Hello my dear readers! I’m back from my little hiatus and from my trip to London. So basically I’m going to be sharing my experience in three consecutive (hopefully entertaining) posts. This first one is going to be about the different bookstores I visited. So without further ado, let’s begin!
#1 Water Stones
Just like Canada has Indigo and the U.S has Barnes and Nobles, U.K’s main chain of bookstores is Water Stones. These shops are HUGE! I kid you not, being in a Water Stones is like being in bookish heaven. They have large and varying collections of books and I honestly love their classical literature collection, it has like every classic you could ever imagine, plus they have the vintage editions which are just beautiful! However, they don’t have a very large collection of manga but comic books aren’t a problem. So if you plan to visit London, Water Stones should be a store on your to-do list.
#2 Foyles
Foyles, just like Water Stones is a chain of bookstores, although these are much smaller, they have a bit more of a modern feel to them, where as Water Stones are more antique or ancient. However, One thing I did like about Foyles was their graphic novel collection as it was considerably larger and their main outlet which is located at Charing Cross in Soho boasted a very large and diverse collection of crime fiction. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience there, definitely worth checking out.
#3 W.H Smiths
W.H Smiths is basically the place to go if you’re looking for a good deal. These stores are mostly located in malls or shopping centers and you generally don’t see them on their own. They pretty much carry all of the latest bestsellers and have small sections for each genre. However, if you’re looking for a good deal or bargain, you’re best bet is to head over to one these. They also have a large stationary section so if you ever find yourself trapped in a mall (I did, multiple times, thanks mum!) head over to one of these, and you’ll walk out with like three books and won’t be disappointed!
#4 The National Portrait Gallery Book Shop
Yes I understand, it’s an art gallery, how can it have a bookshop? Well I frankly don’t know why but what I do know is that the National Portrait Gallery has a beautiful collection of cloth bound classics and books about media, photography and visual art forms. They have a great collection of cloth bound classics. I managed to find ‘the hound of Baskervilles’ and ‘the Picture of Dorian Grey’. Definitely worth a visit, I’ll be talking about the gallery itself in the next post.
Well, that’s all I have for you right now. In the Next post, I’ll be talking about all the attractions and touristy stuff I did, so stayed tuned and happy reading!
The Paper Life 
