Category: Sidney

I don’t know if it’s the name of the shop, but after I spent time in this true antiquarian bookshop in Sidney BC, I had the sensation I was in a used bookshop in the 1980s.  Perhaps this was because the first thing I chanced on was a collection of novels by Anthony Burgess.  I also quickly came across books that fall into the category Books I Should Have Read in University but Didn’t.  They also have antique maps, engravings, antique postcards, and more. For me, this kind of bookstore transcends time in more ways than one. When I stepped […]

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Travelling during a pandemic is tough, so when you have a good surprise, it’s wonderful. We were in Sidney, BC between Christmas and New Year’s when a new COVID-19 variant was wreaking havoc Canada-wide. We had done what we could to limit contacts (obviously without full cancellation of the trip). To make things better, a bitter cold snap with snowfall had occurred. The onsite restaurant at our hotel was under renovation. Beckoning across the snowy street was a sign with “all day breakfast” and I was in. It was also close. The restaurant has classic diner décor, but with the […]

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Sidney BC is the last outpost of civilization before getting on the ferry to Vancouver where we all know there is too much Lululemon and not enough serious British-ness. The proof of this is The Haunted Bookshop at 9808 Third Street in Sidney. My wife wanted to visit the shop because it’s the only place where she could find Noddy books by Enid Blyton. I have a policy that I can’t go into bookstores because I have a pile of unread tomes beside the bed which are gathering dust. However in this case it was either that or stay in […]

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