bookcases

Books Around The World (U.K and Poland) 2

 in Books / Food / Fun / Interesting / Travel by

So for my spring vacation I headed off to Europe, specifically the U.K. and Poland, for some family  matters however, while I’m so used to going there, this time I looked out for book related stuff. Because you know..book! <3

So near my little house by Manchester Airport, is a Waterstone’s in Wilmslow which is so adorable and very modern!

books of europe

I love visiting Waterstone’s and seeing all of the absolutely beautiful books, wonderfully organized displays, and it’s all so perfect there. Of course, I do love bookstores that are cluttered and smaller as well as they ave a more home-like feel, however Waterstone’s is very European and it’s know for being so precise.

books of europe books of europe books of europe

Additionally, England has this store called John Lewis. It’s kind of like a Lord and Taylor in America or an up-market clothing store, however they also sell things from furniture to cups, wallpaper and more! One thing they sell is this beautiful mug. It says “HURRAY! TIME FOR HOT CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOWS AND A GOOD BOOK.” You can purchase it here. I’m hoping to get it soon as it’s really big and so perfect!

books of europe

And what’s better than after shopping at Marks and Spencer (another clothing place) than going for tea and coffee and other yummy treats?

books of europe

Finally, when in Poland I stayed at the Hotel Na Polboru, which is a beautiful hotel outside of Sieradz, Poland. I do recommend checking it out if you ever are in that area. the food is fantastic. They also have this bookcase there, which I am assuming, you can borrow books from to go and read. Either way, it was a nice focal point.

books of europe books of europe

Also, there was a small bookstore in a shopping mall that had a nice selection of books. It was quite interesting to see all of your favorite book covers in other languages!

books of europe

And finally, my small home in the U.K. has a room stuffed with books which is always so much fun to go and pursue through. I always seem to find something new. My goal next time I’m there is to go through them all! And also reorganize as it’s a little messy xD

Overall, while there are many similarities between book shops in the U.S. and around the world, there are subtle changes that make each countries book niche unique.

When I head off to Japan this summer, I’m going to be stopping by one of the most famous book shops in Japan (which is just around the corner from where I will be staying), so that will be such an experience. I’ll also be trying to find other shops that sell books and hope to, over time, see many book places around the world and see how ever shop is unique.

(Question of the day) QOTD: What’s the most interesting book place you have visited, and why?

Resist The Change: E-Books 4

 in Books by

While I recognize the convenience about e-books – while they fit on your phone or tablet, and you can carry around an entire library in your pocket versus having to lug it all around – I truly believe that hard books are the way to go.

Now of course, if you want that fluff romance book that is 99 cents then go for it because why pay $3 when you will probably read it once.

However if it is a book that you want to re-read or a bigger book with a more complex story, then purchasing it is the way to go. Just think, if you pick up a hard book when you are older that you read when you were younger, you have memories associated with the book; that coffee stain from when you had that snow day 30 years ago, the crinkled pages from crying over a specific chapter, the smell of cooking that may linger in the pages to this day.

You can’t have any of this with an e-book. Sure you still have the story, but you don’t have the pages of memories. Just like elephants, books always remember.

Library bookcase

In respose to the Daily Post: Resist

My Bookshelf Tour!!!

 in Bookcase / Books by

MLCWO

Everyone has to do their bookshelf tour, whether it be just describing what’s there to showing, and since I’m new to the whole YouTube world and was looking for something to film, I figured that sharing a small tour of my bookshelf could be fun.

Yes, it’s definitely kind of messy…but it hasn’t been updated in years.

What’s on your bookshelf that definitely should be updated (like my picture books)? What’s one of the strangest books on your bookshelf?

Should Books Be Used For Decoration or Not?

 in Bookcase / Books by

Now this is a topic which my mother and I have recently discussed a little bit due to us spending time looking at home decor ideas just for the heck of it. A lot of designers like to use books to decorate spaces and they apparently even sell books now that are blank and just used for decoration!

Now don’t get me wrong, when you have a bookshelf, the books on that bookshelf are decoration. You try and choose books with nice covers and spines usually so if they are in a prominent location, they are pleasing to the eye. Such as mine. It looks like the books on my shelf have been used and it’s colorful. They aren’t uniform or anything like that.

FullSizeRender (2)

But then you have bookshelves that are more pristine and uniformed, but the books are still being used and read. They aren’t used for decoration to just sit there and look pretty.

bookshelf

kirbymuseum.org

But then you have designer bookshelves. There is this new idea which has emerged that you don’t show your book spines so that you can find the book and see the pretty color of the book which you purchased. Oh no. You put the books in backward so you just see the pages.

backwards bookshelf

maisondecor8.blogspot.com

backwards books

apartmenttherapy.com

Sure, the bookshelves look uniform and whatever, but what is the point of this?! I completely disagree with it. I mean you can’t see what the books are at all. If you had those blank books that weren’t for reading and were just to decorate, then maybe do something like this, but why buy blank books?! Just purchase real books! I mean come on. Or if you don’t have enough books, don’t have a bookshelf and defile it like this.

Personally, and it may be seen as harsh, I see this as an extremely stupid idea. Maybe it looks all pleasing to the eye, but it is a bookshelf. Not a thing-where-you-put-out-things-with-bound-pages-but-you-don’t-know-what-it-is shelf.

I highly disagree with this but this of course is my personal opinion. People seem to be loving this now but I just hope that it is non-book lovers who do this.

All you book lovers out there, what is your opinion on this? Would you do it? Do you agree with it?

I can’t be the only one who feels this way.