Portal to a different world

If books are journeys to different worlds, then bookshops are the portals to them. Crammed with book-shaped passports to foreign intrigues, magical adventures and lives more remarkable or inspiring than our own. This week's bookshop is definitely such a portal, opening a wormhole between Baker Street in London and the golden, spice-laden streets* of Egypt.

But first a confession, I discovered this bookshop a long time ago and visited it over a year ago, during a very busy bookshop crawl. Which means these words come to you very late indeed, but the best things come to those who wait, so back to those spice-laden streets.

The Egyptian Alef Bookstore may not have the scent of the country but it was definitely golden, with late afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows and making the shelves glow as if made of the precious metal. In reality the shelves were filled with something more special than gold: books.

A combination of remarkable reads any bookshop would be proud to display and Arabic titles I have no idea the contents of, there was much to discover on those shelves. I enjoyed the balance of the stock I do have the ability to read, with novels I recognised placed alongside what appeared to be a good variety of Egyptian titles and a large section of non-fiction too.

As good as the books I recognised were (the popular science section particularly appealed), it was the Egyptian titles that appealed to me the most – and the promise of being transported to a different world.

I had no idea where to start with the various recommendations, so instead I did what I do best and approached the booksellers for help. The man who stepped forward had the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, and while I was mesmerised he politely listened to my plea for help and discussed what I was looking for before selecting his favourite book for me to try: Beer in the Snooker Club by Waguih Ghali.

Which brings me to the other reason this blog is so delayed. In order to give a full picture of my experience I wanted to read the book before I wrote about the bookshop. Only I buy so many books and pick my next actual read so randomly (according to whichever unread title is in front of me at the time) that this one kept missing that rare golden moment of opportunity. Which is a crying shame because once I did finally reach that time I could not put the book down. I laughed, I cried, I swore, I related and I disagreed. All in just 224 pages. It was a remarkable read and even when scenes occurred in Britain it succeeded in transporting me to that different world and opening my eyes to how different our personal experiences can be.

In a world of increasing divisions and suspicions it's more important than ever to learn about our fellow humans who are both the same and different to ourselves. Egypt may be one country among many, but I figure it's as good a place as any to start. After all, as I said at the beginning, bookshops start us on journeys to different worlds – why shouldn't those worlds be close to our own?


Alef Bookstore
219 Baker Street, London, NW1 6XE
Tel: 020 7935 4311
@Alef_UK


*It may be around a decade since I visited the country but – thanks to a few days in Aswan – that is how I'll always remember it.

Annual review #4: An apology and a promise

Tomorrow marks the fourth anniversary of the bookshop blog, but you'd be forgiven for forgetting to wish it a happy birthday.

Look down the list of blogs posted and you'll see I've not written about a bookshop for almost a month, and that on more than one occasion this year I've failed to stick to my one bookshop per week promise. For that I apologise.

There's been no deliberate snub and this blog is definitely not finished, but since I sat down to write my manifesto so many years ago, my life has changed – in no small part as a result of this bookshopping hobby – and recently other commitments have had to, temporarily, take priority.

One key thing is that I've moved house, which means although the bookshop blog books were the first thing unpacked, my life still looks a lot like this:

and I can't easily post my annual photograph of how the book collection has progressed. Hopefully I'll remedy that in the near future.

Meantime, some highlights from my past year of bookshop blogging have to be mentioned. There's the obvious one of my appearance on BBC Radio 4, but when it comes to bookshops, it's the less obvious moments that tend to be the most special.

A game of hide and seek had me feeling like a child, while a tour around Portsmouth provided a variety of unexpected gems. I got to meet the second half of a pair of London bookshops, find out what all the fuss is when it comes to Terry Pratchett, and I had a beautiful surprise by the sea.

There was also sadness, when I finally met a bookshop on its last day in business, two years after I'd first tried to visit. I can't tell you the tears I shed after that visit.

Bookshops continue to be an important part of my life, places filled with wonder and welcome that even after all these years often appear in front of me at unexpected moments just when I need them most. I may not have written as frequently as I'd like these last few months, but my bookshopping has continued, and I'm just as excited to tell you about my recent visits as I was in the early days. Life is still slightly chaotic, but I promise normal (or relatively normal) service will resume.

Thank you for your patience and for continuing to keep me company on this bookshopping adventure – and don't forget, if I'm quiet one week you're welcome to share your own stories too.

Happy bookshopping,
Erica x

PS. I may still be living out of boxes, but Dolly is very happy in her new home. Here she is guarding what's visible of the bookshop blog shelves, while having a chat with a purchase from another much-missed gem.