Hay Festival 2012

I've just got back from my first trip to Hay Fest, and it was fantastic. Everything about it was perfect - apart from the rain of course! The town is beautiful and so green, with a ridiculous number of bookshops. Really nice indy bookshops as well, with great finds to be discovered. There was a shop that only sold penguins: I'm not sure I've ever seen a more beautiful sight. I didn't have tickets for any authors events, but of course the people I did see had written multiple great books.

Books I did buy (I hadn't gone intending to buy books, but how could I resist?) were the Arabian Nights (see Recommended) and The Day of the Triffids, one of the last few Wyndham books I haven't read. I really enjoy his writing and of course the theme of worlds ending is right up my street, especially the way the books follow normal people in such extraordinary circumstances and looking at the human aspect such catastrophes would trigger.

Other non-literary purchases included a basket to keep my wool together in, and this travel purse;

I have to admit I've never read it, or even know what its about, it just looks so pretty, and since I'm going away tomorrow, seemed apt.