Daunt Books is a classic! "You Have a Friend in 10A" has a beautiful cover. "Alice Through the Looking Glass" looks like such a fun and quirky shop. Such a great video!
This was brilliant, Alice! How lovely to have time to explore London and those bookshops look wonderful! I love the way they divided the bookshop areas into countries 😊📚
When my brother used to visit the UK from Botswana, i always took him on a tour of London bookshops. We particularly enjoyed the downstairs of Any Amount of Books and Skoob in Russell Square. Thanks for reminding me of those happy days.
I’m glad you enjoying coming along to the bookshops via the medium of video! I was able to keep restrained with the thought of still more bookshops on the horizon each time! Always good to see Agatha! 😊📚
Daunt Books- that building is gorgeous! I couldn't stop smiling watching this tour. 😊What a perfect way to celebrate and promote independent bookshops. The Remains of the Day- great choice-love that one. And I would love to try those short stories by Maggie Shipstead, too. Thanks for taking us along.
Great video, it has definitely given me an idea of what to do when I visit London. Those bookshops look amazing. If you ever visit Dublin, there is an amazing bookshop called Chapters that sells new and second hand books, there is also Hoggis and Figgis which is a really beautiful shop.
Glad you enjoyed and I was able to give you some ideas. I would love to visit Dublin one day so thank you for the bookshop tips, they sound like great places to go. 😊📚
So many of my haunts here, LRB and Any Amount of Books have eaten so much of my time, only went to Daunt for the first time a few months ago but its beautiful! Hope you enjoy Remains of the Day, its one of my favourites
Honestly could have spent many hours in any one of the shops. Daunt is stunning. I’m really looking forward to Remains of the Day. Thanks for your comment. 😊📚
What an awesome vlog! I love Daunt Books and Hatchards. Waterstone’s Piccadilly is apparently Europe’s largest bookshop and I could spend the whole day there. I love the idea of a couple of days just wandering around the bookshops of London. Foyles is so wonderful but I do kind of miss the older quirky version before it was modernised. A very unique and strange shop! Great haul too. Loved this Alice - so good.
Thanks Jack, I’m glad you liked it. Could definitely spend a whole day in Waterstones Piccadilly, plenty of refreshments available too! Could have spent much longer in Hatchards and Daunt as well, still lots to explore! It certainly won’t be the last bookshop trip to London, I hope! 😊📚
So much fun !!!!!!! I loved watching your video, and wishing so badly I could jump through space and be there myself.... I don't think books for your birthday should count on your tbr..... Thanks so much for sharing your lovely trip
I always love comments from you Karen, with excellent reasons why books shouldn’t count towards the TBR! I’m glad you enjoyed coming book-shopping even if only via video! 😊📚
My friend and I did a similar visit of independent book shops and special libraries in New York. Great idea. If you haven't yet, make a visit to Word on the Water, a bookshop on a boat on Regent's Canal. Worth it!
Thank you. I think Word on the Water is the main bookshop in London that I still really want to visit and haven’t managed to get to yet! Thanks for the recommendation. 😊📚
Thanks David, I definitely could have spent all day in most of these shops! It’s a shame bookstores near you are hard to come by. We don’t have many bookshops that are super local but luckily London is not too far for a visit! 😊📚
What a great book about bookshops in London. I have been to London many times years ago, because my partner lived there. How nice to see so many nice bookshops! I wish I thought to visit many back then, but this was years ago, before we had smartphones so I probably would have got lost. You 'may' have bought some books, I'd hope you bought some books while visiting bookshops 😂. Yay for a signed copy! I have been to some Waterstone's, The Works and WHSmiths. I've never been to Foyles. It looks huge, as does the Waterstone's on Piccadilly. Yum for a pizza break. Aww for a few bookshops no longer being there anymore. Very fun video!
I’m going to London next month with less bookish friends so I’m not sure how many bookshops I’ll be able to pop into (or how long I’ll be able to stay there!) but I’ve never been to Daunt Books or The London Review so I’d love to see those. Remains of the Day is great! I love Hachards, it’s wonderful. I’ve never been down Cecil Court, whenever I’m over in London there is just too much to do! This was a lovely vlog, really enjoyed it.
Im lucky i live so close to london, the flagship Waterstones is my favourite place to go and read in the underground cafe. Gower street Waterstones layout is probably my favourite. I love all the secondhand book shops as well and of course the independent ones
I don’t think I’ve been to the Gower Street Waterstones or if I have, not recently! We had a tea break in the underground café and it seemed like a great place to read! 😊📚
This was a really fun video and lots of bookshops that look great. And I see you’ve hired yourself a cinematographer! 🤩🤣 Hope you enjoy Remains of the Day - a favourite book by a favourite author for me. 😊
I’m glad you enjoyed it, the bookshops were great! My husband will be excited to be referred to as a cinematographer- it was handy that he filmed some clips as I was too busy with books and would probably not have filmed very much! I’m really looking forward to Remains of the Day. 😊📚
Thanks, Charlie. It was lovely to find some new to me shops, all of which I could happily have spent many many hours browsing. Looking forward to reading the short stories with you! 😊📚
Thanks Jennifer, I’m glad you enjoyed coming along with me to the bookshops! Really looking forward to finding out what it is about Verity that makes everyone say that! 😊📚
I love Any Amount of Books & will try to visit The London Review Bookshop on a future visit there. I recommend Word on the Water - The London Bookbarge which is a 100 year old barge selling old & new books & it's amazing how many books can fit inside it. On the Regents Canal near Kings Cross station.
Oh yes! The book barge was on my wishlist but a bit far to walk this time so that’s for the next visit. It looks so cool. Thanks for the recommendation. I highly recommend The London Review Bookshop, really lovely and the café looked good too. Any Amount of Books was great! 😊📚
Such pretty bookshops! I've seen pictures of Daunt Books on Instagram and it's definitely on top of my list of bookshops to visit in London! The Remains of the Day is actually my favorite book by him! I loved it even if it is a bit slow and meandering.
Daunt books was so pretty and definitely worth a visit if you’re ever in London! That’s good to know about The Remains of the Day, I am eagerly anticipating reading it! 😊📚
loved this video, Alice! I keep meaning to arrange a bookish London trip but the pandemic really got in the way, maybe I'll have it as a goal to work towards for next year. I picked up the new Maggie Shipstead from my local indie as well earlier this month, I can't wait x
Thank you, It’s the first time I’ve really dared go and explore London since the pandemic but it was wonderful to get out and about again and see the sights and the bookshops! Really looking forward to the Shipstead short stories. 😊📚
Oh no you better not be going book shopping! What about your Giant TBR?!? Okay fine it's your birthday so you're forgiven. Oh dang those shops are gorgeous though! That pizza looks so...unamerican lmao it's hard for me to fathom a pizza with so little cheese!
Yeah the giant TBR is going to be even gianter at the end of this month! 🤦♀️ I couldn’t help it, the shops were so good! The pizza was amazing but I take your point, I do love a good cheesey pizza too! 😂📚
Daunt Books and Foyles are great shops. Sad is the concentration of them all. Mr Daunt is the CEO of Waterstones that have acquired both Foyles and Blackwells and Waterstones is owned by Elliott Investment Management in Florida that owns a bit of almost everything from steam boat companies to Wella...
