My Dream Bookshop by Melissa Hill
My ideal bookshop is pretty much Chaucer’s in A GIFT TO REMEMBER. Since childhood I’ve always felt most at home in a bookstore, and being in a space cocooned by books is my ultimate comfort zone.The shop of my dreams is again very similar to how I describe Chaucer’s. Out front, Victorian paneled bay windows would evoke old-fashioned storefronts of times gone by, as would the wrought iron scroll-effect purple-on-gold store sign (purple being my favourite colour).
Inside would be a snug and inviting space with an olde-worlde vaguely Dickensian feel - oak wooden floorboards and high floor to ceiling hardwood bookshelves.
The interior itself would have quirky panache, but with a certain tattiness too; a lived-in, homely quality with separate areas for new as well as old books, and unusual genres. Quiet little nooks to get lost in, making browsers helplessly lose their bearings in the way any great bookshop should.
Ultimately it would have a homey comfortable atmosphere - the perfect place to spend an afternoon wandering amongst the shelves or hunting down elusive titles.
Primarily the store would carry an eclectic mix of carefully hand-picked modern literature in a variety of genres, early edition classics as well as popular bestsellers for both adults and children. It would also have its own special children’s nook, a space to curl up and read on their own or with storytelling parents, and surrounded by a choice of classic favourites that would make their eyes grow starry and their imaginations run wild.
For adults, the store would be a quiet and contemplative space as well as making it a pleasurable browsing experience for both booklovers and gift-seekers. Though bookshelves are so beautiful in themselves that they need little adornment, it would be good to create occasional displays of themed titles according to season. For example, books that would make perfect Christmas or Valentine’s Day gifts would be presented in ways that made them as irresistible as jewellery or chocolates.
The sales floor should ideally feel small and intimate, yet there would be an area to provide space for public readings, book groups and launches. Authors from all walks of life; both international bestsellers or locally published would be more than welcome to stop by for a visit or signing and have a coffee at the upstairs café, which handily turns into a wine bar or tapas bar at night.
Finally, my perfect bookshop is a space that feels as comfortable filled with people as it does if you’re the only shopper in there, with nothing but the best kind of company – walls upon walls of amazing books.
END
Thanks for stopping by today Melissa. I find myself regularly daydreaming about what my own bookshop would be like and whilst I was reading A Gift to Remember I though that Chaucer's sounded heavenly, it's great that your own dream bookshop would be very much the same!
Giveaway
I'm giving one of my UK readers the chance to win a signed copy of A Gift to Remember!
Simply read the rules and fill in the Rafflecopter to enter. Good luck!
Giveaway Rules
To enter you have to fill in the Rafflecopter
Open to UK residents only
End date: 14th July 2014
One winner will be drawn and contacted by email with 1 week to reply else another winner will be selected
Make sure you complete what the form asks of you - I do check! Any winner who has not completed an option will be disqualified
A Gift to Remember is available to buy now in all good bookshops
For more of my thoughts check out my review here.
