84 Charing Cross Road

By Helene Hanff

I adored this little book. So simple, so clever, so human and so moving. Just a gentle story that moves quietly through time, that I shall keep on my bookshelf forever. If you ever find a copy in a second-hand book shop, buy it. It’s a tiny treasure - especially if you love books. Some books are like music, it’s the space between the words that matter, the things that are suggested and not said, the places where the reader fills in the missing pieces. It’s hard to even say why it was so special, but perhaps some of the most simple things are. The old suitcase, the worn purse, the scarf with holes and frayed edges that we can’t part with. This book now belongs to that list, and I know it shall be handed down with my other books because to me it’s special, and for no reason that I can quite explain.