(Book)packing my Way Through Europe

Get it?? Because I packed a lot of books? That I had to pay ten million dollars to ship back to the states? Anyway, here are a few of my favorite bookshops from my ~literary wanderings~ this past spring.

Bookshop on the Heath, Greenwich, London

I visited dozens of bookshops across the UK and Europe during my semester abroad. In each city I visited, a local indie was often my first stop. These escapades not only served to fuel my reading addiction, but provided opportunities for conversation with some very interesting people. I invite my fellow Book People to accompany me on this jaunt down memory lane as I spotlight some of my favorite spots.

Jarndyce Booksellers, London

Jarndyce Booksellers, located just across from the British Museum in Bloomsbury, will always have a special place in my heart. This was the first bookstore I visited in London, and it certainly set the standard for the rest of my literary wanderings. Stepping into Jarndyce feels like stepping into another era. Though their collection is immaculately preserved, the shelves somehow seem like they should be covered in dust, the lamps lit with matches. Perhaps this is because Jarndyce specializes in rare and antique titles, with an especially impressive collection of Dickens novels. Perhaps you’d guessed this by the name of the shop – Jarndyce v. Jarndyce is the court case that dominates so much of Bleak House (one of my quarantine reads that I heartily recommend). With some help from the owner, my dad decided to buy late-1800s editions of both Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend. If bibliophilia is hereditary, I was doomed from day one.

Paludan Bogcafe, Copenhagen

Paludan Bogcafe, tucked away on a quiet street in Copenhagen’s Indre By, was a true treasure trove. After a morning of exploring in the frigid February weather, my friend Kripa and I were in serious need of some soup. Where better to enjoy said soup than among the packed shelves of Paludan, restoring body AND mind?? The cafe has two floors dedicated to dining and a basement bookstore of secondhand titles. The atmosphere OOZES comfort, which is exactly what Kripa and I needed, huddled at our little table on the second floor. The food was as delectable as the setting, and Kripa was even able to practice her Danish by attempting to translate the titles on nearby shelves. Nourishment, people! When we’d each spooned every last drop from our massive plate-bowls (simply the best dish, IMO), we descended to the basement to hunt for books to buy. While most of their English titles were Baldacci mass market paperbacks from the ‘90s, we had a grand time exploring the labyrinth of shelves beneath the cafe, meandering down every aisle to delay our return to the chill outside. When I think of our Danish holiday, I think of these precious moments. I recommend Paludan to anyone traveling to Copenhagen. Try the soup!

ABC Books, Amsterdam

Ah, ABC Books. Another shelter in the (literal) storm. I happened to visit Amsterdam the weekend that Eunice, which Wikipedia calls an intense extratropical cyclone, hit Northern Europe. This meant that for a solid eighteen hours, almost everything in the city was closed. I’m thankful my friends and I stopped into ABC before the wind picked up, sequestering us in our Airbnb until things calmed down. ABC stands for American Book Center, so most of the titles in this shop were in English. Unfortunately for my friends, this store is one of the largest I visited during my time abroad, and I could have roamed for hours. I limited myself to 45 minutes (I know), leaving with Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami. I would recommend this shop (and Kawakami’s near-perfect novel) to anyone hoping to dodge an intense extratropical cyclone or simply looking for a good read. Sorry the photo is blurry -- I was taking a video to try and capture the HEIGHT of these shelves.

St. Philip’s Books, Oxford

Oxford was probably my favorite place I visited during my semester abroad. Though I am this close to graduating with a degree in Creative Writing, I refuse to attempt to describe the way this city made me feel. Otherworldly is the best descriptor I know. My friend Aman and I popped into St. Philip’s Books before exploring Christ Church College (think Harry Potter films, people), so I was already quite excited. St. Philip’s only enhanced my enchantment, offering a small but diverse selection of rare and antique titles. The owner hunts for treasure all over England, stocking his store with his favorite finds. He also takes requests – if you’re looking for a certain edition, he’ll join the search. Basically, he is living my dream life. If you find yourself in Oxford, add St. Philip’s to your literary itinerary.

Hodges Figgis Books, Dublin

I know, I know. Hodges Figgis is a secret Waterstones (you aren’t slick, James Daunt). But that doesn’t nullify the fact that this legendary Dublin bookstore was referenced by both Joyce AND Rooney in their novels. I was lucky enough to visit this bookstore in the year of Ulysses’s centennial anniversary, a holiday that was not at all lost on the folks designing the front display. Gifford’s Ulysses Annotated, Ulysses: An Illustrated Edition, and of course the Cambridge Centenary Ulysses were arrayed for all to see. Thankfully, these books were far too heavy for me to fly back to London, so I was saved the challenge of choosing between them. The interior of this store is rather Waterstones-y, which is not necessarily an insult, but it certainly lacks the indie bookstore vibes the rest of these businesses emit. I still enjoyed my time browsing, however, and ended up buying Rebecca O’Connor’s He Is Mine and I Have No Other, a miniature portrait of girlhood in rural Ireland. Hodges Figgis was certainly a delightful stop in my Dublin wanderings, aka my big Ulysses scavenger hunt.

Dublin Honorable Mentions: Winding Stair Bookshop, Marrowbone Books

Golden Hare Books, Edinburgh

It was quite a challenge to pick one Edinburgh bookstore to write about. Edinburgh is easily as literary as London, with bookstores and bookish landmarks everywhere you look. I traveled to Edinburgh alone, which meant that I built my itinerary around such spots (+ vintage stores and vegan restaurants, because I am apparently nothing but an archetype). Golden Hare Books, located in trendy Stockbridge, stands out for its aesthetics. It may not boast as large a catalog as Armchair Books, another Edinburgh staple closer to the castle, but its selection is intentionally curated and thoughtfully displayed. I ended up spending nearly an hour inspecting the “staff recommendation” note cards, which were numerous and thorough. After adding probably a dozen books to my To-Read shelf on Goodreads, I purchased a signed copy of None of This is Serious by Catherine Prasifka (Rooney’s sister-in-law, if you were curious). I’d recommend it to anyone simultaneously disillusioned with and amused by humanity.

Edinburgh Honorable Mentions: Armchair Books, Typewronger Books

John Sandoe Books, London

Back to London. Jarndyce may be the first indie I stumbled into, but Chelsea’s John Sandoe Books is my favorite. Perhaps this is because of its book-crammed second floor, accessible only through a book-crammed little staircase. The tables at John Sandoe are stacked 10-books high, which can make locating a particular title somewhat difficult. However, if you enter this bookshop with an open mind, ready to stumble on a book you didn’t know you needed, you will not be disappointed. John Sandoe stocks a ton of nonfiction alongside novels and poetry, distinguishing it from some of the other novel-centric bookshops on this list. When my family came to visit me in the UK, I brought them here for what I consider to be the quintessential London bookshop experience. I can’t wait to return.

Brac Libreria di Arte Contemporanea, Florence

I’m a big fan of the bookstore/restaurant hybrid, and after my lovely experience at Paludan, I was always on the lookout for my next book-surrounded meal. It is fitting that I would find it in artsy, epicurean Florence. Brac is hidden up one of the city’s narrow, winding streets – exactly where it should be. Like Paludan, guests of Brac can enjoy a delicious meal among shelves of curated cookbooks and collections of poetry. My friend Dina and I ordered a sampler-esque dish with small portions of each course – salad, pasta, and protein. As Brac is an entirely vegetarian establishment (bonus points!!), our final course consisted of some of the best tempeh we’d ever had. We finished our dinner with some hot tea + oat milk, our favorite. Most of the books here are in Italian, so Dina and I left bookless, but very satisfied.

Florence Honorable Mention: Paperback Exchange (larger selection of English titles)

Norli Bookshop at Litteraturhuset, Oslo

Norway was the final destination during my semester abroad, one I saved until after my last exam. While I wasn’t in Norway specifically for the bookish bits, I still had to make a stop at Oslo’s Litteraturhuset, or House of Literature, a community space for readers and writers complete with a cafe and a lovely bookstore. The shelves are split between English and Norwegian titles, with a small section devoted to Norwegian novels translated into English. This was where I spent the majority of my time, reading blurb after blurb. It was a tough choice, but I finally decided on Grown-Ups by Marie Aubert, a bite-sized novel that I found delightful and occasionally shocking. I recommend taking your finds to the adjacent cafe and enjoying a cup of tea as you read the first few pages.

Oslo Honorable Mention: Tronsmo Bokhandel

Please note there is no Honorable Mention list for London. This would be far too long.