I ended up wandering into Waterstones on my way back, and after ten minutes found myself holding an armful of books with no memory of having picked them up. Nevertheless I cashed in my hard earned loyalty points and blew them all on five books that I saw no real theme in - until I sat down and really looked at them all.
They were all very distinct books intended for the same purpose; to provoke me into thinking, and mostly about thnking of writing.
Politics and the English Language - George Orwell
This is only a pamphlet, less than thirty pages long, but it's a witty discourse on the nature of language and how it can be folded, shaped, broken, and remade into exactly what we need it to be. I'm only a couple of pages in and it's fairly hard going, but I think the payoff will be invaluable.
Essays in Love - Alain de Botton
There were several of his books available, but I chose this one because I often see de Botton pop up on my Twitter feed, and the most recent quote from him I read was about love. A quick bit of Googling has also revealed that this is, in fact, his first book, which generated a film and, indeed, most of his fame.
Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell
One of my favourite books, a book that thrills me, and a book I already own - but I don't own this version. The cover has been cleverly designed to look censored, thick black lines block the title out. Yet when you tilt it just the right way in the lighr, the words reveal themselves. I'll probably have to give my other copy away to feel less guilty, but I just couldn't resist...
The Fault In Our Stars - John Green
I've no idea what this book is about, and picked it up because I needed a book to complete the 'half price' offer. It's a book that has been recommended to me by so many people, including the woman who served me in Waterstones, and I follow John Green's Tumblr blog avidly, despite having never read his books, because he seems to make a lot of sense. I know quite a few passages of his books by heart (though I couldn't tell you what book they were from) simply through constant exposure to them on the internet - so it's probably about time I actually read something of his.
Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman
Another 'half price' offer book, that tickled both my psychological and creative sides. Other than that, I couldn't tell you what it's about beyond the title.
On the bus ride home, I felt more content than I have in a long while, and it was punctuated with an event that brought my literary-loving day to a funny (if slightly smug) close. A woman in the seat in front of me started complaining loudly about 'teenagers' and 'their music' - admittedly there was a boy further back on the bus, obnoxiously blasting his music like he expected Skrillex to be perfectly sited to octogenarian tastes. Rather than rebuke him, she kept turning and giving me sharp looks, until finally she turned fully and told me to be respectful and turn my childish music down.
I removed my headphones and calmly informed her that, if my music was really that loud, she would know I was listening to an audiobook.
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