If you have been reading my blog for a while now, then I believe you are aware of my obsession with books. And with the territory of my love for reading comes my immediate lust for bookstores. Especially old ones.
Each bookstore is like a treasure island, hiding deep secrets in the highest shelves and enticing me with beautiful leather bound spines. The older the place, higher the shelves and deeper the secrets.
I have been on the hunt for antique bookstores for a while now. On prowl, I often visit quaint streets and calm lanes, away from the crowd. Breaking all my assumptions, the recent one I discovered, is in the heart of London and ever so exquisite. Any street in Leicester Square is full of people in the evenings. Drinks, food and good times. Come one, come all, Leicester square has something for everyone. The chatter and vehicles buzzing past me drown every sense one could feel, and still I walked steadfastly on my trail. My wonderful smartphone was thirsty and unable to help. The snapshot of the map lived in my head. Mouth watering sweet smell from cafes alongside called out to my never ending hunger, but the envisaged smell of old pages was far more enticing.
A crossing, a left turn, and lo behold! Wedged between cafes and diners, surrounded by people looking everywhere but there, a small door, almost invisible to the everyday passer by. The insides were lined with books. Books on walls, all the way up to the ceiling. Books spread across the floor, that you need to tiptoe your way in. Every nook and corner was filled with books and the smell of yellowing pages. Amidst the smell of pages and ink, if you were to take a tiny whiff, you could smell the dust. Like magical fairy dust. The one which helps you locate missing items. Follow the sillage and you discover the bookkeeper's untold stories. You may have to burrow deep into the basement or clamber into cave like attics, but that often leads to the best discoveries.
Oh! I would that I could. Books for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now that diet would keep me happy, content and quite healthy. Before I waltzed into 2017, I discovered a treasure island in the heart of London city and I could have asked for nothing more before 2016 came to an end.
Each bookstore is like a treasure island, hiding deep secrets in the highest shelves and enticing me with beautiful leather bound spines. The older the place, higher the shelves and deeper the secrets.
I have been on the hunt for antique bookstores for a while now. On prowl, I often visit quaint streets and calm lanes, away from the crowd. Breaking all my assumptions, the recent one I discovered, is in the heart of London and ever so exquisite. Any street in Leicester Square is full of people in the evenings. Drinks, food and good times. Come one, come all, Leicester square has something for everyone. The chatter and vehicles buzzing past me drown every sense one could feel, and still I walked steadfastly on my trail. My wonderful smartphone was thirsty and unable to help. The snapshot of the map lived in my head. Mouth watering sweet smell from cafes alongside called out to my never ending hunger, but the envisaged smell of old pages was far more enticing.
A crossing, a left turn, and lo behold! Wedged between cafes and diners, surrounded by people looking everywhere but there, a small door, almost invisible to the everyday passer by. The insides were lined with books. Books on walls, all the way up to the ceiling. Books spread across the floor, that you need to tiptoe your way in. Every nook and corner was filled with books and the smell of yellowing pages. Amidst the smell of pages and ink, if you were to take a tiny whiff, you could smell the dust. Like magical fairy dust. The one which helps you locate missing items. Follow the sillage and you discover the bookkeeper's untold stories. You may have to burrow deep into the basement or clamber into cave like attics, but that often leads to the best discoveries.
“You can't eat books, sweetheart.”
Oh! I would that I could. Books for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now that diet would keep me happy, content and quite healthy. Before I waltzed into 2017, I discovered a treasure island in the heart of London city and I could have asked for nothing more before 2016 came to an end.
Very thought provoking indeed.
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