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Sixpence House
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
15 posts | 22 read | 57 to read
"Sixpence House is the bookworm's answer to A Year in Provence." -Boston Globe Paul Collins and his family abandoned the hills of San Francisco to move to the Welsh countryside-to move, in fact, to the village of Hay-on-Wye, the "Town of Books" that boasts fifteen hundred inhabitants-and forty bookstores. Taking readers into a secluded sanctuary for book lovers, and guiding us through the creation of the author's own first book, Sixpence House becomes a heartfelt and often hilarious meditation on what books mean to us. A #1 BookSense Pick "A delightful book."-Los Angeles Times "Collins' gift is that you don't care where you end up. The journey is enough."-Readerville "The real, engaging heart of the tale is Collins' love of books and other people who love them...Collins muses on antiquarian books the way the rest of us remember lost loves."-San Francisco Chronicle "Funny, informative, somewhat chaotic and full of interesting references...there are numerous meanders into peripheral subjects, seen through the astute eyes of an Anglophile American."-Washington Post
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review
psalva
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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Bailedbailed

I came into this wanting to read a book about books but I got more a book about real estate, commerce, and privilege. It had some charming moments but I just stopped caring about three quarters in when Collins decided to ask for an application to become a lord.

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MaGoose
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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Bailedbailed

It's not that I don't like this book, but that it's not generating that much interest in the storyline of the author's move to Hay-on-Wye, Wales. It's generating a rather indifferent feeling. So, on to something else.

Zelma I had a similar reaction. Books about books are usually my Achilles heel but this just didn‘t keep me engaged. 5y
32 likes1 comment
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BarbaraJean
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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Oh, Litsy, how I have neglected you! And how many bookish posts I have to post! I‘m flying home to Los Angeles today after two weeks in Scotland, Wales, and England. And it was a glorious two weeks. Above: just a few pics from my day spent in Hay-on-Wye. 📚😍📚And I must still tell you about the bookshop in Ely with a cathedral view! And a Tolkien-filled day in Oxford! And London! And more Hay-on-Wye! Stay tuned, dear Littens. 😊

wanderinglynn Wow! Sounds like an amazing trip! Welcome home! 6y
erzascarletbookgasm Sounds fabulous! 😍 Look forward to seeing your posts on the trip. 6y
Mdargusch Sounds like a fantastic trip! 6y
See All 7 Comments
britt_brooke Sounds like a dream!! 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Sounds awesome 💗💗 6y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa Sounds like a great trip! 6y
LiteraryinLawrence Glad you had a wonderful time! 6y
60 likes7 comments
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BarbaraJean
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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For #MemoirMonday: my well-loved copy of this lovely bookish memoir—Collins‘ tale of moving his family (and his books) from San Francisco to Hay-on-Wye, the “Town of Books” in Wales. I‘ve had the privilege of visiting Hay twice—a book lovers‘ dream! 40 bookshops in a town of 1500 people.😍 I loved Collins‘ charming stories of life in a little Welsh village, as well as his all-too-relatable stories of life as a reader. #ReadingResolutions

KerriNTurner I‘d never heard of Hay-on-Wye before, now I want to go there! 6y
BarbaraJean @KerriNTurner It‘s an amazing place! Definitely a bucket list destination. 😍📚 6y
62 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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ValerieAndBooks
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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Scott — congratulations on your milestone! We joined Litsy at about the same time. I still remember how you were MIA for a few months because of your broken phone and how happy we were when you came back! And you‘re the fastest read-a-long buddy there is😂! Anyway, my #vivabookstore bucket list pick would actually be a town full of bookstores: Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Have wanted to since reading the tagged book several years ago! Photo: from link 👇

Sarah83 Great choice. it's lovely there. 😍 6y
DivineDiana I want to go too! 6y
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Lmstraubie Added to my bucket list! 6y
RohitSawant Oh, this is awesome! 6y
BibliOphelia Went once for far too short a visit - would give anything to go back!! 6y
batsy Yes, this would be a dream! 6y
vivastory I was unfamiliar with this book. Will definitely be reading very soon. It's only recently that I've heard about Hay-on-Wye & I'm already scheming on how I could move there. Thanks for entering. It's been great getting to know you & yes, it's hard to imagine I went without Litsy for so long! 6y
ValerieAndBooks @Sarah83 lucky you for living close enough to go there! 6y
ValerieAndBooks @DivineDiana @Lmstraubie one of us need to win the lottery so we can have a Philly meet up there😂! 6y
ValerieAndBooks @rohit-sawant it sure looks awesome! One day!! 6y
ValerieAndBooks @BibliOphelia lucky you for visiting! I‘m sure no visit there would feel long enough! 6y
ValerieAndBooks @batsy 😊 maybe our dream will come true soon!! 6y
ValerieAndBooks @vivastory it would definitely be great to take an extended stay there as the author of this book did. Thanks for being generous!! 6y
Sarah83 That's right. I only visited it once. 😍 6y
BibliOphelia @ValerieAndBooks It was just an afternoon, which was waaayyy too short! 😉 6y
70 likes3 stack adds17 comments
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mrp27
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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BibliophileMomma That cover. 😍 6y
smilingshelves I loved this book! 6y
mrp27 @smilingshelves It's been on my tbr pile for years 😬😬 6y
32 likes3 comments
review
Bookishlie
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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Pickpick

This is a charming little book about an American writer with British parents trying to move to a small town in Wales that is overrun with bookish things and people. It's light and quick with the occasional deep thought and obscure book title thrown it.

7 likes2 stack adds
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Bookthief
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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MrBook
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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#TBRtemptation post 9! So this guy, PC, moves his family from San Fran to a village far, far away in Wales. The place is called Hay-on-Wye, which is cute, & has 1,500 village-folk & 40 bookstores. ...Wait, what?! 40 bookstores?! I like Wales, good people, smart people. Anyways, PC gives us a tour of this heavenly cool-accented paradise & shows us how he wrote his first book while there. What's there not to like here? #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

CherylDeFranceschi This book is fabulous! 7y
ramyasbookshelf Why have we not heard of this book until now??? It sounds amazing! 7y
ramyasbookshelf Btw, your #TBRtemptation is disastrous for my wallet and my TBR pile! ;) 7y
See All 8 Comments
LeslieO ❤this one. I think I got it from the library. It's one I would like to own. 7y
BarbaraJean I LOVED this book, and have been to Hay-on-Wye twice now--it's glorious! There's an outdoor bookshop just outside the castle...and that's just the beginning!! 7y
scripturient Loved this one!!! 7y
Bookworm83 I've been to Hay-on-Wye, too @BarbaraJean! It's as amazing as it sounds. I want to go back for their festival! 7y
LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 7y
102 likes29 stack adds8 comments
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tea.n.books
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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Finally done!! Now I just need to buy more shelves bc I know I have more books stashed in places. 😭They're going to start piles soon #bookishlife #shefie #bookhoarder

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sj_connor
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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Hay-on-Wye, the Welsh town with 40+ bookshops! #wishiwasthere #booktober (sidebar: I discovered while trying to pick something for this that I've read a shocking number of books set in crumbling English manors, which I thought was funny)

scripturient I loved that book. :) 8y
charl08 Love Hay. Dangerous for the wallet though. 8y
GuiltyFeat Planning on making it over for the literary festival next year. Very excited. 8y
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sj_connor @scripturient Oh it's great. Full of colorful characters. 8y
sj_connor @charl08 JEALOUS, I've never been. 8y
sj_connor @GuiltyFeat Oh man, that's gonna be so fun, have a great time! 8y
20 likes1 stack add6 comments
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LauraBrook
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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So true!

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AudryT
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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Planning to get utterly lost in this memoir about Hay-on-Wye.

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review
Demanda
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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Pickpick

A younger, less cranky Bill Bryson type goes to a small town in Wales and talks about books! Yes please!

Demanda Ps: I love Bill Bryson's crankiness, but this guy is awesome too. 8y
CherylDeFranceschi I loved this book! 8y
BookishFeminist That cover 😍 8y
Demanda @BookishFeminist oh yes, I agree ❤️❤️❤️ Definitely buying a hard copy of this 8y
16 likes5 stack adds5 comments
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Demanda
Sixpence House | Paul Collins
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Hilarious and true

Liberty I love his books! 8y
Demanda @Liberty I'm loving this one so far! 8y
CherylDeFranceschi I love this book! 8y
Demanda @CherylDeFranceschi I'm glad to hear such good things about it! 8y
10 likes2 stack adds4 comments