By Liz, enjoying a rare 74-degree weather day in October in New England
I took a little trip last month and it became largely a literary expedition. I visited five of the best bookstores in London and took home a new book from each of them (yes, to add to my already ridiculous TBR pile). My goal was to get something a little different (so basically not heading straight for the mystery section) and I succeeded!
Here are the stores:
And here’s the stash I had to figure out how to get home:
And a coffee, of course!
We wrapped up the day with an Agatha Christie play – Mousetrap. So good, you guys! The whole trip was amazing. Now I want to do a bookstore tour in every European city 🙂
What’s your favorite bookstore? Let me know in the comments!
The Wickeds 
Such a fun trip! I haven’t been to London in over twenty years. Must fix that.
My bookstore vote goes for Jabberwocky, of course, in Newburyport, MA. Wonderful people, great selection. They kept going all through the pandemic, even delivering my online-ordered books to my door during lockdown, and they’re back to hosting in-person events, including my launch party tomorrow night! You are all invited.
LikeLike
Jabberwocky is great!
LikeLike
Great tour recap!
I’m not sure that I have a favorite bookstore. Due to the fact that any independent stores are far enough away from me that I don’t go to them all that often. The closest store to me is the new Barnes & Noble they opened in my town.
But I do love when I go to Titcomb’s Bookshop in East Sandwich, MA for author events though.
LikeLike
Oh, never been there! I’ll have to check it out!
LikeLike
Oh, that looks heavenly to me! A bookstore extravaganza! We don’t have any little cozy bookstores near me, closest one is Barnes & Noble.
LikeLike
Unfortunately, we have no book stores in my small town. That means that whenever we travel, finding them is tops on my list. Since in our travels, we try not to go to the same place twice, I can’t really say I have a favorite one. I just love them all!
2clowns at arkansas dot net
LikeLike
What a fun trip, Liz! I want to do that! We have a plethora of wonderful bookstores in the DC area. I love One More Page, Scrawl Books, Fountain Books (in Richmond), East City Books, Mahogany Books, and Loyalty Bookstore.
LikeLike
What a great idea to do a tour of bookshops in a city! Thanks for posting these photos, so us readers can get a taste of the stores. Daunt Books has beautiful skylights, and I enjoyed the sign “Please Your Mind” at Word on the Water.
My favorite bookstore has to be the one that my grandparents owned, and I worked there for many summers. It was called Gingerbread Square Books, and it was at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Sadly, it’s no longer around.
The most fun bookstore I’ve visited is the Book Barn in Connecticut. And I just posted about it yesterday! Here’s the link: https://davewilliamswriter.wordpress.com/2023/10/25/book-barn/
LikeLike
Omg, Dave, the Book Barn is amazing!! Used to go all the time when I lived there. And the cats were the icing on the cake 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post!
LikeLike
Looks like a fun trip. I’m partial to the indie right here in Oakmont, PA – Mystery Lovers Bookshop (which does carry more than mystery).
LikeLike
Fun! I would love to check it out.
LikeLike
This is an easy one. Aaron’s Bookstore in Lititz, PA. Cozy, intimate with an amazing selection of books for its size. They will track down anything they don’t have. So friendly and the home of several book clubs. Just a joy to visit.
LikeLike
Those are definitely the best kind!
LikeLike
Wonderful travelogue, Cate❣️my favorite bookstore is Livraria Lello
In Lisbon – The Most Beautiful Bookstore in the World. Luis at ole dot travel
LikeLike
Sounds like my kind of trip. (Although I didn’t go to any bookstores when I was in NYC this summer.) Glad you had fun.
LikeLike
The Dusty Bookshelf in Manhattan, Kansas is a quite a place. They survived a fire a few years ago, but are back up and running with new and old books quirky clever gifts. But when it comes to multiple bookshops, it’s definitely Hay-on-Wye!
LikeLike
Jealous! I’ve spent a lot of time in London but not for 48 years – too long. Thanks for the tour.
LikeLike
What a fun trip!!
LikeLike
There are a couple of small independent bookstores I love – Old Town Books in Alexandria VA and Four Seasons Books in Shepherdstown WV. Also a bookstore with a big used book section in las Cruces NM – COAS Books.
LikeLike
It used to be Humpus Bumpus Bookstore in Cumming, Georgia but it is long gone. The Tattered Cover in Denver is also great as well as Powell’s Bookstore in Portland, Oregon.
LikeLike