Exploring the bookstores of Paris
by Sarina Chandaria
Paris is a city of literature, perhaps even more so than love; you can see it in the furrowed brows of readers on the métro, in the bouquinistes whose ever-green shelves encourage a slower than usual walk down the banks of the Seine and of course, in the many bookstores dotted about the city. Paris has a history steeped in literature, and this deep love for the written word can be seen all over the city. While Shakespeare and Company remains a beautiful haven for all bookworms in search of their next read and a pastry at the café next door, here are some less-visited options to add to your list of literary lieux in Paris.
Les Mots à La Bouche
Originally opened in the Marais, this LGTBQ+ bookshop has found its new home in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. Les Mots à La Bouche, which translates roughly to ‘the words in the mouth”, is the last specifically LGTBQ+ bookstore left in Paris. With a bright blue storefront and collage of books jostling for room in the window display, this is a bookstore that draws the eye (and then your whole self) over to take a peek. In addition to books in French and English on genres from feminist science fiction to essay collections to heartwarming queer romances, the store also holds book signings, author talks, magazine launches and discussion groups to help build a sense of bookish queer community and belonging.
La Rue Anarchist Library — Groupe Louise-Michel
A place that prides itself on being difficult — difficult to find (tucked away down a street in South Pigalle), difficult to access (inexplicably only open Saturday’s from 3.30 to 6pm) and proudly difficult in their politics (it being an anarchist library). While most of the conversation and books are in French, it is the kind of bookshop you want to linger in. So, if you make it within this idiosyncratically specific window, you’ll find something more than a library-bookshop — La Rue Anarchist is a place for conversation, a drink and to learn something new. You never know, you just might find yourself beginning to channel the radical energy of Louise Michelle, the 1800s heroine of the French Left whose image is emblazoned on the door.
Comme un Roman
I came across this place just after emerging from Marché des Enfants Rouge where I was having lunch while taking shelter from an epic afternoon rain-shower. Struck by the window display, I wandered in and knew that I was immediately about to lose at least half an hour of my day looking through the shelves of this two level bookstore. I was well rewarded with their incredible selection of non-fiction titles, especially by their huge selection of feminist and queer literature! While the majority of their titles are in French, it’s a great place to find beautiful coffee table books on fashion and art (very apropos to its location in Le Marais). They also have a great selection of French graphic novels which are a perfect way for those, like me, who are still grappling with the language.
Merci
A store within a café-bar within a store, this Russian doll of a place invites you to stay a while. Peruse the floor to ceiling shelves of secondhand books in multiple languages, where you never quite know what you will find. Nonetheless, you can do all your explorations with a strong coffee in hand, or after 6pm with a cocktail! If you wander to the back of the store you’ll be rewarded by a very well curated boutique store, which would be a great place to update your wardrobe à la mode parisienne.
Abbey Bookshop
On this site since 1989, this little bookish bolthole is a haven for city readers looking for an English title. With its precariously balanced ladders, narrow book-lined corridors that require you n to get a bit close and personal with your fellow readers on occasion and mish-mash patterned rugs lining the floor, Abbey Bookshop is a literary labyrinth. Turn right after contemporary American fiction and you might find yourself at current affairs or go straight on for science fiction and musicology. Whether you’re here in search of something in particular or happy to see what serendipitous encounter you might have amongst these shelves where World Ceramics cosily leans against a Compendium of Greek Mythology, you’ll be welcomed by the amiable and chatty staff who encourage you grab a cup of coffee from outside and stay awhile. When I left, Hemingway in hand (my original choice of edition having been replaced with one the owner thought I might prefer), I said, “Thanks, and have a lovely day!”. He chuckled, and said “Thank you, and well really I guess…have a lovely life!”. As I walked down the street, I smiled to myself at this now cherished memory of two strangers connected by a bookshop who, without reservation, wished each other a lovely life indeed.
Check out the rest of Sarina’s Paris recommendations on Bimble
All photos Sarina’s unless credited otherwise.
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