign when we visited, though there were several others around the shop and in the window. And as soon as we entered, the owner asked us if there were any particular titles we were looking for. "No," I replied. "We're just browsing."
"Are there any particular genres you're looking for?" she pressed.
 |
| One of the signs at Soldier & Scholar |
"Well, I usually like to look at the children's section..."
The children's section turned out to be right next to the counter, so while my husband disappeared further into the shop to check out the history shelves, I continued fielding questions about which authors I was interested in while trying to spot titles among the double-stacking. From what I could see, the children's section seemed to consist of more recent titles plus some Enid Blytons. Maybe if I'd asked, she might have told me exactly where among the mostly inaccessible books there was a rare Brent-Dyer, but I really prefer to do my own hunting. After all, if I didn't enjoy the hunt, I'd simply go to Abebooks for those rare titles and have them posted to me.
Anyway, my husband found a book he wanted in the history section, so we ended up buying a book and it was smiles all round. That he was left alone to browse and found something and I was put off browsing by the questioning makes me wonder how many other booklovers are put off by their experience.
 |
| Cookery books and celebrity titles |
As you'd expect from the name of the bookshop, there are plenty of military history and academic books here. But there are lots of other sections too, including cookery books, celebrity autobiographies, and a good deal of non-military history. Bookworms will find much to look at here. But you'll be welcomed more if you know exactly what you're looking for.
So that was the trail done and I'm sure we'll head back there down the track! We didn't have much time to explore many of the town's other attractions, but enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Saffs Cafe in Mostyn Street, and went for a circuit walk at the nearby Goldfields Track.
No comments:
Post a Comment