A fairly typical Oxfam bookshop, with a medium-sized stock of reasonable quality.
Very good quality books but the prices appear totally unrealistic. Quite a difference compared with a similar shop in nearby Henley, wont be going back. JF Bacon 18.07.12
Not at all a bad Oxfam. Plenty of fiction and autobiographies by people whose names meant nothing to me. However, tucked away in the Arts section was a recently released book with a £60 price tag. I paid £2.99 and the lady on the till thought it was too expensive at that price! Look in if passing. Chris 12.03.24
The stock here is by no means bad, with a decent choice of fiction, although not so good as to merit a special trip. Fourteen shelves of general fiction in paperback: plenty of romances and mostly rather lowbrow. But the six shelves next to these are filled with "modern literature" of largely good quality. Also three shelves of Penguin classics and four of other "classic literature", as well as one shelf of short stories in paperback. Three shelves of historical fiction. Twenty shelves of paperback thrillers/crime fiction. "We get waaaay too much of that," observed a volunteer, wearily. Ten shelves of sci-fi/fantasy/ horror: mainly modern, but also some nice older titles. Paperbacks £2.99 across all genres, although £1.99 for some older sci-fi and Penguins. Each category has a small selection of hardbacks: £2.99-£4.99. A few graphic novels (£9.99) and 200 vintage comics ('2000 AD', 'Shazam!' etc: £1.99). One shelf of drama, two of poetry, both quite good.
The children's section includes a couple of dozen shelves of paperback fiction (£1.99), with some older titles. Plenty for younger readers. Some high-quality children's non-fiction. About 80 annuals - 'The Beano', 'The Dandy', 'Maverick', 'All Stars', 'Sixer' etc - 1960s onwards: £1.99.
For non-fiction, history (nine shelves) contains little of any real note, but many of the books are just £2.99, although prices for some of the newer ones are steep. The military stock (three shelves) is better, with some unusual titles, likewise rather pricey. Nine shelves of art books include plenty of mundane stuff, but also some very good-quality volumes; here also, the best stock is expensive. Some good books on music, notably jazz, competitively priced. Cookery, health, gardening and crafts are quite good, although the latter two take up only a shelf each. Some nice transport books, decent literary biographies and a few good titles in politics. But sport, natural history, local interest and travel are all bland. About 80 OS maps: 50p. A glass cabinet contains a few interesting older history/military titles and signed modern novels, all overpriced.
On the opposite side of the precinct are three charity shops. Sue Ryder and Helen & Douglas House are not worth bothering with. Thames Hospice has more books than the two of those combined, but still only about 850, typical charity-shop stock: paperbacks two for £1, most hardbacks £1 each.
Woodley is a 30-minute walk from the nearest train station, Earley, on the Waterloo-Reading line. Several bus services from Reading (13, 14, 19a, 19c, 127, 128) stop at The Chequers/Woodley Piazza, very close to the shop; the 127 also serves Maidenhead and the 128 Twyford and Wokingham. Booker T 03.05.26
Open at advertised times
Phone before travelling
Appointment necessary
Status unknown, update requested
