Book shops

[Rosie]

Off the back of Rachy's Library Love post, where are your favourite places to buy/browse books?

(links provided solely for interest!)

- Foyles - my father used to bring me to their flagship store in Charing Cross Road when we'd come up to London, and it's a beautiful big space (/was - they moved a few doors down a couple of years ago, and it's not quite so eclectic as it once was, but it's still a lovely place to get lost. I meet up sometimes with friends here, and it always feels so friendly).

- Shakespeare and Company - you've probably at least heard of this one, but if you're in Paris, I really recommend dropping by. If you don't already know the history, there's a synopsis available on the site

I'm also a sucker for Waterstones even though they're a chain-run franchise, because they're always so well-laid out, the staff are always really friendly, and I appear to have two reward points cards on the go.

Also, one place I've only visited once which I can never get out of my head is a small independent shop in Oia, on the island of Santorini in Greece. We were told it was being forced to close because of lease problems, but I just checked the website (Atlantis Books) and it seems to be fine? Most of the shops are built into the rock, and it's such a delightful little place. Genuinely made the trip to Santorini entirely worth it.

[devilinthedetails]

I admit that I probably buy too many books on Amazon, but I do love small book shops. When I was in undergrad, the tiny college town had two small book stores, one of which had the owner's cat running around underfoot, but they were really adorable and friendly cats so that's a fond memory for me. The last book shop I've been in was one of my sister's favorites in Boston. It sold new and used books (the store would buy used books from customers for cash or store credit), and it also sold neat souvenirs of the Boston area. A pleasant book shop can add a lot of local flavor to a town or a city and can be a quiet, comforting refuge.

[Rachy]

I miss Borders We had a large two story one in town, but it closed in my first couple of years of uni and I was so sad because it was only a couple of streets away.

Book store wise now, we don’t have as many as we would have had ~15 years ago, there are more discounted type ones than traditional bookstores. I think that’s part of why it’s made libraries easier to love for me? I have two vouchers at the moment and I’m struggling to spend them, it’s making me feel sad whenever I walk out empty handed. I think I also am more aware now that I don’t want to spend money on books that I don’t know that I’ll love to pieces/enjoy?

I do still love the smell of bookstores though!

[Rosie]

I also struggle with these issues - buying books on Amazon, and the fear of buying books that I'm worried I won't enjoy.

I'm in a book group, though, and my friend who started it is pretty fierce on buying books from independent shops, which forces me to seek them out. If I don't feel the book has any reread value for me, I donate it to the charity shop down my road (sorry for posting through your letterbox, guys). I also use the Kindle app on my phone, but I'm much more likely to read a physical copy at the moment. I have a lot of ebooks gathering virtual dust...

[mageprincess]

I miss Borders too Rachy! they had such an amazing range of stuff, I remember buying my hardcover copy of Lady Knight there back in the day - Now all we have is Dymocks. Their staff are usually pretty good but sometimes their stock is lacking.

There are some really nice second hand shops around if you know where to look, but they are sometimes a bit hit and miss.