A proper bookshop...but more importantly, and independent one!…read more I really like this place and am so happy that they still exist despite the convenience of online shopping. But it's actually at shops like this where I get inspired for a next book. I'm pretty much fed up with the personalisation of Amazon; while they probably know what I like, they cannot tell me what I might also like. And this is where the independent book sellers like The Stoke Newington Bookshop have a real margin: they have passionate and friendly staff who love to read themselves and they in turn can recommend their customers something totally unique...as long as you're willing to let them take you to undiscovered territory.

This large and popular bookstore is a good place to pick up a weekend's worth of reading. I find…read morebookshops cozy places to browse around in, and I enjoyed the experience of this small but well stoked local bookstore. Frequented by many of the literati that live in the whereabouts of Stoke Newington, this spacious store also hosts book readings by local authors, and an occasional poetry night. They have a good range of children's books, as well as several magazines on arcane and current subjects. I found an interesting philosophy journal here, with short articles on the most challenging ideas of our times by eminent philosophers. Another addition to the overflowing bookshelf!

**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/

I went to Pages of Hackney to buy a present for a friend of mine who is a woman…read more The person who served me (a woman in her mid-30s with long black hair) suggested a new book about feminism. I said my friend wouldn't read a book about that subject. Well - the clerk didn't take that lightly and said that no woman is uninterested in feminism. And it was probably me not liking the subject. For the following 5 minutes, she behaved incredibly grumpy and was of no help. Ultimately, she went behind the counter and stopped helping me in the most unprofessional fashion. I didn't give her nasty provocations any space and kept doing my thing. After all, I was there for my friend. Eventually, I found an interesting title, paid and left. On my way out, I noticed another book in the window that I thought would have been a much better choice. So I went straight back in and asked the lady if she knew anything about the book. Unfortunately, she didn't. So, I grabbed my phone and checked the reviews online. The woman didn't miss the opportunity to be nasty once again. And in a very snobbish and pseudo-intellectual way, she said, "Oh wow! So you trust reviews on Google?" YO! I JUST ASKED YOU TO GIVE ME YOUR REVIEW OF THE BOOK, AND YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THAT. Of course, I will trust the reviews of a thousand people who read the book over your bloody ignorance. Don't you think? GROW UP, GIRL. I know it's hard. But it would help if you make an effort. Grow the f* up!

Great bookshop. I went there for an event with the author Owen Jones and for £3 you get an…read moreinteresting evening topped off by a glass (or glasses, as some guests had refills) of wine. Afterwards a friend of the owner so very convincingly raved about what a good book 'We need to talk about Kevin' is that I left with a second hand copy of said book. The staff were all very friendly and lovely and made everyone feel welcome. They have a great selection of books, a special mention goes to the extensive travel book section the owner is apparently a well-travelled bloke and it shows. It is the kind of place you want to return to not because you really need a book but just because you want to support such wonderful independent shops and simply enjoy being in a shop with friendly staff who know what they are talking about and are happy to help.

This little bookshop is a great place to browse and find a great new read. Set up over a few floors…read morethe shop encourages you to spend time and look around. The books are arranged in various topics and it is easy to wander and find something you did not come here for. There is a tiny childrens section with a little chair for sitting which was great - as my son sat right down after a temper tantrum outside (he was sick of shopping!!) and got stuck into some reading !! Thank goodness -- a moment of relief and I was able to enjoy a moment reading the covers and opening the books and finally piccking out "bliss" a book about the geography of happiness.. cant wait to see how the Uk fares ! -

Who thought of opening a bookshop on Broadway Market? Brilliant! What would the place be without…read moreone? I can't imagine. It is also the perfect bookstore for the area. It is an independent business, which always goes down well. It is adorable in the way it is not too big, and the owners don't mind if you have a long browse through the shelves. Although it is small, it still manages to fit a variety of different books within its walls. The store has a real community feel about it. Like some of the other businesses on Broadway Market, there are little adverts for local events and things wanted and needed. As well as having staff recommendations in store, you can view them on the website, both current and past. The website can also keep you up to date with events held at the store.

My absolute dream independent bookstore. I visited the area just to pass by this bookstore and it…read morewas everything I could have hoped for. Everything you could want about philosophy, art, photography, erotica. Little zines and cool things. Leave some space in your suitcase if you're visiting, you'll want to bring a few books home. Since it was before Christmas, It was quite packed with people and I loved the vibe. The person at the counter was incredibly helpful and friendly, too. Highly recommend a visit, I hope to attend one of their readings in the future!

A beautiful independent bookshop that stocks beautiful, beautiful books - forget Amazon, this is…read morewhere you should be spending your cash. Donlon houses books on music, art, philosophy, esoterica, fashion design, and gay and erotica, but their particular speciality is artists' bookworks and photobooks. They also regularly host book launches, readings, screenings and curated window displays. Nothing is better than ducking out of the well-dressed chaos that is Broadway Market on a Saturday, to spend the morning flicking through one of their titles and going home with something special.

This second hand bookshop is excellent and unless you are unable to read it would be quite…read moredifficult to leave this shop without finding at least one book to tickle your fancy. Unless I need or want something specific I always get my books from here because it is ridiculously cheap and they have a great selection. I picked up an unread copy of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book today for £1.95, the recommended price on the back was £7.95. Between this place and Amazon there really is no need to step foot in Borders ever again apart from to peruse their magazines in the café free of charge and use the toilet. Added bonus is the man behind the counter who is a quintessential English gent and listens to classical music on radio 4, singing along like Toad of Toad Hall.

This little second hand bookstore has a plethora of great literature bursting from its seams…read more Everytime I walk in, I come a away a few pounds lighter, and several books heavier. Most of the books are in very good to almost new condition, and are very reasonably priced between two and ten pounds. There are even some speciality sections, with hardcover art books and science texts. There is also a range of texts to be found for children. As a literature student, I find myself frequenting many bookshops - this is one of the most reasonable and well stocked to be found in the area. If you have some books that you would like to sell or exchange, call Ben for a chat and he will be able to advise you on their value.

Wonderful Black bookstore with a fantastic history. I was so thankful to have this space for Black…read morescholarship and creativity. They have a very large selection of children's books and readers that is supplemented by Black academic and fiction titles, greeting cards, jewelry, and clothings. This is a great place to stock up special editions of your old favorites or to buy new best sellers! Thank you New Beacon!

Siouxsie and the Banshees, Once Upon A Time, £3; Kate Bush, Lionheart, £2; Lizzie G in vinyl…read moreheaven, priceless. After living so close to this shop for year and never actually going in to spend a serious amount of time browsing here, I feel like I've committed a crime. Their tag line is "Friendly service, record and book finding service". Perfect for a Saturday morning hangover browsing session. I could spend a while in here. It's not huge, but perfectly formed and reasonably priced. They even have a vintage clothing section at the bottom although I couldn't quite pull myself away from the records to have a look. I will be back. They have a huge selection of classics, not just the crusty records you find in other second hand vinyl stores. A must for any music collector.

Lucky Seven has a fantastic selection of records and a few of the books on sale I havent seen since…read moreuniversity. Jason the owner is a real fount of knowlege :) do check it out, its great :)

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...

Pretentious, lame, rude staff. Came in to ask about buying some vinyls and they were very snippy…read moreand made me feel stupid.

I've read nice things about the only Record Store in Dalston, and while i'm in town i always…read moreresearch local stores and go to the ones that seem decent to pitch them my record that came out on 4 labels and yet is only available in some parts of the world as import (which makes it too expensive for most independant stores to have in stock). Kristina Records made a nice impression on the surface, so i walk up to the clerk and tell him i'd like them to stock the LP - he looks as me with this expression full of contempt and goes ''i bet your album is not from this year'' - i tell him this is the first/ German edition and is from last year, but it came out in the US just this March - he flips it over and finds "2013" at the bottoms - points at it and says not without glee ''there!'' - i was too shocked that the guy basically dismised the album based on the fact that it's ''from last year'' without even looking it up and checking who was involved in it and where it was released or just plainly, listen to it. London record stores are terribly snotty, just like their counterparts in Portland - another city which is saturated with bands - but i've never had such a ridiculous respsonce anywhere. and if clerks working in a store dont give a damn about new music, have no interest in discovering something and promoting it, then i have very little respect for their store. as i myself have a huge passion for discovering new stuff and sharing it with my music loving friends. pretentious, unfriendly and apparently only stocks album from ''this year''.