I think Louise was afraid that local buses were beyond my skill, so for Wales, she had pre-booked taxis to pick me up at regular intervalls for the next bookshop. So in due time I was collected by Abbey taxi to take me to The Corn Exchange, 7 The High Street, Ross-on-Why, Herefordshire.

The taxi driver very kindly pointed out places of local history, all the best fishing spots, and every snowdrop we passed, until we reached Rossiter Books in Ross-on-Wye.

“Hello, my name is Katarina Bivald”, I said, and then I got to vary my prepared speech by saying: “I have a delivery for you.”
“Brilliant. You’ve made a customer very happy.”
Always happy to help a fellow desperate booknerd.

As always, I told him about my trip and my one-book-rule, and asked him to recommend anyting he himself had loved. “I get to choose?” he said.
“Anything at all”, I said.
“Well, that’s easy. Anything by Neil Gaiman.” He took me to the fiction shelves and pointed to the three paperback novels of Gaiman they had in store.
“I’ve read American Gods”, I said (brilliant book).
“Hm. If you’ve read his adult fiction, maybe one of his illustrated book? Perhaps this one, with illustrations by Chris Riddell.”

Excellent choice, I think.