A book lover’s guide to Barcelona

Two weeks ago, I visited Barcelona and had the chance to seek out three bookshops that caught my eye.  Before stepping foot into sunny Spain I stumbled across an article in The Guardian describing all the wonderful shops to visit as a book lover. I thought the idea of browsing the shops in a different country would be a very cool experience – one that did not disappoint.

Shop 1

The first shop I went to was called Compra-Venda De Llibres which was just around the corner from our hotel. It was in a very small but quaint room, filled with tons of beautiful ancient books. This bookshop was quite old fashioned but had a lot of character to it, which I loved. There was also piles and piles of paperbacks to purchase in a wide variety of languages for just one euro (bargain!)

What did I buy?

The Lady in the Morgue (Pocket Books) by Jonathan Latimer

Blurb:

Who’s got the body?

The unidentified nude blonde was found hanging from her own bathroom. SUICIDE? 

The corpse was sent to the morgue, where it disappeared. BODY SNATCHING?

The morgue attendant was found dead. So was the left handed undertaker. MURDER?

Private eye William Crane had to get the answers. 

Cost: 1 Euro

Shop 2

I went to Llibreria Antiquaria Studio which was very similar to the first shop I visited, but bigger. They had lots of old volumes of various novels. Some were protected in plastic covers. The books were a little pricier and they did not have a selection for a bargain price as the previous did. But the quiet space was very exciting to explore. I didn’t buy anything in this shop – as difficult as it was to walk away empty handed.

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Shop 3

The last shop, La Central, was one of those recommended in the newspaper article. Though it was much bigger than either of the first two, with a lot more choice including newer releases, I preferred the others as they were very rustic.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy wandering up and down the aisles of La Central. They had sections of books in various languages across the entire shop.  I looked at the English section but they had everything I could have picked up at Waterstones so I kept looking. Then I came across a bunch of novels written in Spanish that had been translated into English.

What did I buy?

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Cesar Aira (Shanty Town) by Chris Andrews

Blurb:

A corrupt, trigger-happy policeman will use anyone (including two innocent teenage girls) to break up a drug ring that he believes is operating within Buenos Aires’s famed shantytown. Shantytown combine’s Aira’s “fascination with urban violence and the sinister side of Latin American Politics” (The Millions) with the kindness of strangers,  a bizarre new drug, a secret code within a carousel of pirated lights, and murder. Like all of Aira’s mesmerising work, Shantytown is filled with wonder and man invention. 

Cost: 11.50 Euro

They also had a wide range of gifts to buy – from mugs to stationary. I ended up buying this really nice notebook too.

Cost: 3.25 Euro

Do you like visiting bookshops while travelling abroad? Let us know by commenting below or tweet @Bookwormgirl_24!