He went to the bookshelf and the bookshelf was bare (by the time he had finished buying all the books on it)

Before I take you through the picture below, do please keep answering the Agatha Christie questions from yesterday - I believe in you guys, I think we can get James loads of answers for his thesis!  Spread the word...

I went to London on Thursday, to hear the Persephone lecture and meet up with some online friends (all of which was wonderful) - whilst there, I managed to get a book or two... and I thought you might like to know what has entered my teetering towers of books!  It does include three gift books (my meet-up does a Secret Santa, as well as bringing lots of swaps) so they're on the pile for Reading Presently next year.

Mariana by Monica Dickens
I found two of those fancy Persephone new editions in a secondhand bookshop - so they came home with me!  I do have both in the original editions, but... these are so pretty.

Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks
This only came out a few weeks ago, I think - I spotted it in The Times review pages last week, and was thinking about buying a copy, and then I found it in Oxfam.  Win!

The Crafty Art of Playmaking by Alan Ayckbourn
Don't worry, I have no intention of writing a play (except for my contribution to the Chiselborough Christmas Cracker) but my fascination with all things theatre could meet new levels here.

At The Pines by Mollie Panter-Downes
I don't know anything about this, but I wasn't about to leave a Mollie Panter-Downes behind, was I?

Adele and Co. by Dornford Yates
This was my gift in the Secret Santa - I've been meaning to try Dornford Yates for ages, since I know a few fans of his, and now I have the chance in this lovely edition.

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey
And another one!  Very excited about the film of this coming out next year - incidentally, check out Lisa's wonderful interview with the scriptwriter.

Money for Nothing by P.G. Wodehouse
In the swap pile at our meet-up - always happy to add more Wodehouse to my shelves, especially when it's a lovely old edition like this.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
More from the swap pile - my book group is reading this next year, so it was great to nab a copy gratis.

Darkness and Day by Ivy Compton-Burnett
Very pleased to pick up a tricky-to-find ICB novel in the lovely Slightly Foxed bookshop.

The Man Who Tasted Shapes by Richard E. Cytowic
Anne Fadiman says that everyone has a shelf of books which don't quite match the rest of their taste - mine has popular psychology and neurology.  I don't understand everything I'm reading, but I find it fascinating.  As the title suggests, this is about synesthesia.

Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter
More Carter, please - and I love this fun cover.

Right, that's my haul!  Probably bought a few more than I ought to have done, so I think there's going to be a self-imposed ban for the rest of 2012...