Bookstores and Libraries I Would Love to Find Myself In!

A huge part of being a dedicated bibliophile is that every-time you see a picture of a pretty bedroom or amazing library you want to read there and may just drool a little to do so. And so today, I decided to share some of the amazing bookstores, libraries, and reading nooks that I would love to curl up in a book with!

Powell’s Bookstore – Portland, Oregon

This place takes up practically an entire city block, and can be referred to as “City of Books”. How cool is that?

Liberia Aqua Alta – Venice, Italy

This bookstore looks like something out of a fairytale, and crams books into a huge part of its culture, literally. It packs books in gondolas!

Strand Bookstore –  New York, New York

People also refer to this bookstore as, ’18 Miles of Books’ sometimes. And the vibe that I assume this place would give off is one for the ages. One of the largest cities in the world and book-lovers flock to the bookstore to find their newest addiction!

Livraria Lello & Irmao – Porto, Portugal

This century old building is a piece of art in itself, and yet it houses a collection of literary art pieces as well. This bookstore is most popularly known for its ‘stairway to heaven’ or the ornate stairway that is featured in the building.

Shakespeare and Company – Paris, France

This is a bookstore rich in history as well as over-stuffed shelves. This bookstore apparently used to be a popular hangout for people like Earnest Hemingway, Ezra Pound and many others! Sadly, the place was closed during WWII but it re-opened in 1951 and has since been known for its amazing vibes and the amount of bibliophiles that flock through the doors.

Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève – Paris, France

While in Paris you may as well check out this utterly amazing, and jaw dropping library that is found within the city’s limits. The architecture of this place is actually so stunning that even the most amazing of books may fall second to the design of this iconic building.

Admont Abbey Library – Austria

When I first saw a picture of this library it immediately reminded me of the scene in Beauty and the Beast when he opens the doors to his library and Belle rushes in. It is really that beautiful, and is one of the top libraries on my list to visit!

The Codrington Library – All Souls College, Oxford

This library looks like the epicentre of knowledge and that is why I want to visit it so badly. Its grandeur is one to marvel at and I would love to do all my homework in this building as well as pleasure reading!

I am so angry at myself because I have been to the cities and/or countries of many of these places and just never thought to visit! Anyway, I hope you all got some travel inspiration from these photos and one day find yourself in one of these amazing places! I know that I hope I will!
Anyway, keep on designing your own catastrophe…

Hannah