**Newly opened and currently open til 6pm but they are looking to expand their hours shortly. If…read moreyou're unsure about opening hours and you want to visit, I recommend firing off a tweet to @SECONDHOMELDN ** Popped in to Libreria last night for a quick reconnaissance mission. New independent bookshops aren't exactly ten a penny. It also happened to be World Book Day, I have just realised. It was meant to be. I love how it looks from the outside. Like a portal to another world. You go down Hanbury Street, think you must've missed it and then...suddenly it's there. Stylish black shopfront with a nice inviting glow. This was only a very quick visit but I like how they do things in Libreria. First, I have to note that there was a Riga RP-1 record player with Velvet Underground & Nico on the turntable so...good start. No espresso bar here. No mobiles allowed. Comfy seating and little nooks to sit down and check out a book. Tick tick tick. Sally, Libreria's director, introduced herself to me and explained how things were laid out. Very friendly and helpful. Books are largely organised alphabetically, fiction on the left and nonfic on the right. However, within that, books are clustered into themes or ideas, in order to promote interesting combinations of books nestling next to each other. Great idea. Pure A-Z is so 2015. Also, they have asked celebs to do a mini-curation of their favourite books. Shami Chakrabarti's faves are currently on display. I think the idea is to change everything round every quarter. Events are also gonna happen here. I dutifully added my email to the mailing list on the front desk. Waterstones can do one.

A quaint independent bookstore in the eastern part of London…read more https://prashantmudgal.wordpress.com/2019/08/07/the-cost-of-living/

Great bookstore!…read more The selection is well-curated and there is something for everyone in here. The owners are friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to offer recommendations. Definitely worth a visit for anyone into books!!

Really, a lovely little bookshop with a long-standing history in this area. Where it could have…read moresuccumbed to the temptation to sell cool books to all the cool people that pass through this street (y'know how Fopp does it - bit of Orwell, bit of Camus, bit o' Kafka), they actually got a really well-stocked selection of fiction. The kind of fiction you've always wanted to read, or thought you should be reading. like Proust? And they do pretty greetings cards. There is a standard section on design, with big coffee table books about brazillian architecture or pictures of industrial decline. You do know them ones. But that's ok, their local history selection is beautiful and really appropriate for Brick Lane, where it would be easy to forget what it looked like last year. This bit's got nice books on the area's radical history, the stories of the Jewish presence in the area (I'd been looking for a Litvinoff book for ages) and the struggles against fascism and the National Front in London's East End. Which I felt really ties it to the area. It's definitely worth coming in 2 Eastside Books for a browse...

We visited this store yesterday and really liked it. The selection in all categories was quite…read moregood, it's very attractive (including the beautiful bookcases), and the woman working there was very friendly.

I got 99 reviews but Daunt Books ain't one... Time to put that right!…read more Yep my special 100th review spot goes not to a blow-out tasting menu nor a sexy new bar nor a burger worth queuing two hours for. It goes to a nearby haven from my office that I have a real soft spot for, when it's just been one of those days (or I need a last minute present!). It's an ordinary-looking bookshop that's an oasis of calm in a desert of suits, surrounded by offices, banks and city-worker lunch spots. Easily missed but with tardis-like magic powers of being ten times bigger (more if you include the basement floor) than you'd think from outside. That smell of bookshops has soothed me since I was just a little bookworm with a big imagination and even bigger NHS glasses. Someone needs to bottle this smell and label it nostalgia, because walking in here takes me straight back to my childhood local Ottakar's, where mum would leave me reading the latest Point Horror while she did the rest of the shopping. So it smells great, but what else makes it special? Firstly, the layout. Bestseller chart by the entrance to attract the uninitiated, but you'll soon be lured further in. The table displays are well put together and (sadly for my wallet) will definitely make you pick up something you weren't even looking for. Upstairs follow the thematics - art, sport, self-help, and so on, whilst downstairs is arranged by geography. Go to Central Asia for Hosseini, Japan for Murakami, Scandinavia for the latest Larsson thriller. Some people will hate this imperfect pigeon-holing; I actually quite like it. I've been in the (lucky) position of living abroad for a few months in the past and wanting to find books set in or written by people from the local area. It's interestingly different, and to me it makes finding a book into a bit of a treasure hunt (and boy do I love those!) :D The staff here are also friendly and knowledgeable, and the guy at the till has often struck up a conversation over something I'm buying, whether it was lamenting the size of George R. R. Martin's latest paperback with me, or telling me I was in for a treat with Gone Girl (he was right!). They can also get things ordered in pretty speedily if you're looking for something specific. Given the location it's never going to be as quirky cute as some of the secondhand independent bookshops you stumble upon further afield, but it's warm and inviting and hey they give you a cloth tote bag instead of plastic carriers. Major win for that if nothing else! Though if they say they've run out then apologies, it must be because so many of them are currently sitting in my flat woops... Final bonus tips: they also sell awesome cards, notebooks and wrapping paper, and it's open on weekends too yay! Enjoy :D

This branch of Waterstones - along with all of its other branches - is now closed temporarily, due…read moreto the coronavirus situation.

This may be one of my favourite bookshops in all of London. I know it's just a bookshop and a chain…read moreat that but hear me out on this one. 1. Staff - They staff are always extremely friendly and knowledgeable. I was just there a few weeks ago and they had run out of the book I was looking for so I had to order it. The gentleman who helped me was fast, efficient and friendly. He talked to me about the author and the series I was reading with passion. Then he leapt from behind the counter with a spritely leprechaun-like prance, and rushed me across the shop to show me another book he thought I'd like. Have already ascertained that he knew his stuff when it cames to tomes, I trusted him and bought the book and its sequel on the spot. He was so enthusiastic about the characters that I had to get it. It was "Rivers of London" just in case anyone wants to pick it up. Great book! 2. Special guests - Ever since I discovered this shop I've noted the revolving door of special guest authors that stop in for book signings. Just in passing I've seen Martina Cole, Jeffery Deaver and Rick Stein. I only walk by once every other month or so, so imagine who I must have missed! They only seem to advertise these signing events with a little sandwich board outside so I know there's been more. Lucky for me I got a photo with a Bond car and a signed copy of Rick Stein's new book on Spanish recipes. 3. Size & Selection - This shop is over two floors and has a better selection for it. I usually am able to find what I need or can order it quickly if needs be. If I don't know what I want there are plenty of books to browse through or a friendly staffer to ask.

Awesome I genuinely love working with bookstores and…read moreauthors. There's something special about spaces filled with stories, creativity, and people who truly appreciate books. Even when bookstores are crowded and full of energy, they still carry that classic charm that reminds you of how real bookstores used to feel before everything became generic. Helping bookstores and authors grow through authentic promotion and marketing is something I truly enjoy because every book deserves the right audience and visibility.

Beautiful and charming old bookstore! Three floors with lots of books! Friendly staff! Love…read morevisiting this bookstore!

I am all for more shops like Camden Lock Books popping up in tube stations. In fact, I really don't…read morethink that tube stations are properly represented for shops. What about the people who don't want to walk up the steps to the outside - they want to make all their purchases within the station? Thankfully, there are not many of those underground dwellers about, and I am certainly not one of them - but I do find myself often waiting for my friends to turn up on later trains here at Old Street tube, and instead of saying "I will meet you outside the cold, wet tube station', why not spend some time in this book shop instead? Camden Lock Books is small, but simply stacked with books. They specialise in new books which are in print, but will gladly track down any older books on request. While the books were mainly all full price, there was a stand with many books on offer. Some had dropped from £7.99 to £2.99. They don't mind browsers, which was clearly what I was. I found Newspaper Bags on sale here- these are the bags made out of newspapers by Indian street children. They cost 50p and the money goes straight back to the charity. I brought a few, and I encourage you all to do the same!

I'd actually walked past this little bookshop a few times before clocking it. I then did a massive…read moredouble take at the knock down prices in the window - £2.99 for great books such as Peter Carey's Oscar and Lucinda! I love bookshops but generally try to avoid them at all costs because I love new books (so smooth! so crisp!) so much I always end up spending way too much money and accumulating more books that I have nowhere to keep. But I figured - £2.99 means it's basically 1993 so these practical concerns cannot be an issue. Of course, I ended up buying a full price book, but by then I had totally justified this to myself as supporting a local business, literature in general and obviously just Saving The World. It's not a very big shop but managed to stock 3 titles (Handmaid's Tale, Wolf Hall and Cloud Atlas) which despite their popularity I have recently not been able to find in such places as a giant Barnes and Noble in Philadelphia. I also heard the owner telling a customer he could order a book in for him. But you really would never be stuck for choice here, it's a great selection and really fun to browse. I may have to start using a different exit...

Best bookstore in London for language books (Celtic, German, English, Italian, Spanish, French,…read moreHebrew, Arabic, Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Greek, Dutch, etc.!!) and it has a cafe upstairs as well as a huge kids books area.

In 2018, after 115 years of independent bookselling, then-Chairman Christopher Foyle and the Board…read moreof Directors sold the company to Waterstones, with the proviso that the Foyles name must endure. Based on our recent visit, let's now call this place a chain on steroids. I just wonder how much the inevitable Corporate culture has robbed the old independent Foyles of its soul. Gayle and I spend a fair amount of time on various floors and sections. I found a nice Judaica book, a BBC publication for an upcoming PROMS program, and some filing folders. Gayle found a book she was looking for and a gift for back home. It was a fun and good outing, but not a great one. The place was clean and shiny, and with attentive and helpful employees. That's good and sometimes not. And if given more time, I'd would have preferred to be in a dusty independent specialty bookseller.

A perfectly pokey little book store in the middle of tourist-mobbed Hayes Galleria, the Riverside…read moreBookshop always manages to maintain a quiet and reflective atmosphere. Although you wouldn't be amiss in initially assuming it's a Waterstones. Because it's rather unassuming. The selection of books available is admirable for the store's size. So until I eventually get a Kindle (and after that when I'm looking for non-ebook-friendly titles), I think I'll eschew the chain giants and make this my go-to local book store. (And it's the only place I've ever seen a "Congratuations on your divorce" greeting card for sale. Just, you know, in case you've been looking for one, as you would.)

Nice small shop away from the crowds with a good selection on the second floor. It's located in a…read morenewer mall area and takes a little looking but worth the find

Coming out of Bank underground station, I was thinking; 'Where on earth would I find some decent…read moreretail outlets, pubs or restaurants on streets of 100 year old office blocks?' Finding an old church, I peered into the clear doors and saw lots and lots of bookshelves! So I investigated a bit further and found a bookshop waited for me inside. Soft music plays in the background while you browse the inoffensive, relaxed bookshelves (you have to go there to understand just how inoffensive these bookshelves are compared to the ones you see all over the place these days..) and you can buy second hand as well as new books, which is very useful for penny pinchers like me. The staff are of the elderly, friendly kind and are so obviously spiritual that it warms your heart... though I was struck by a thought that these people are as much furniture as the tables and chairs are here. They have also expanded, for the season, into Christmas cards and postcards and some are pretty damn funny (if 100% tasteful) which isn't always a good thing. The book topics focus on religion and theology (understandably) and are of an adult context - big thinkers and book enthusiasts only should be shopping here. Teenagers looking for some romance novels may find a few floating around but much better off if you're into some hardcore thinking. An excellent little place.

Maybe if I had been Che Guevara, Karl Marx or Fidel Castro in a past life instead of a pretty,…read morepretty butterfly, I would have like this bookstore more than I did. You ask, "You were a pretty, pretty butterfly?" And, you ask: "Fidel Castro probably isn't dead, but you were him in a past life anyway?" To which I respond "Hot Jacket Potatoes!" Freedom press has the benefit of a great location. It's down some pedestrian alleyway which gives the store an air of the secret and unknown. "Oh la la," you think as you walk to it. Inside, however, was not my cup of perfect tea (although there were a few real cups sitting around the store. Also, my perfect cup of tea is a full bodied orange spice from Seattle Washington). There were different sections - history, science fiction, biographies, sociological stuff, etc. but all revolving around the theme of fancy dress parties - and by that I mean anarchy and revolution! This bookstore would be your reading list if you took a class named Social Uprising and Revolt 101 and beyond. I guess some of the books would be pretty interesting, but I'd have to read them to find out for sure. There's also a section with anarchist-like clothes (mostly t-shirts) with designs such as the Queen's head over the crossbones of a skull and crossbones. I thought that was pretty amusing. If you're feeling rebellious or if you like defying authority, you should probably check this place out. It's not for me, but it maybe for you because as we all know, I say tomato and you say tomato.

Well, this is the oldest anarchist publisher in the world. Britain's oldest anarchist book shop…read more What more can I say? I've only been once, last week, and I loved it. Amazing place. Maybe that's 'cause I'm politically interested. And it's true, they do stock mainly anarchist literature, but also a mean line in pamphlets, magazines, and general anarchist publications. It's really worth visiting, tucked innocently off Angel Alley (something of the Harry Potter, eh?) and up a flight of stairs which it appears hasn't been renovated since this place opened (all the better for it in my opinion), it's basically crammed full of really interesting books on politics and the ways of the world. In their magazine section, they had a title called Mao or Never, which claimed to be the only Maoist publication in Britain to boast a colour cover. That's a really fun joke if you're in these circles, thing was mocked up! The staff, too, are really nice. I had a request for a really obscure book, they looked, couldn't find it and were really apologetic. So, if you're passing the KFC on Whitechapel High Street, come in here for a browse. I bet there's at least one book which you'd like to take home.