I've been looking around on the internet for nice & cosy bookshops in Brussels, preferably with books in Spanish and/or English. But, I'll throw in a French one, too. Here's my list:
- Waterstone's (Check!)
Boulevard de Adolphe Maxlaan 71-75
1000 Brussels
users.skynet.be/waterstones
- Sterling Books (Check!)
Wolvengracht/Fossé aux Loups 38
1000 Brussels
www.sterlingbooks.be
- Punto y Coma (Check!)
Rue Stevinstraat 115a
1000 Brussels
www.puntoycoma.be
- Filigranes (Check!)
Kunstlaan/ Avenue des Arts 39
1040 Brussels (Etterbeek)
www.filigranes.be/fr
- Nicola's Bookshop
Rue de Stassartstraat 106
1050 Brussels (Elsene/Ixelles)
www.nicolasbookshop.com (I know, it links to the MySpace page of her book club, but anyway...)
- Librairie des Etangs
Elsense steenweg/ Chaussée d'Ixelles 319
1050 Brussels (Elsene/Ixelles)
- Reading Room
Avenue Georges Henrilaan 503
1200 Brussels (Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe/Woluwe-Saint-Lambert)
So far I've only checked out one (Punto y Coma), but it was a hit! Filigranes is the French bookstore, it's quite big, even got a small café! And the others that are checked, well, I've known about them for a long time, and, oh yes, they are hits. Just ask my English-book-fanatic friends, they'll confirm you with an enthousiasm rarely seen. Last time we went there they let the money roll (& I did at Fnac and Punto y Coma)!
Of course there's always the Fnac at City 2 (Nieuwstraat/Rue Neuve 123, also in 1000 Brussels) and at Galerij/Galerie Toison d'Or (Guldenvlieslaan/Avenue Toison d'Or 17a-20 1050 Brussels -Elsene/Ixelles), which really aren't all that bad. Well, at least the one at City 2. The other one has quite recently opened, so I've yet to check its booksection. Anyhow, personally I prefer classic bookshops over Fnac, because,... Well, there's this sacred thing about them that Fnac lacks of, I guess because it's much bigger & there's so much more than just books (cd's for example -my main fetish item). And because my contradictory, sometimes anti-mainstream mind tells me that classic bookstores have a better, more authentic selection. And, are cheaper at times.
So, a little something more about the bookshops. Waterstone's and Sterling Books sell both exclusively English books, ranging from fiction to non-fiction I believe. Truly a wide variety of books is to be found here (especially at Waterstone's, I think they're the biggest store out of these two). They're both located in the very centre of Brussels, very close to the Nieuwstraat/Rue Neuve, so you can combine a visit to the bookhops with a shopping spree ;) Extra nice is that they also sell all sorts of English cookies and Moleskins & such (about that, the Moleskin's Music Journal -I found it in Sterling Books- is high on my WANT list -this is not a hint. Or wait, maybe it is). Waterstone's has even got these nice Trivial Pursuit games for on the road. The Trivial Pursuit -Music is my personal favourite of course! I must say to all my English-loving friends, I bet you already know those stores, but paying them one more visit is always worth it =)
Punto y Coma then is a bit further from the centre, but located near metrostop (& busstop I suppose) Schuman, in the heart of the European district of our town. They only sell Spanish books (including translated books from international writers), fiction & non-fiction, study books & childrenbooks. They also have a small DVD-section, though I've yet to find out if they're for sale or for rent -or both. Definitely worth paying a visit if you speak/understand spanish.
In Etterbeek, you can find the French bookstore I've thrown in: Filigranes. It's actually quite close to the very city centre (not far from the Royal Palace), more than Punto y Coma to my belief. My mom used to take me there when I was about 16 or 17 years old. She wanted me to improve my French, and since I loved music, I was allowed a wide variety of French music magazines. Believe me, reading in French wasn't boring anymore. Of course there's a lot more to be found there than just magazines. It's been a while since I've been there, but I seem to remember they have a really wide variety of books, both fiction and non-fiction. With the small café in the middle of the shop, you can't really go wrong.
Moving on to Elsene/Ixelles (which means: quite closer to the VUB/EhB, for my fellow students & booklovers), you can find Nicola's Bookshop. I haven't been there yet, but I read it's an independent shop, selling English books from all over the world. There also seems to be a book club and a café. And I'm quite a fan of cafés at bookstores, can't help it. Also in Elsene/Ixelles is the Librairie des Etangs, which seems to be an international store selling books in Spanish, Italian, English, German, French and Dutch. It also features a tearoom, where literary debates are being held, and a small theatre! It seems as though this is a must-visit for all my fellow language-lovers & -students, both at VUB and EhB or wherever else. Personally, I plan to visit these two shops on the short term, that is, when I next go to the VUB/EhB to enroll myself for next year!
One shop left, and I don't know when I will be paying this one a visit, since it's actually quite far: Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe/Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. Anyhow, Reading Room, so I read, is a small bookshops that sells both new and second-hand English books.
Hope you enjoy your visits as much as I do/will!
[.: Se guardo in basso ho le vertigini, adesso ho paura :.]
