bookstores – The Bookish Libra

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is Bookstores/Libraries I’ve Always Wanted to Visit. I could only think of one library, the New York Public Library, so I decided to go with bookstores. I’ve pretty much never met a bookstore that I didn’t want to wander through, but the bookshops below are what I would call my Bookstore Bucket List. I’d really love to visit all of these some day.

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10 Bookstores I’ve Always Wanted to Visit

1. SHAKESPEARE AND COMPANY, PARIS

Isn’t this the cutest shop? I really blew this one too because I was in Paris

just a couple of years ago and forgot all about this gem. Oh well, it’s an excuse to go back some day, right?

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2. THE STRAND, NEW YORK CITY

I actually have visited The Strand before but it was a rushed shopping excursion, so I’d love to go back.

Why? 18 MILES OF BOOKS! Oh and lots of fabulous author events.

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3. THE LAST BOOKSTORE, LOS ANGELES

Another fail on my part because I’ve been to L.A. twice and didn’t know this bookstore existed until after my trips.

They sell new and used books and they also sell vinyl records. And how amazing is that book arch?!

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4. POLITICS AND PROSE, WASHINGTON D.C.

This one is actually pretty doable since I live in Virginia, but what appeals to me about this bookstore is that it has a great mix of literary and political events. Alan Greenspan, for example, is speaking there on October 16th and Tahereh Mafi has an event there the next evening. Plus, you just never know who you might run into while you’re browsing. You might turn the corner one day and find one of the Obamas shopping for a new read.

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5. LIBRERIA ACQUA ALTA – VENICE

So much failing on my part because, again, I have traveled to Venice, Italy but because we were only there for a day, bookstore visiting was just not in the cards. If I ever make it back to this incredible city, I will make time to visit this shop. The store’s name means “Book Store of High Water” and, accordingly, they store many of their books in bathtubs, boats, and other waterproof basins.

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6. LIVRARIA LELLO E IRMAO, PORTUGAL

How beautiful is that? This is a bookstore where I could actually see myself wandering around

and gawking at the beautiful building rather than browsing the book offerings.

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7. BART’S BOOKS, OJAI, CALIFORNIA

I don’t even know exactly where in California this bookstore is, but it advertises itself as the largest outdoor bookstore in the world.

The idea of an outdoor bookstore intrigues me so I’d definitely be interested in visiting if my California travels happened to take me anywhere near it.

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