Book Haul – Troutmark treasures and galactic goodbyes

I had a jaunt over the bridge to Cardiff today for meetings, so made time to pop into one of my favourite bookshops – Troutmark Books in Castle Arcade.

Row after row after row of second-hand gems across three floors (with a healthy supply of comics and old copies of Doctor Who Magazine up top!)

But what did I pick up?

Well, first I went for nostalgia.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love old British comics, including the Beano and Dandy, both of which I read avidly as a kid and later wrote for. And my favourite issues were always the Christmas numbers with snow on the logo and plenty of festive frolics inside.

It's little wonder that this jumped out at me...

I'm saving that for December!

Next came something I didn't even know existed...

A Junji Ito adaptation of one of my all-time favourite novels?

GET ON MY BOOKSHELF NOW!

And my last treat I absolutely bought because of the cover:

I mean, it sounds absolutely my kind of thing...

I know very little about Andre Norton so I'm excited to dive in. Apparently this is the sixth book in a seven-book sequence, but I'm not going to let that stop me – especially as they seem to be standalone.

Have any of you read them?

A good haul which made braving the weather worthwhile.

Oh, and if you're wondering where I took those photos, it's another of my faves – Barker's Tea House which has the best Welsh cakes. Perfect for editing a comic on the fly between meetings!

Talking of meetings, when my business in Cardiff was done, I hotfooted back home for the very last Star Wars: The High Republic writers' zoom. We had the full contingent except for Zoraida who unfortunately couldn't make the call and was missed.

It was a warm and distinctly bittersweet moment where we said goodbye to working together. To say it's been quite a journey is an understatement and, as I said yesterday, the milestones keep on coming.

By complete coincidence, the meeting was also marked by my copy of Charles' Trials of the Jedi arriving from across the Atlantic!

Talk about perfect timing!