During one of these many searches, I found this really neat used book shop called The Book Barn in Niantic. Naturally, Meaghan and I decided to go check it out and made a big day of it. We share the same passion for bookstores as well as the same strange love of the smell of books, both new and old. They just smell so wonderful! Anyway, this place has a main store that actually looks like a barn, then it has other little buildings around the property that house different genres such as travel, horror, sports, etc. In addition to the main property, they also have two more smaller book shops about a mile down the road that have more specific genres as well as good ol' fiction.
[I found this amusing.]
[Claiming Meaghan's books]
Meaghan took some outfit shots for me near the gardens. It's nice to branch out and get outfit shots in new places...and with another person behind the camera! I can get used to this! Haha.
Skirt: Forever 21 Onesie: Forever 21
Shoes: Payless
Sunglasses: H&M
Necklace: Urban Outfitters
I bought this skirt and the onesie together. I didn't realize until I went into the dressing room with a bunch of things that they would go well together. I love the skirt because it resembles a petticoat and petticoats remind me of the Victorian era which I love. I love the onesie because of it's white polka-dots on navy. It reminds me of the 50's. In addition, these are my new favorite sunglasses because they're huge and remind me of the 60's/70's. So many eras!
Saying 'onesie' is silly to me because I feel like I'm talking about baby clothes. It seems like a weird piece of clothing for an adult to own, but I love it. They are perfect for wearing with high-waists since they stay in place under them. It's really comfortable too...at least once you get used to the weird feeling of the snaps on your (for lack of a better word) crotch.
Before we left, we decided to take some pictures in front of the barn.
From there, we went to the two other shops down the road. I ended up spending $25 on six books with prices ranging from $1-$9. I saved a lot of money considering one of the books I found was a hardcover edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in pristine condition. It was the only Harry Potter book I needed to complete my series! And yes, I read Harry Potter. They're such fun books! I love it when authors can create an entire fantasy world that actually seems like it could be real. There is such detail and thought put into it. The same goes for J.R.R. Tolkien with Lord of the Rings, only he was even more of a creative genius. He created his own languages for his works. Again, I digress...
The book shops were on a street by the beach that had a lot of little shops and restaurants on it. We had pizza for lunch and visited a really cute candy shop that had a lot of neat vintage signs on the walls. We passed an antique shop as we were driving towards the book shops, but when we walked back to it we realized it was closed. :(
Our disappointment didn't last long once we walked down a side street towards the beach and realized there was a park nearby. Unfortunately, we could not get to it on foot since there was a fence and we didn't know how long it would take to walk around to it so we decided to walk back to the car and drive there.The park was not just a park but also a tiny beach! It was so pretty. The sand was lighter than the sand at our local beach and the water looked clearer too.
I love shoreline towns. They are always so cute and quaint. I love being by the ocean. The salty and summery smell of the sea, being able to see the miles of water stretching towards the horizon, the awkward way that stepping around in sand makes you walk, the amazing breeze that comes and cools you when it's super hot out, and of course, the sound of the waves. It's all so calming and soothing. It makes me feel safe because it reminds me of home. It makes me think of the good and happy things. There is nothing like being one-on-one with the ocean. It really makes you think. The ocean never ceases to leave me in awe. It's so full of mystique and beauty.
There was a path that led up to a bluff and even though it was hot, I wanted to explore so we climbed up the hill to it. There was a nice view, buttercups and an even better breeze. :)
It was such a great day. I can't wait to do some more exploring! I leave you with some pictures and mini stories about my awesome book swag:
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever was one of my favorite books as a child. I have been looking for it for a while now. Every time I went to Goodwill or Savers or any thrift store, really, I'd look for it among the many children's books. I could never find it and I'd lose patience while trying to go through all the picture books. But while Meaghan and I were in the last book store, we went into the children's section and there it was, sticking out high above the rest of the books in a crate. I could not believe it. It was as if it were shouting "Here I am!" at me. It's funny because I was telling Meaghan how I had been searching for it while we were looking through the kids books at the main Barn. The cherry on top of this wonderful find: It was only $1.
I was looking for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at each book store that day too. It was another one that I have been searching thrift stores for. Every now and then I'd check eBay for it too, but the auctions always end at a higher price than I want to pay for the ones that are in good condition. I found it in the same shop that I found The Biggest Pumpkin Ever. It is in excellent condition and I was super excited. It was only $9.
A Year At The Movies was another one that just popped out of the shelf at me. I was just browsing, thinking I was all done picking out books, and then I caught sight of the title on a shelf and almost shouted in the middle of the store. I swear, if there were some sort of literary thrifting lords, they were with me that day. I've been wanting this book for a while because I love Kevin Murphy. He was the voice of Tom Servo in Mystery Science Theater 3000 and also one of the writers for the show. His book pretty much has to be hilarious. I can't wait to read it!
Of course I had to get the Lord of the Rings book about the making of it. They are my absolute favorite movies and I love reading about all the work and behind-the-scenes stuff that went into making such beautiful and extraordinary films. I also had to get the little travel guide about Auckland, New Zealand because I am fascinated by the country. It's at the top of the list of places I want to travel. It's so beautiful and diverse there...not to mention it's where Lord of the Rings was filmed... :) One day I will go there. Until then I'll have to live vicariously through books such as this and Google Street View.
I was very excited when I found the book about the making of Jurassic Park. I can't even tell you how many times I've watched this movie. It is another one of my favorite movies and will forever be associated with my youth. Plus, dinosaurs are just awesome and so is Steven Spielberg. He's made so many classics and they are always such fun to watch because they always involve some sort of adventure that you always dreamed of having as a kid, and even as an adult. Jurassic Park will always be dear to me. :)
Before we left, we decided to take some pictures in front of the barn.
From there, we went to the two other shops down the road. I ended up spending $25 on six books with prices ranging from $1-$9. I saved a lot of money considering one of the books I found was a hardcover edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in pristine condition. It was the only Harry Potter book I needed to complete my series! And yes, I read Harry Potter. They're such fun books! I love it when authors can create an entire fantasy world that actually seems like it could be real. There is such detail and thought put into it. The same goes for J.R.R. Tolkien with Lord of the Rings, only he was even more of a creative genius. He created his own languages for his works. Again, I digress...
The book shops were on a street by the beach that had a lot of little shops and restaurants on it. We had pizza for lunch and visited a really cute candy shop that had a lot of neat vintage signs on the walls. We passed an antique shop as we were driving towards the book shops, but when we walked back to it we realized it was closed. :(
Our disappointment didn't last long once we walked down a side street towards the beach and realized there was a park nearby. Unfortunately, we could not get to it on foot since there was a fence and we didn't know how long it would take to walk around to it so we decided to walk back to the car and drive there.The park was not just a park but also a tiny beach! It was so pretty. The sand was lighter than the sand at our local beach and the water looked clearer too.
I love shoreline towns. They are always so cute and quaint. I love being by the ocean. The salty and summery smell of the sea, being able to see the miles of water stretching towards the horizon, the awkward way that stepping around in sand makes you walk, the amazing breeze that comes and cools you when it's super hot out, and of course, the sound of the waves. It's all so calming and soothing. It makes me feel safe because it reminds me of home. It makes me think of the good and happy things. There is nothing like being one-on-one with the ocean. It really makes you think. The ocean never ceases to leave me in awe. It's so full of mystique and beauty.
There was a path that led up to a bluff and even though it was hot, I wanted to explore so we climbed up the hill to it. There was a nice view, buttercups and an even better breeze. :)
It was such a great day. I can't wait to do some more exploring! I leave you with some pictures and mini stories about my awesome book swag:
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever was one of my favorite books as a child. I have been looking for it for a while now. Every time I went to Goodwill or Savers or any thrift store, really, I'd look for it among the many children's books. I could never find it and I'd lose patience while trying to go through all the picture books. But while Meaghan and I were in the last book store, we went into the children's section and there it was, sticking out high above the rest of the books in a crate. I could not believe it. It was as if it were shouting "Here I am!" at me. It's funny because I was telling Meaghan how I had been searching for it while we were looking through the kids books at the main Barn. The cherry on top of this wonderful find: It was only $1.
I was looking for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at each book store that day too. It was another one that I have been searching thrift stores for. Every now and then I'd check eBay for it too, but the auctions always end at a higher price than I want to pay for the ones that are in good condition. I found it in the same shop that I found The Biggest Pumpkin Ever. It is in excellent condition and I was super excited. It was only $9.
A Year At The Movies was another one that just popped out of the shelf at me. I was just browsing, thinking I was all done picking out books, and then I caught sight of the title on a shelf and almost shouted in the middle of the store. I swear, if there were some sort of literary thrifting lords, they were with me that day. I've been wanting this book for a while because I love Kevin Murphy. He was the voice of Tom Servo in Mystery Science Theater 3000 and also one of the writers for the show. His book pretty much has to be hilarious. I can't wait to read it!
Of course I had to get the Lord of the Rings book about the making of it. They are my absolute favorite movies and I love reading about all the work and behind-the-scenes stuff that went into making such beautiful and extraordinary films. I also had to get the little travel guide about Auckland, New Zealand because I am fascinated by the country. It's at the top of the list of places I want to travel. It's so beautiful and diverse there...not to mention it's where Lord of the Rings was filmed... :) One day I will go there. Until then I'll have to live vicariously through books such as this and Google Street View.
I was very excited when I found the book about the making of Jurassic Park. I can't even tell you how many times I've watched this movie. It is another one of my favorite movies and will forever be associated with my youth. Plus, dinosaurs are just awesome and so is Steven Spielberg. He's made so many classics and they are always such fun to watch because they always involve some sort of adventure that you always dreamed of having as a kid, and even as an adult. Jurassic Park will always be dear to me. :)
Great post Sara!! I read Harry potter too and I LOVE it, no shame about that! jeje. I love how pretty all these pictures are! Your outfit is also adoooorable, so cute!
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This looks like such a fun day! eeep you look so cute, too! that skirt is amazing. I love jurassic park! so so good. Hope your week is amazing, sara! x
ReplyDeleteoh lovely pictures! and lovely outfit!
ReplyDeleteI love harry potter!
x
ohhh cute outfit!! love the skirt!!
ReplyDeleteso fun. i love the ct shore. sometimes people do not realize how nice of a shore line we have.
ReplyDeleteOooh, what a great day!! I love summertime adventures. They are my fave! xo
ReplyDelete