Although it’s been around for a few years, I’ve only relatively recently discovered Pile of Books. While gallivanting around the neighbourhood, I happened to notice a small shop front exhibiting English books.
Small though Pile of Books appears in size, it offers a large and carefully compiled selection of English-language paperbacks. The shelves are stacked with fiction and nonfiction, modern favourites and classics. There’s also a small section for used paperbacks if an old-school Penguin edition tickles your fancy.
What justification is there for a bookshop when there’s a plethora of online stores, you may ask? For one, I do love the smell of books, and I love being able to take one off the shelf and skim through it. Also, for all the genius algorithms behind ‘If you like this you will also like …’, nothing is as valuable as getting recommendations from a bookseller, and the guy at Pile of Books is happy to oblige.
Last but not least, there’s the instant gratification: you buy a book and can start reading it the second you walk out of the store and continue your stroll through the neighborhood.