Cool Bookstores Around the World Part 2

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Bookstore Bucket List, Part 2

After my good friend in Germany sent me a Facebook video which highlighted wonderfully unique bookstores around the world, I decided to look them up share the dreamy destinations, adding other bookshops I already had on my list.  Here’s part two of my bookstore bucket list.


Word on the Water, The London Bookbarge
Photos from their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/wordonthewater/

Word on the Water is a 50-foot, 100-year-old Dutch barge packed with new and used books, a couple easy chairs, and a wood stove. Two men named Paddy Screech and Jonathan Privett opened their floating London bookstore in 2010. Until November of 2017, the barge did not have a permanent home and had to relocate every two weeks.  Now, they have been allowed to settle in a berth near Granary Square. They carry a variety of books from classics, cult, contemporary fiction, children's books, and more. At one point the barge sank, but they revived it and it is more popular than ever not just for the selection of books but also for live readings and music that take place on the barge roof.  I wonder if they sell The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, a delightful book about a traveling book barge?

Faulkner House Books, New Orleans, LA

Photos from http://faulknerhouse.net and Faulkner House Facebook page    
Faulkner House Books in the heart of New Orleans French Quarter off Jackson Square on Pirates Alley offers fine literature and rare-edition books.  The shop was opened in 1990 by attorney Joe DeSalvo and former journalist, interior designer, and marketing company owner, Rosemary James. Named in honor of William Faulkner, the Nobel Prize-winning poet and author who rented rooms in what is now the bookstore, it has been described as America’s “most charming bookstore.”

Leakey’s, Inverness, Scotland


Photos from their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LeakeysBookshop/
Right from their Facebook page: “Leakey’s Bookshop was established in 1979 and has been housed in the old Gaelic Church (1793). It is Scotland’s largest secondhand bookshop with 100,000 selected volumes. [They] have been actively buying books throughout the Highlands for well over 30 years – buying that has been immensely exciting and fruitful.  The wood burning fire that heats the shop has filled many customers with amazement and some with dread. If you come to Inverness, Leakey’s will be one of the highlights of your visit.”—Can I hear an amen?
Boekhandel Dominican, Maastricht, Netherlands

Photos from their website https://www.libris.nl/dominicanen
In Maastricht, Netherlands, you can visit another even older church-turned-bookstore.  Boekhandel Dominican is housed in a gothic monastery church built in 1294. After the “ecclesiastical function ended” in 1796, it was used as stables, bike storage, exhibition and party hall.  In 2006 it found new life as part of Selexyz and Polare book chain stores, which unfortunately went bankrupt.  Finally, in 2014 it was resurrected as the independent bookstore Boekhandel Dominican—hallelujah! This awe-inspiring bookstore sells new and used books (including English, French, Spanish, German, and Italian). It has a music section and even a coffee shop.  The Dominican, which draws about 700,000 visitors a year, also hold special events such as readings, workshops, musical entertainment, etc.

Livraria Lello, Porto, Portugal

Photos from their website https://www.livrarialello.pt/en/a-livraria-lello/
Although this majestic bookstore looks like it might have been a church at one time, it was actually built with the intention of selling books right from the beginning.  Brothers José and Anthony Lello commissioned construction of the neo-gothic and Art Nouveau building which opened in 1906 in Porto, Portugal, a city known for its port wine.  The famous grand staircase and spectacular 26 x 11-foot stained glass ceiling exude pure elegance. It is such a large attraction that you must purchase an entrance ticket around the corner for a nominal 4€ fee which can be applied as a discount towards a book purchase. Sometimes there are lines waiting to get inside and it is often packed with people once you enter, but according to most of the comments on TripAdvisor, it’s worth the wait and crowds. 

Happy Reading, Happy Travels,
Annette



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