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Two years ago I fulfilled what had been a decade-long dream of visiting a town in Wales called Hay-on-Wye. My best friends and I had gone to Ireland for our 40th birthdays, and I tacked a couple days on to go visit Hay with the friend who was going to travel in England for another week. The travel took most of the day, but we got to Hay, and it was kind of glorious. We all figured it would not live up to my 10 years of built-up expectations, but .. OMG it was so amazing!
There's about 20 bookstores in a town of 1500 people. The town itself is old with cobblestone streets and little alleys. There's a half-ruined castle at the middle of the town with basically a used bookstore set up against its walls, where you can take any book for 1 pound that you deposit in an honesty box. There's also a used bookstore in an old cinema that has multiple floors filled with used books. I basically rampaged through the town for the 48 hours I was there, blowing an insane amount of money on books that I had shipped home. Honestly, I want nothing more than to go back.
Until that happens, I'm thinking about where else I might go. There's supposed to be a bookstore-focused town in upstate New York, and I've been thinking about heading to Minneapolis to check out Louise Erdrich's bookstore - she's one of my favorite authors.
Just curious if anyone else had a book travel experience that they would recommend.
Two years ago I fulfilled what had been a decade-long dream of visiting a town in Wales called Hay-on-Wye. My best friends and I had gone to Ireland for our 40th birthdays, and I tacked a couple days on to go visit Hay with the friend who was going to travel in England for another week. The travel took most of the day, but we got to Hay, and it was kind of glorious. We all figured it would not live up to my 10 years of built-up expectations, but .. OMG it was so amazing!
There's about 20 bookstores in a town of 1500 people. The town itself is old with cobblestone streets and little alleys. There's a half-ruined castle at the middle of the town with basically a used bookstore set up against its walls, where you can take any book for 1 pound that you deposit in an honesty box. There's also a used bookstore in an old cinema that has multiple floors filled with used books. I basically rampaged through the town for the 48 hours I was there, blowing an insane amount of money on books that I had shipped home. Honestly, I want nothing more than to go back.
Until that happens, I'm thinking about where else I might go. There's supposed to be a bookstore-focused town in upstate New York, and I've been thinking about heading to Minneapolis to check out Louise Erdrich's bookstore - she's one of my favorite authors.
Just curious if anyone else had a book travel experience that they would recommend.
No, but yours sounds fantastic! Look forward to answers in this thread.
I love bookstores too, especially the non-chain stores, though there are increasingly fewer than in years past in the US.
Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the town, but when I went to Norway there was a little town in the fjords that had a lot of bookshops. Used books mainly. We took a ferry there and I hung around for a while before we moved on. Also unfortunately, most of the books were in Norwegian, though I did manage to find a couple of English books!
No, but yours sounds fantastic! Look forward to answers in this thread.
I love bookstores too, especially the non-chain stores, though there are increasingly fewer than in years past in the US.
I know. One of the big appeals of moving to Denver was the Tattered Cover. LOVE that place.
If you get the chance to go to Hay, do it. The food and countryside are lovely, and the bookstores are just so delightful. They range from beautifully furnished ones with all the newest publications to those kind of dingy little basements that have all sorts of hidden treasures. You can take a break and have a lovely lunch of tea and scones in a little tea shop that's located in a 15th century barn. My head exploded repeatedly on that trip - but you know, in a good way.
Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the town, but when I went to Norway there was a little town in the fjords that had a lot of bookshops. Used books mainly. We took a ferry there and I hung around for a while before we moved on. Also unfortunately, most of the books were in Norwegian, though I did manage to find a couple of English books!
That kind of sounds like torture! All those books and you'd need a translator to read them - lol.
I know. One of the big appeals of moving to Denver was the Tattered Cover. LOVE that place.
If you get the chance to go to Hay, do it. The food and countryside are lovely, and the bookstores are just so delightful. They range from beautifully furnished ones with all the newest publications to those kind of dingy little basements that have all sorts of hidden treasures. You can take a break and have a lovely lunch of tea and scones in a little tea shop that's located in a 15th century barn. My head exploded repeatedly on that trip - but you know, in a good way.
I took a road trip to Nashville to go to Parnassus, Ann Patchett's bookstore. She wasn't there that day, but the store and the people working there and the shop dog were delightful! Definitely worth the trip!
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Look forward to answers in this thread.
