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From noon until 4pm on Saturday, October 25th, prepare yourself for the longest night of the year (yes, the 25th is the change of time) by bringing in your well loved and read books and going home with other pre-loved books. Bring one (or more!) gently used books and exchange it with any book from our pre-loved selection, or one that a fellow customer has brought in! This October, our book swap is also a small celebration for our 17 years in serv...

We are excited to have Romana Iorga in the bookshop on Thursday, June 19th, reading from her new book of poetry, Temporary Skin. If you’ve read or heard any of her poems before, you’ll know that she is a wizard with words, and I can’t wait to hear her read from this new collection! In Romana Iorga’s Temporary Skin, the wound pulses, the grave beckons, the weather changes. The past is ever near, and the past is irretrievable. Folklo...

Science journalist and writer Laura Spinney is coming to the bookshop on 5th June to talk about her latest book Proto : How One Ancient Language Went Global. The book explores how one language emerged from the last ice age before exploding around the world until today its descendants constitute the world’s largest language family, and are the thread that connects Dante’s Inferno to the Rig Veda, The Lord of the Rings to the love poetry of Rum...

We are pleased to announce that the writer Paul Scraton is coming back to the bookshop on Friday, 23rd May to talk about his latest novel A Dream of White Horses. I have admired Paul’s work since he published In the Pines, and even travelled to Berlin for the launch of this book. In some ways, very appropriate as the story is about journeys, with Ben travelling from London to a small German island to see his friend Pascal, who is in hi...

After being in a bit of a reading slump, I’ve managed to get myself out of it, thanks to some really good books! Coincidentally, two of the better books I’ve read lately (basically one after the other) both had footnotes. Who doesn’t love a good footnote? I find they’re generally used to interject humour, which we can all use more of these days! Saint Death’s Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney Genre: Fantasy This book has been on my ...

We cordially invite you to the Grand Opening of Books Books Books this Saturday, 3rd May, at our new address at Rue du Valentin 1. We have a few thousand more books, including new sections for poetry-lovers, crime-enthusiasts, romance-readers and fans of fiction in translation. On Saturday, the talented singer-songwriter JayD will play an acoustic set on his guitar at 10.30. At 14.00 we will serve tea and yummy, home-made scones. Finally, a CHF 1...

We are closed 24th and 25th April, reopening at our new place on Saturday, 25th at 9am!...

The shelves have had their last lick of varnish, the elusive electrician was finally cornered and, as I write these words, Rachel is placing the first of 1000’s of new books on the shelves of the new bookshop. We are moving from our current location on Thursday, 24th & Friday 25th April, so if you need to stock up on books now’s your chance as we will be closed on those days. In the meantime, our second-hand books are CHF 1, and w...

Our last used books swap was so popular, we’re doing it again! Join us on Saturday, November 30th, from 10am-2pm. Come by with your used books, and take one new-to-you used book for every book you bring (no textbooks, manuals, or encyclopedias, please!). We look forward to seeing you there!...

Perhaps you’ve strolled by the bookshop lately and noticed our new window display. Why paper cranes ? Why a thousand paper cranes ? (français suit) Origami (the Japanese art of folding paper) cranes are a symbol of hope and peace in Japan. The story starts when seventh grader Sodako gets diagnosed with leukemia, after the fall of Hiroshima’s atomic bomb. Despite this, she stays hopeful for her rehabilitaion. A visiting friend of hers s...

New Second-hand Book Room!

… and a sale! <<< You may have heard rumours about a new space for second-hand books in the bookshop, and I’m happy to announce that as of today it is open!   As part of our great reorganising, we have two bookcases full of select second-hand books that are on sale 3 for CHF 5.  >>>     In honour of our new space, we’re also extending the 3 for CHF 5 sale to all smaller A-format second...

The Salt Path, by Raynor Winn

If Poldark gave you a yen to explore the Cornish coastline, your next read must be The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. A Sunday Times bestseller, shortlisted in 2018 for the Costa biography book award and the Wainright Golden Beer Book Prize, this account of Ray and Moth Winn’s 630-mile hike from Minhead to Poole along the South West Coast Path will make you dig out your walking shoes. The venture begins with sadness as, in the space of a w...

Rachel’s Reading: Naomi Novik

Genres: Fantasy, Alternate History   If you’ve asked me for fantasy recommendations at the bookshop before, odds are I’ve suggested Uprooted by Naomi Novik at some point, as it is an excellent stand-alone fantasy novel. Her new book, Spinning Silver, is in the same vein as this one. Synopsis: Will dark magic claim their home? Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s too kind-hearted to co...

Rachel’s Reading Non-Fiction

Genres: Non-Fiction – Memoir, Popular Science   Well booklovers, you may recall that last year I decided to try and read more non-fiction, and it went… not great. I’m doing better this year, as I’ve already read multiple non-fiction books. The standout for me so far has been Educated, by Tara Westover – the day I started it, it kept me up reading late into the night until I finished it! I had been hearing about it...

Rachel Recommends: Circe

Genres: Fiction/Mythology   I finally got around to reading Circe by Madeline Miller the other week, and I couldn’t put it down. I blew through it in a day or two. It’s beautifully written, with vivid, poetic language – which I don’t always like in books, however it worked so well in this one. It tells the story of the mythological witch Circe, from her own perspective. Synopsis:   In the house of Helios, god o...

What Rachel Read – December

Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Children’s   Okay booklovers, I’m a bit behind on this one, seeing as how we’re at the beginning of February! In my defence, it’s been quite busy at the bookshop, as a new semester starts and students come back for their next literature reads! I got a lot of reading done over the Christmas holidays, and one of the highlights for me was Red Sister by Mark Lawrence – I was hooked from the fi...

What Rachel’s Reading: Six of Crows

Genre: Fantasy, YA   Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo has been on my TBR list for awhile, however at the first bookshop birthday party at the beginning of the month, it was highly recommended to me by a customer (and I must say, so far customers who have highly recommended books to me have been right on!), so I bumped it to the front of my reading list, and I’m glad I did! This is a great read, a heist book somewhat reminiscent ...

Rachel’s Summer-ish Reads: The Parasol Protectorate

Genre: Fantasy/Steampunk As mentioned in my last post, my summer reading was dominated by Hugh Howey’s Wool Trilogy, and about a dozen books by Gail Carriger! I had read Gail Carriger’s Etiquette & Espionage in July (the first in her YA series), and in August quickly blew through the rest of The Finishing School series. These books were a blast – finishing school for intelligencers (spies) in a floating, steampunk scho...