Reading in Reykjavík

I love second-hand bookshops and (by extension) second-hand books. The number of second-hand bookshops in Reykjaví­k has dropped severely since I was a teenager. Most of the shops I remember from my forays into the city in those years were situated on the fringes of the city centre, away from the main shopping streets, sometimes skulking inside residential areas. The windows were usually dirty enough to allow only a dim view of the inside, and once you opened the door, the shops were tiny and stuffed with books from floor to ceiling, with hoards of more books in boxes, piles and stacks on creaky wooden floors. They all seemed to be run by old men who sat in ancient office chairs (that leaked stuffing) and looked benignly on as you rifled through the collections of dusty books. If you were lucky, you could find treasures for next to nothing, books that don't seem to be available anywhere anymore. This was before the flea market opened. The only good thing about buying books at the f...

I love visiting unusual bookshops and libraries, and the Selexyz Dominicanen bookshop in Maastricht in the Netherlands is just such a place. It is located in an old church, which undeniably makes it unusual. Many old libraries have a somewhat church-like atmosphere, and I think it would be interesting to visit a bookshop with such an atmosphere. Click the post title to read an article about this special bookshop. Here is a link to Flickr images from the bookshop: Selexyz Dominicanen

Uppáhalds bókabúðin , originally uploaded by Netla . Although I buy most of my second-hand books at a local charity shop, this is the book-shop that is closest to my heart. I can browse in there for hours, just looking at book after book and soaking up the atmosphere. Clicking on the image will take you to a bigger version. Technocrati tags: Iceland bookshop , Reykjavik bookshop , second hand books