Top 10 Tuesday: Bookstores I'd Like to Visit
Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl is hosting another week of Top Ten Tuesday. I enjoy participating each week for a couple reasons. I'm a compulsive list maker and love a good list. And, I love a connection with other readers as I wander their book blogs. This week's prompt is to share bookstores I'd like to visit. There are so many beautiful, dramatic, inviting bookstores - here are a few. Here goes.
BOOKSTORES I'D LIKE TO VISIT
In my hometown, Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA - always a winner!
In thinking about a cool bookstore to visit, I started by looking up the world's largest. It's a Barnes & Noble in NYC. Decided nope, that's not what I'd want to see or shop - it would be overwhelming. I want.......personality in a bookstore. Like one of these:
Word on the Water, London
it's a bookstore on a barge! With books stacked to the ceiling. That's what I'm talking about!
Oudemanshuispoort Used Book Market, Amsterdam
I wish I'd known about this place when we were in Amsterdam a couple years ago!
Tra Le Righe, Rome
A cozy bookstore with a charming cafe inside just beckoning you to sit and enjoy a book!
Tropismes, Brussels, Belgium
The opposite of small and cozy, but holy moly, look at the beautiful architecture! The 1847 building once housed a jazz club - now it's a stunning bookstore!
And, the ultimate bookstore experience (I wonder how many of you will include this one).
The Open Book, Wigtown, Scotland, UK
Located in Scotland's 'book town', this delightful bookstore has an apartment upstairs for rent and guests then run the bookstore during their stay. I've heard the experience talked about on podcasts, and it sounds like SO much fun!
BOOKSTORES I'VE VISITED AND WANT TO RETURN TO:
Returning to thinking b-i-g now, another semi-local amazing bookstore is:
Powell's Books, Portland, OR
I've shopped here a couple times and it's easy to get lost in the warren of rooms, but it has so much charm - the creaky wood floors, low ceilings giving way to tall ceilings in the adjoining room. And both new and used books. Delightful.
La Libreria, Madrid, Spain
Cute little hole-in-the-wall bookstore that had no English language books, but was charming none-the-less.
Librairie de L'escalier, Paris
I'm disappointed I didn't make it to Shakespeare & Co. but I did slip inside this little corner bookstore and wander a bit.
Amsterdam bookstore
See all the bikes? That's how you know where this one is. It was a couple stories tall with cool displays and a little cafe upstairs. Didn't buy anything, but it was fun to browse and see the European covers for books I knew by a different cover.
I'm so interested to see other blogger's wish lists of cool bookstores to visit. I wish I'd visited more libraries and bookstores during our travels, but somehow there just wasn't time. I think I'd make it more of a priority now.
(thankfully, my TBR will get a rest this week since there are no book lists to distract me!)
