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Browse: The World in Bookshops | Henry Hitchings
35 posts | 9 read | 1 reading | 63 to read
A celebration of the greatest kind of shop in the world, by an award-winning cast of writers including Ali Smith, Andrey Kurkov, Elif Shafak and Daniel Kehlmann A cabinet of curiosities, a time machine, a treasure trove - we love bookshops because they possess a unique kind of magic. In Browse Henry Hitchings asks fifteen writers from around the world to consider the bookshops that have shaped them; each conjures a specific time and place. Ali Smith chronicles the secrets and personal stories hidden within the pages of secondhand books; Alaa Al Aswany tells of the Cairo bookshop where revolutionaries gathered during the 2011 uprisings; Elif Shafak evokes the bookstores of Istanbul, their chaos and diversity, their aromas of tobacco and coffee. Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor recalls the quandary of choosing just one book at a favourite childhood store in Nairobi, while Iain Sinclair shares his grief on witnessing a beloved old haunt close down. Others explore bookshops they have stumbled upon, adored and become addicted to, from Delhi to Bogota_. These inquisitive, enchanting pieces are a collective celebration of bookshops - for anyone who has ever fallen under their spell. Henry Hitchings is an award- winning writer, reviewer and critic. He has written for the Guardian, TLS, Financial Times and Wall Street Journal, and is currently the Evening Standard's theatre critic. He is the author of several acclaimed books on language, literature and culture, including Dr Johnson's Dictionary and The Language Wars. In 2008, his book The Secret Life of Words won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the Somerset Maugham Award, and in 2009 he was shortlisted for the title of Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year.
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AnneCecilie
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Pickpick

A book where a select number of authors write about browsing their favorite bookstores and what they have meant to them.

On occasion, they will also write about things that I‘ve never thought about. Like after the fall of Soviet, the bookstores in Ukraine suddenly had a lot of Soviet literature that no one wanted anymore forcing them to close. And the importance of bookstores during the Arab Spring/ The Egypt Revolution in 2011.

AnneCecilie 1st book finished for #JoyousJanuary. This was one of my current reads @Andrew65 (edited) 1y
squirrelbrain Sounds fascinating! 1y
Andrew65 Well done. An excellent start 👏👏👏 1y
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StaceyKondla
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 228 #bookstoread #tbrpile #bookstagram

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Soubhiville
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It‘s a great day for #bookmail! Thank you @Hooked_on_books , I‘ll start this once I get through Ten Years in the Tub. This feels like a good follow up. I did read the intro right away 😊.

I absolutely love the bookmark! It‘s so cool that you used one of my favorite books and a piece of my art that is based on it. Coolest gift I‘ve gotten in some time. Thank you!

LeahBergen What a wonderfully personalized bookmark! 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 💗💗💗 4y
squirrelbrain What lovely gifts! ❤️ 4y
Hooked_on_books You‘re so welcome! I was so jazzed to find that Etsy shop. It‘s like a Litten‘s dream! I‘m glad you like it. 🤗 4y
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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

This book of essays from authors about bookstores important to them is a warm hug for bibliophiles. I thought it might be bittersweet given our current moment, but it was simply delightful. My favorite was from Saša Stanišić, with books as drugs, readers as users and booksellers as dealers. Spot on.

Megabooks Definitely stacking! 4y
Soubhiville Your model looks amazing! 4y
AnneCecilie I love your decoration beside the book. Simply gorgeous. Guess I‘ll be moving this book up on my tbr 4y
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Emily92Bibliophile Did you make the model??! 4y
SamanthaMarie I would love information on your model too 😍 4y
Hooked_on_books @Soubhiville Thanks! I‘m so happy with how it turned out. ☺️ 4y
Hooked_on_books @Emily92Bibliophile @SamanthaMarie Yes, I made it! I made another model before it and enjoyed the process and results so much that I hunted around for other model kits. I don‘t love amazon, but that‘s the only place I could find the kits. I won‘t lie, there‘s a bit of swearing involved in places, but overall it‘s really satisfying! 4y
SamanthaMarie Thank you so much for sharing!!! I am going to do some looking. It is soooo cool! 4y
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smilingshelves
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Pickpick

I thoroughly enjoyed this essay collection of authors around the world writing about bookstores they have loved. This was my March book in my #page1books subscription box, and it was a spot-on choice. Leitner and I by Sasa Stanisic was my favorite essay. He wrote tongue-in-cheek as if books were drugs and bookstore owners were the dealers. I laughed out loud several times. This is a great book about books, especially for armchair travelers.

BucklingBookshelves I must admit, I‘m so curious about the vintage books I spy in the background! I‘ve only just recently started down the vintage rabbit hole—but I‘m definitely enjoying it 📚📚📚 4y
smilingshelves @BucklingBookshelves A few of those books I inherited from my grandma when she passed away. But most of them I've picked up at used bookstores over the years. Even if it takes me forever to get around to reading them, I still like looking at them. 😀 4y
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smilingshelves
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I love this quote. What an image!

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Jen2
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Pickpick

Books about books and bookshops are the best!!! Found this at a great indie bookshop in St. Louis, Subterranean Books.

vivastory I love Subterranean Books! 5y
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Gnoe

True for me! :D

"No one knows how a vocation manifests itself, or what paths destiny uses to appear to its victims,"

~ Juan Gabriel Vásquez (p69)

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Gnoe
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Yay! Another #deweysreadathon today! Are you participating?
These are my current books that I'll be definitely reading. Learning more about donkeys... in French so slow going. Inspiration for journalling and essays about bookstores by different authors (like Ali Smith). I only need to choose a novel or mystery for a change of palate! Will post a pic of the options.
#24hourreadathon2018 #24hourreadathon @DeweysReadathon

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Nute
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Any book about bookstores, about opening up a bookstore, about hanging out in bookstores, about finding love in bookstores, about books sold in book stores...any book with the word bookstore or any related bookish-word in the title, any book about the books that other readers are reading...well, you get the picture...simply put, I‘m here for that book!

Leftcoastzen I agree!😀👍 6y
StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego I really love the colours in this photo. 💛⚪🖤◼ 6y
BookishTrish Lovely photo 6y
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Ashley85 Haha love this 6y
SW-T How cool! 6y
Nute @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego Me too! There‘s something about hints of yellow and shades of gray hanging out with black and white. 6y
Nute @Leftcoastzen @SW-T Right on! 6y
erzascarletbookgasm 😄 okay, we get it! 🙌 super like what you said and the pic 🖤 6y
Nute @erzascarletbookgasm Yay and thank you! 6y
Nute #mugsoflitsy This hashtag makes me happy!😊 5y
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Gnoe
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Cat sitting and reading: great combo! 😸

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AnneCecilie
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#ReadingResolutions day 5: #Bookstore

A book about how the bookshops have shaped 15 writers. Unfortunately this is still on my tbr

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Skeebies05
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Has anyone else tried Browsery? It is pretty fun. I like reading and answering the questions. It is not nearly as charming as Litsy but still fun. I‘m not really looking for recs ( I get those here) I‘m just enjoying the interactions.

EKonrad Just downloaded it yesterday but I‘m not entirely sure how to use it yet. Lol 😝 6y
TheLibrarian Ooo sounds cool. I just downloaded it. 6y
Skeebies05 @EKonrad I‘ve just answered a couple people‘s questions and went down some entertaining rabbit holes! 6y
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Skeebies05 @TheLibrarian Let me know how you like it! 6y
CouronneDhiver Never heard of it 🤔 6y
Beachesnbooks I answered a few questions but I felt like most of the questions were way too general to give good recs 6y
Skeebies05 @Beachesnbooks Yeah- I scrolled past most of those and tried to find a few that didn‘t have a ton of answers. 6y
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megnews
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Anybody checked out Barnes and Nobles‘ new book recommendation app, #Browsery, yet?

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AnneCecilie
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I think it was earlier this week that @DivaDiane wanted to see the shelves with th books we chose from for #MountTBRchallenge This is part of my unread books, and the piles have been ever growing.

I think that half of the books I've read so far this year have been from my tbr.

DivaDiane Beautiful! Well done! 6y
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Booksnchill
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@Smangela
1. Browse: The World in Bookshops
2. Atlas Obscura
3. Sapiens:A Brief History of Humankind
4.My Favorite Thing is Monsters V. 2
5. The Book of Disquiet: The Complete Edition Fernando Pessoa

Note my most wanted books are large and more expensive- the best kind of “wish list” for me! note- this is for my family for Christmas- not a secret santa wish list😁

Booksnchill Well I now see some folks are using this for their secret santa match- I Did Not- obviously- eek- this was for my husband😜🤣🤣 6y
nelehelen Atlas obscura!! In my top 5 too! 6y
Booksnchill @nelehelen I have been lusting for it since I saw it- so lovely! 6y
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tjwill Now that I looked it up, I want Atlas Obscura now too. 6y
Booksnchill @tjwill and there is a companion journal😋 6y
Smangela Gives good ideas of your likes though! I bet that first book is gorgeous 6y
Smangela Your list is perfect! 6y
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Flaneurette
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So I've been adding my books to LibraryThing and so far I own 1103 physical books and I have a few more to catalogue- just tryna cut down on the clutter and ☝️. My library doesn't have it either- so annoying

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vivastory
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LeahBergen Love this. 😍 6y
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vivastory
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Suet624 I agree wholeheartedly. 6y
vivastory Nothing a store can do can replace a passion for books 6y
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vivastory
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Just started the tagged book & was reminded of the charm of book tokens. There's really no equivalent in the U.S.

TricksyTails The U.S. needs to get on this. 6y
vivastory @tricksytails They really do! It'd help them compete against online retailers 6y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk Sooooo what's a book token? 6y
vivastory @TobeyTheScavengerMonk A gift card accepted at most bookstores, regardless of who owns the business 6y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk I can dig it. 6y
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Abailliekaras
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Pickpick

If you have a weakness for bookshops, fond memories of favourite haunts & singular booksellers, whether you like serendipitous finds or just need a fix, you will love this book. Diverse essays, all very high quality. Stand-outs included Ali Smith, Andrew Kurkov, Sasa Stanisic, Daniel Kehlmann & Dorthe Nors. Diverse, but all understand & bring to life the special joy of browsing through a bookshop. #bookaboutbooks #readharder

alisahar Sounds like a good option for "a book about books" for the #readharder challenge. 6y
Abailliekaras @alisahar totally! I didn't even think of that! Will edit post 👏🏼 6y
alisahar @Abailliekaras I always forget that too! 6y
vivastory I just bought this. I'm really looking forward to reading it! 6y
Abailliekaras @vivastory it's a lovely read. 😊 6y
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Abailliekaras
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I accompanied my husband on the weekend to our favourite bookshop in HK: Kelly & Walsh. No books for me, I said. Then he showed me this and it had some of my favourite authors (Juan Gabriel Vasquez, Daniel Kehlmann, Ali Smith who I haven't even read yet) and I had to have it. 🙈🙄 taking a break from The Lowland with this & a glass of Chardonnay. It's delightful! 🍸

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SharonGoforth
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Top book (tagged) is newly released today, and features authors talking about their favorite bookstores. The other three were a direct result of reading the NY Times Book Review. #bookmail #nosuchthingastoomanybooks

LeahBergen I'll be needing this one! 7y
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balletbookworm
Pickpick

So-so leaning toward 👍🏻. A collection of essays by writers musing on their love of bookshops, usually one in particular, running the gamut from funny, to sweet, moving, and a bit eye-roll inducing. There's a lot of Dead Tree Books Rah Rah Bewail Changing Culture Popular Literature is The Devil. I'm generous with this book because almost every writer celebrated the joy of an interrupted bookstore browse. I enjoy that activity greatly.

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WanderingBookaneer
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WanderingBookaneer
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But whatever its size, a colony of second-hand books always has an evocative smell. At the risk of sounding like a breathless oenophile, I‘d claim that among its usual scents are almond and vanilla, a grassy sweetness, damp wood and even a hint of mushroom; teased by these aromas, I find myself in a forest, able to slip between worlds or between times, hopeful that behind some of the dark leaves there are golden ones. #EminentlyLitsiable

Soubhiville Beautiful. 7y
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WanderingBookaneer
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There‘s a common assumption today that, in order to thrive, bookshops need to be good at things other than selling books. Yet what I look for in a bookshop is still a passion for books themselves. Not a front-foot, evangelizing passion, but the kind of ardour that expresses itself as a desire to have stock that other shops don‘t have and to represent the world of books with sensitivity and conviction. ⬇️

WanderingBookaneer The kind of ardour that may even lead the bookseller to intervene, just occasionally, in the production and reproduction of literature. 7y
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WanderingBookaneer
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bookspresso 🤣 7y
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WanderingBookaneer
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HardcoverHearts THAT's funny! 7y
Zelma 😂 7y
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Smarkies
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A reader's life, is among other things this tissue of opportune coincidences.
- Juan Gabriel Vasquez

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

A collection of essays by some writers about bookshops. Some were more engaging than others but on the whole an enjoyable read of different styles and view points. Some of my favourite essays were by Elif Shafak, YiYun Li, Juan Gabriel Vasquez, Ali Smith and Ian Samson.

erzascarletbookgasm Tell me this project you're doing, where you're reading books about bookshops/books :) 7y
Smarkies @erzascarletbookgasm it is a 100 day project I am doing on Instagram on bookshops around the world. So am sketching out a list of bookshop frontages I am falling a little behind though... 😂😂 I am reading the books to find some bookshops which are not featured on the '10 most beautiful bookshop list' (of those there are plenty on the internet), especially those not in UK or the US. Am taking suggestions as well so if you have any to suggest..😁 7y
erzascarletbookgasm So, it's books about bookshops. Sounds fun! Happy reading them. Will let you know if I come across any other than the usual :) 7y
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scripturient
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My wonderful colleagues gave me this as a belated birthday present. ❤️❤️

minkyb That is so thoughtful! 7y
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Sharpeipup
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Stumbled across this one in a book store yesterday and think it's got a #coolcover Another add to #mounttbr

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TrulyBookish
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👍🏻

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TrulyBookish
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Tales from the bookshop; that treasure trove, time machine, cabinet of curiosities... that possess a unique kind of magic.
What's your bookshop story?