"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Monday, July 20, 2020

TTT: Bookstores I want to visit and-or you should visit

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookstores I want to visit and/or you should visit (I've already been)

I am twisting today's topic---Book events I want to attend---to focus exclusively on bookstores.

Bookstores I want to visit sometime in my life:

1. Selexyz Dominicanen, Maastricht, The Netherlands
This big, beautiful church is being repurposed as a bookstore. It looks amazing. I want to see it.

 
 2. Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice
On a related note, I read a news report that Venice is losing its fight against climate change and raising sea levels. I must visit this book shop before it is completely under water. In the meantime the owner stores books in bathtubs and old gondolas.

3. City Lights Books, San Francisco
My daughter lives in San Francisco and I've visited lots of bookstores in the city but I don't think I've been to its most famous store. Next time!

4. Shakespeare and Company, Paris
Probably the most famous bookstore in the world. It factors greatly into the affairs of many writers in the 1920s in Paris like Faulkner, Hemingway, Joyce, Stein. I not only want to visit the store, I also want to visit Paris.

5. Atlantis Books, Oía, Santorini, Greece
Maybe the bookstore with the best view. Founded by two Americans who wanted to copy Shakespeare and Co. in Greece.

6. Parnassus Books, Nashville, Tennessee
Favorite author, Ann Patchett owns this store and may actually be hanging around during the day. Plus I love visiting Nashville.

 
7. Livraria Lello Porto, Porto, Portugal
This bookstore is over 100 years old and has a stairway to heaven staircase.

 
8. Bart's Books, Ojai, California 
The world's largest outdoor bookstore. Sounds so unique.
 
9. The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles, California
A relative newcomer but this one sounds like it has some really cool bookish decorations.

10. Grolier Book Shop, Cambridge, Massachusetts
The oldest continually run book shop in the country. It has an extensive poetry collection.

Bookstores You Should Visit:

1. Boulder Books, Boulder, Colorado
My husband was at a conference. I had to day to myself. I ended up sitting in this wonderful bookstoe for hours consuming the atmosphere and reading a whole book from start to finish.

2. Powells Books, Portland, Oregon
The place used to be a car dealership. The bookstore is huge and a complete maze. One needs a map to find your way around. That is half the fun.

3.  The Strand Bookstore, Manhattan, New York
We visited this bookstore the day after it had an explosion in its basement, so I don't think we got a real feel for  its charms. But I was there!

4. Any Independent Bookstore in whatever town or city you are visiting. These towns have really good ones---Seattle, Washington; Bellingham, Washington; Cannon Beach, Oregon; Lincoln City, Oregon; Ashland, Oregon; San Francisco, California; Vancouver, B.C. , Victoria, B.C.

Do you have any more suggestions of bookstores everyone should visit?
 
-Anne

24 comments:

  1. I've only visited Shakespeare and Company and The Strand from your list - I'd highly recommend Shakespeare and Company. Also, if you go to Paris, check out the book vendors along the Seine - it's a tradition that has been around for a few hundred years

    My TTT

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  2. Love your twist on this week's topic! Can I join when you visit all these bookshops, please?

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  3. That ceiling in the Livraria Lello Porto and the Selexyz Dominicanen!! Oh my - amazing!! :D

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  4. Oh those bookshops - so wonderful and beautiful. I bet they smell lovely! I might squirrel this away for a freebie TTT at some point to.
    My TTT

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  5. Is there anything nicer than pictures of beautiful bookstores. We went to The Strand a few years ago, and you have just reminded me that I neglected to go to Parnassus when we were in Nashville last year. Another reason to go back and visit again, when it is time to do so.

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  6. I always choose places to visit that have wonderful bookstores. City Lights in San Francisco. Kings English Bookshop in Salt Lake City. Marfa Book Company in far west Texas. Loved Powells and Strand and Shakespeare and Company.

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  7. These book stores look fantastic! Yeah, I'd definitely want to go :)

    Here's my Top Ten Tuesday post.

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  8. I haven’t visited any of these but I’d love to visit the Last Bookstore, the pictures I have seen of it are amazing.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  9. The Porteguese book shop is one I really want to visit to! The Venetian one looks amazing. I wish I'd known about the Greek one before I went to Santorini, I would have visited :)
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2020/07/21/top-ten-tuesday-273/

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  10. I've been to the Strand and Shakepeare and Company. Although it's not gorgeous, I enjoyed visiting The Book Loft in Columbus, Ohio. It's quite well-known in that corner of the world.

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  11. Wow, Livraria Lello Porto looks amazing!

    My TTT .

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  12. I love this idea! Great post! I could spend ALL DAY in these beautiful bookstores. :)
    Here's my TTT list this week.

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  13. What a great list! I want to see all of these places.

    Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.

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  14. The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles, California looks like a good place to go to. Here is my TTT.
    https://dmhoisington.wordpress.com/2020/07/21/top-ten-tuesday-7/

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  15. Oh all of these look so good! I've been to the one in Maastricht and it is gorgeous! Plus it has a little café where you can drink something and it's so tempting to just spend the day there haha :) I'd love to visit Bart's Books, Atlantis Books and of course Shakespeare and Company the most!

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  16. These all look amazing! I've been to Powell's and The Strand. The latter actually made me a little claustrophobic since the aisles are so tight and there were tons of people there. It was fun, though.

    Happy TTT!

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  17. These look amazing, and I would love to visit any one of them!

    I would recommend Weller's in Salt Lake City. And for smaller indie bookshops, The King's English in Salt Lake City; Snowbound Books in Marquette, Michigan; The Falling Rock Cafe (and bookstore) in Munising, Michigan; Riverby Books (used bookstore) in Fredericksburg, Virginia; and One More Page in Arlington, Virginia.

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  18. Atlantis Books for sure because Santorini. Plus it looks amazing. Shakespeare and Company as well.

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  19. One of my friend's has been to Powells bookstore. It sounded so impressive. One of the most impressive independent bookstores in central Ohio that I've ever been to is The Bookloft in German Village in Columbus. If you're ever in the area it's definitely a place to visit. :)

    Lauren @ Always Me

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  20. While you're visiting Bart's Books in Ojai, stop by Chaucer's Books in Santa Barbara. Not much to look at, but it's an incredible bookstore. I loved visiting Powell's in Portland!

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  21. These all look like amazing bookstores! I've been to Shakespeare & Company in Paris, but that's the only one. I REALLY want to visit Powells in Oregon. And I also want to go to that town in Wales, Hay-on-Wye, that's known for its used bookstores. Awesome post!

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  22. Hmm. Great list. I've been to Powell's & the Strand ... also been to Bart's in Ojai, which is indeed unique! Some books are just rained on! I also like the Tattered Cover in Denver and Politics & Prose in Washington DC. If you're ever in Aspen, Colorado: Explore Booksellers is cool. Enjoy.

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  23. All of these sound so wonderful. I love a good bookstore. (Duh, who doesn't?!) Great picks! And I love your spin on this weeks topic!

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