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If you love books and reading, but also design and lifestyle, take note of these cool bookshops around the world and pop in when you have the chance! They make for interesting cultural destinations, with their cool designs, unexpected locations and host of offerings.
1) KID'S REPUBLIC PICTURE BOOK STORE, BEIJING
Photo: Beijing Poplar Culture Project
Step into a whimsical wonderland, with colours snaking across the ceiling and up the stairs and circular reading cubby holes fitting snugly into bookshelves. With its curved lines and organic shapes, the space encourages exploration and interaction and is sure to delight the young and young at heart.
Designed by Sako Architects, a Beijing-based firm of Japanese architect Keiichiro Sako, Kid's Republic is one of China's first and most extensive children's bookstores. It offers more than 3,000 illustrated storybooks in Chinese, English and Japanese.
Where: 39 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Jianwai Soho, Building 13, First floor, 1362, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
Open: 10am to 6.30pm daily
Info: www.poplar.com.cn
2) ATTA GALATTA, BANGALORE
Photo: Atta Galatta
Atta Galatta became a community space for cultural events from the start, entertaining adults and children with book launches, poetry readings, film screenings and musical performances, where like-minded people could meet and contribute their art and ideas.
Comfortable sofas, tables and chairs on the first floor provide patrons with a pleasant place to read. There is even a cafe and bakery onsite offering South Indian-style drip coffee, sandwiches, cakes and bread rolls. These have become so popular that the Atta Galatta brand of baked goods is now sold at most supermarkets in Bangalore.
Atta Galatta specialises in Indian-language books, carrying 12,000 titles in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and Bengali as well as Indian literature written in English. It also occasionally sells items created by its patrons, such as handmade bookmarks, art pieces and cloth bags.
Where: 134, KHB Colony, 5th Block, Koramangala, Bangalore, India
Open: 11am to 8.30pm (Tuesday to Sunday)
Info: www.attagalatta.com
3) LIBRAIRIE AVANT-GARDE, NANJING
Photo: Librairie Avant-Garde
Situated in an underground carpark, an unlikely location of what was dubbed China's most beautiful bookshop by American news channel CNN in 2013, Librairie Avant-Garde has art mixed with books.
A pair of parallel yellow road markings remain and lead the way to a large black cross which dominates the wall at one end of a cavernous hall - the idea being that reading is a religion. Even the cashier counter is well read, given that it is made from thousands of old books.
There is a sizeable collection of social science and humanities books, though they are largely in Chinese. For those who wish to linger in the 4,000 sq m space, there are plenty of seats as well as a cafe.
Where: 173 Guangzhou Lu, Gulou District, Nanjing, China
Open: 10am to 9pm (Monday to Thursday), 10am to 10pm (Friday), 9.30am to 10pm (weekend)
Info: weibo.com/nanjingxianfeng
4) READINGS, MELBOURNE
Photo: Readings
Since the opening of its flagship store in the Carlton neighbourhood of Melbourne in 1969, Readings has been a beloved champion of Australian literature. Though it has expanded to include five stores in Melbourne, with two more set to open later this year, Readings has maintained its independent bookstore vibe.
Each shop has its own character and the books sold reflect the varied tastes and passions of its staff. A Readings Monthly newsletter features staff reviews and author interviews, and three of its bookstores hold about 250 events a year such as book launches, panel discussions, musical performances and storytelling for children.
Where: 309 Lygon Street, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
Open: 9am to 11pm (Monday to Saturday), 10am to 9pm (Sunday)
Info: www.readings.com.au
5) DAIKANYAMA TSUTAYA BOOKS, TOKYO
Photo: Daikanyama Tsutaya Books
Sleek and modern in its aesthetic, yet decidedly retro in its tastes, Daikanyama Tsutaya Books updates what people loved best about old- fashioned bookstores for present day.
Outside, the store's simple rectangular structure with a bright white facade of interlacing Ts belies the cosy, softly lit space within. Designed by award-winning Tokyo-based firm Klein Dytham Architecture, the store is split between three buildings which are connected in the ground level by a 55m aisle called Magazine Street.
Six book departments - cuisine; travel; cars and motorcycles; architecture and design; art; and humanities and literature - extend off the aisle into wings where pristine rows and shelves of books are interspersed with deep leather armchairs for reading. Thousands of music albums and DVDs are available too, with a dedicated concierge for specialised recommendations. Customers can sample more than 1,000 jazz, rock, pop and classical music albums at 40 seated listening stations in the store. If a classic movie title is not available on DVD, the concierge will make a copy for you.
On the second floor, in the Anjin Library & Lounge, customers will find a salon where they can have coffee or a whisky from the bar and browse a collection of rare books and 30,000 vintage magazines from around the world. The store also offers a travel desk, a camera shop, a restaurant and a stationery department where customers can buy speciality paper, utensils and pens. Monogramming is available as a same-day service.
Where: 17-5 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Open: First floor from 7 till 2am daily; second floor from 9 till 2am daily
Info: real.tsite.jp/daikanyama/english/index.html
6) ESLITE SPECTRUM XINYI STORE, TAIPEI
Photo: Eslite Corporation
It is not just a bookstore, it is also a lifestyle destination. Besides the 250,000 titles lining the rows of shelves spread over 8,000 sq m, the flagship store of Taiwan's Eslite chain offers fashion, food, music and movies as well as design and craft items, including those from local cult brands such as Mogu.
In terms of convenience, it is hard to beat as it is connected to City Hall MRT station. While it attracts 12 million visitors a year, it still manages to feel cosy and inviting.
Where: 11 Songgao Road, Xinyi District, Taipei
Open: 10am to midnight
Info: www.eslitecorp.com
7) ZOMBIE BOOKS, BANGKOK
Photo: Zombie Books
Opened less than two months ago, Zombie Books is already forging a reputation as a trendy indie space for buying books and hanging out. More than 10,000 books, from contemporary fiction by Japanese author Haruki Murakami to graphic novels and vintage English children's books, are artfully displayed on pale wood shelves across the first floor.
Anyone looking for a quiet place to read can head up to the second floor's co-working and gallery space. Those in need of a little excitement can continue up to the third floor, where a bar, decorated with an eclectic mix of multi-coloured glass chandeliers and 1970s era sci-fi movie prints and posters, serves coffee and cocktails, and hosts live bands on Friday and Saturday nights.
Where: 21/118 Royal City Avenue Block D, Soi Soonvijai, Rama 9 Road, Bangkapi, Huai Khwang, Bangkok, Thailand
Open: 10.30am to 9pm (Monday), 10.30am to midnight (Tuesday to Sunday)
Info: www.facebook.com/z.books.rca/timeline
This article was first published in The Straits Times.