10 Bookstores and Libraries to Visit
As a bookworm, I love visiting bookstores and libraries. There’s something extremely peaceful about being surrounded by books! So today, I’m sharing a list of 10 bookstores and libraries to visit around the world.
Hopefully one day I’ll be able to visit each and every one of these places!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl, where she assigns a new topic each week and we post a top ten list to go along with the theme!
5 Bookstores to Visit
Black Squirrel Books //📍Ottawa, Canada: I’ve been to Ottawa several times but I’ve never visited this bookstore! It looks so cute and their cafe sells local items, which is fantastic. They also buy and sell used books. If you donate books and they don’t find a use for it in their store, they’ll donate to the Ottawa Public Library!
Mosaic Books //📍Kelowna, Canada: In May I took a cruise from Los Angeles to Victoria, British Columbia. I absolutely loved the West Coast and hope to go back. I definitely want to make a stop at this book store – it’s an independent bookstore with similar vibes to Indigo!
Rizzoli Books //📍New York City, United States: I’ve never been to New York but this is definitely on my list to visit when I go! They’ve been open since 1964 and all the photos I’ve seen are beautiful!
Shakespeare and Company //📍Paris, France: This bookstore is probably on a lot of people’s list of places to visit! It’s an independent bookstore that’s been around since 1951. I was in Paris in 2013 but didn’t have the time to visit. I can’t wait to visit one day!
The Strand //📍New York City, United States: Another bookstore in New York that I can’t wait to visit! The Strand has new, used and rare out of print books, which is a great combination. I always see this store on BookTube so I can’t wait to visit someday!
5 Libraries to Visit
Boston Public Library //📍Boston, United States: This library is absolutely stunning! It was founded in 1852 and just honestly sounds like a dream to visit!
Central Library of Vancouver //📍Vancouver, Canada: This library branch in Vancouver looks incredible! It has some great books but I heard it also has outdoor spaces and retail shopping nearby which makes it a perfect one-stop visit!
New York Public Library //📍New York City, United States: The New York Public Library is apparently the second largest library in the United States. I might as well just add this to the list of things I want to do when I finally visit New York!
Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library //📍Toronto, Canada: This beautiful library is in my own backyard! It’s at the Univeristy of Toronto and looks so beautiful, I just have to visit it someday. It holds a lot of rare books and I believe it’s home to some of Margaret Atwood’s original manuscripts? If so, it’s really cool!
Trinity College Library //📍Dublin, Ireland: I have such a desperate desire to visit Ireland some day – I might as well add something book related to the list! This is apparently the largets library in Ireland! I can’t wait to check it out someday.
Well that’s my list of 10 bookstores and libraries to visit!
Let me know in the comments below some of the best bookstores and libraries you’ve visited! I’m sure I’ll love to check out your recommendations!
Love your choices!
I’d love to see the Fisher place.
It definitely looks cool! Hopefully we get to check it out someday! 😊
I’ve been to France but never Paris, and it’s on my bucket list anyway, so I’ll have to pop into Shakespeare and Company when I go.
I hope you get the chance!! 😊
Have fun this weekend!
I haven’t been to any of these libraries. I’m not sure how my husband would react if we were going to Paris and I said I wanted to visit a bookstore though!
Haha I know! That’s kind of like what my parents said when we were there! 😂
Trinity College Library is so big and beautiful. I think I could get happily lost in there. Great picks!
I completely agree! Thank you so much!
So many great and absolutely beautiful places on your list!! I’ve been to the Strand Bookstore and the NYPL, and they’re both some of my favourite places 🙂 Trinity College library was the first big library I ever visited and I was quite honestly speechless. And Shakespeare and Co. is such a classic! I’ve never been there, and I am forever shaking my head at the fact that I didn’t even know it existed when I visited Paris.
That’s amazing – you’ve been to so many of them! Ugh, I know the feeling. I really wanted to go but it was vetoed haha! Hopefully next time for both of us!
Oh my god I was in Kelowna and didn’t know about Mosaic! Gotta go back to visit my friend that lives in Penticton just to go!
Yay!! I hope you get around to it!!
I think Shakespeare and Co is a staple of many lists for this one — it is on mine! I liked your library list!
I completely agree! Thank you so much 😊
Love this list! 💜
Trinity College Library was on my list this week too!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/16/top-ten-tuesday-181/
I’ve heard incredible things about Rizzoli and Shakespeare and Company. Would love to visit someday!
Definitely!! I hope you do 🙂
I’d love to visit pretty much all of these libraries as well… 🙂
Lauren @ Always Me
Yay, happy to hear that!
Such a great list!! I just wish I visited these places so badly! Ahh there’s a gorgeous library in Toronto, Canada, I must go soon as it’s not that far! I also really want to visit a bookstore in New York and one in Paris one day! Great post 🙂
Also, your website format is stunning!
Aww, thank you so much! That makes two of us – hopefully we visit someday!