Photo’s of Mr B’s from the website, click on the image to get there!
Ah, you can’t beat a good bookshop. And without a doubt, Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in the center of Bath, UK is one of the best bookshops I have ever been to. And I’m a bookshop fiend. I was over the moon when my sister found out about the bookshop and took me there as a treat for a “Reading Spa.” More about that later…
Mr B’s Emporium is an independent book shop set over three floors which was founded by Nic and Juliette Bottomley who left their jobs as lawyers to open the bookshop in 2006 (Thanks, guys!). The shop has done so well since it opened that it has twice won independent bookshop of the year in 2008 and 2011 where judges admired their “palpable passion” for books and their “compelling blend of traditional and modern bookselling methods.”
On entering the shop, I wasn’t quite sure where to start! There is so much to admire, look at, and touch for bibliophiles like ourselves that we felt quite overwhelmed. In a happy way, of course! The range of books is incredible and there always seems to be something different around every corner. For example, comic strips across walls, comfy chairs to sit on, free tea and coffee for customers and a fantastic concept where you can rent your own private reading booth, complete with headphones, biscuits and tea/coffee to shut out the world and just get reading! Not only this, but Mr B’s provides reading events with top authors such as Jeff Vandermeer, Sarah Waters and David Mitchell, book groups and ultimate gifts for book lovers like the Reading Spa or Mr B’s Reading Year. The latter involves eleven books being sent out a year (in paperback or hardback) based on a consultation with a biblio-therapist for your reading needs.
Mr B’s Bibliotherapy Room courtesy of website, please click the image for more information on the Reading Spa
So, after being matched with a biblio-therapist (the lovely Emma) whose favorite books include The Time Traveller’s Wife and Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, Chrissi and I were taken to the beautiful Bibliotherapy Room where we had a cup of tea and a chat to Emma so she could get an idea of what to bring us. These were very basic questions such as: What are you reading at the moment? What was the last book you loved? Who are your favorite authors? Is there any genre you really dislike? (ME: “Chick-lit!” CHRISSI: “Really scary horror!”). Emma scribbled some notes, went away and came back with a towering mountain of books which she told us about one by one. I was really impressed with her bookish knowledge and it was so informal, it was like chatting to a friend. I was also really pleased about her choices, as they weren’t necessarily books that I would have been drawn to, but she sold them so well by the end we wanted the whole pile.
Emma left us in the comfy chairs with more tea and we discussed which of the beauties we just had to take away with us and which ones had to stay behind. It was a tough choice, but in the end we had it cut down to thirteen, and here they are!
The Ocean At The End Of The Lane – Neil Gaiman
Dreams & Shadows – C. Robert Cargill
The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie – Alan Bradley
I Am The Messenger – Markus Zusak
Annihilation – Jeff VanderMeer
The Name Of The Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
The Moth – Catherine Burns
Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion and Betrayal – Mal Peet
Born Weird – Andrew Kaufman
City of Thieves – David Benioff
The Last Banquet – Jonathan Grimwood
1222 – Anne Holt
The Panda Theory – Pascal Garnier
Quite a nice haul, don’t you think? Please click on each link to get to the book description at GoodReads. Armed with a free bookmark and Mr B’s mug to go along with our pile of books, we headed off, DEFINITELY to return again.
Huge thanks to Emma and all the staff at Mr B’s for making our day such a wonderful experience.
