Like someone who sets New Year's resolutions, we set small goals for ourselves during the summer. And among them, of course, are the books we plan to read in the warm weeks. For a bookworm like me, summer readings are as important as those of the rest of the year, although I admit I have a weakness: during the warm months, I am especially attracted to crime novels and Victorian creatures—don't ask me why—. That's why, I have decided to take a stroll through eight of my favorite bookstores in the city, not only to enjoy the much-appreciated air conditioning, but also to get recommendations from the nicest booksellers in Barcelona and bring you, in addition to some unexpected titles, a new literary route through our city.
Warning to navigators: behind each of the following titles there is a bookseller with no other interest beyond the simple pleasure of sharing the exciting world of literature. Shall we start?
The starting point of our route is in the Poblenou neighborhood, at the NoLlegiu bookstore (on Pons i Subirà, 3). Although it now has two other branches open, the one in Juanita is the mater familias. A three-story 70s building, a former neighborhood clothing store, where in addition to being able to browse books before buying, they organize literary activities of all kinds. And on the third floor, they host the Creative Reading School. Their suggested title is Caledonian Road, by Andrew O'Hagan (Libros del Asteroide). A novel of more than 600 pages ---no less--- that, following the life of its protagonist for a year, an art historian of humble origin turned into an intellectual figure, offers a biting satire of post-Brexit Great Britain, addressing themes such as politics, power, inequality, and moral decay, all with a dark humor reminiscent of the most acidic Dickens. As they well tell us, it's not a book, it's a damn festival.
From Poblenou we head to the Dreta de l'Eixample, where another gem awaits us: Ona Llibres (at Pau Claris, 94). This bookstore, which was born in 1962 to promote the freedom of Catalan in the midst of the dictatorship, continues today to assert itself as a bookstore-house of letters, in a modern and inspiring environment. They boast a catalog of more than 40 thousand titles in Catalan ---which they have--- and an extensive agenda of events ---which they also have--- that enjoy an active and loyal public. I ask Kim, one of their booksellers who, curiously, recommends a couple of books that I have on my pending list. And although we agree to suggest Las Gratitudes by Delphine de Vigan (Anagrama), I end up opting for her recommendation that is not on my personal list: Otra vida por vivir, by Theodor Kallifatides (Galaxia Gutenberg). This intimate and reflective story, written by Kallifatides at over 75 years old, addresses creative block, identity, and aging. It narrates his decision to sell his studio in Stockholm and return to Greece, his native country, on a journey both physical and emotional. Through his memories between Greece and Sweden, the author meditates on exile, language, migration, and the search for meaning in the final stage of life. It is a brief and profound work that advocates a return to roots as an act of reconciliation and clarity. Definitely, I feel it is a good book to read.
Approaching the city center, the narrow streets are the best option to avoid tourist traffic and to find Ángel and his 300, in the small and cozy On the Road (at Verdaguer i Callís, 14), from which part of the façade of the Palau de la Música can be seen. Although its origin is the literature of the beat generation, what is worthwhile is chatting with Ángel and letting him advise you ---and also the reading clubs at the door of the place---. And if you can't because he's busy or you're in a hurry, he always has a copy of the 300 titles he recommends reading on paper. This time, the title he proposes is El accidente de Blanca Lacasa (Libros del Asteroide). This intense and enveloping nouvelle explores falling in love with a sharp gaze and a fragmented narration. Two people with partners feel irresistibly attracted, and although the bond seems impossible, the tension grows in each encounter. With a stream-of-consciousness style, the unsaid and the unconsummated acquire a powerful emotional charge. Lacasa offers an intimate and dizzying story about desire, seduction, and the strength of what remains in suspense. If you're not much into watching the Tour de France, it seems like a great option.
The next bookstore to visit is in the heart of Sant Antoni, very close to its market. La Llama Store (at Tamarit, 148) opened its doors in 2017 and is considered by multiple media as the world's first bookstore dedicated to humor, comics, and comedy. All its gadgets and witty elements ensure that no one leaves there without having smiled at least once, and that's a plus. I talk to Abi, who leaves her spreadsheets to recommend a book to me that is, on the contrary, quite serious. Cuando comenzó el silencio by Jesse Ball (Sigilo) recounts how his wife's abrupt silence leads him to embark on a journey to Japan to investigate the mysterious case of Oda Sotatsu, a thread seller who, after losing a bet, is forced to sign a false confession related to the Narito disappearances case. Despite being arrested, Sotatsu maintains an inexplicable silence that leads him to death row. Through archives and interviews, Ball reconstructs his story and reveals a complex web of love, deception, honor, and rebellion. The work is a profound exploration of truth and a display of narrative mastery that consolidated the author's literary prestige. A read that, without a doubt, I'm taking with me.
And we still haven't left the neighborhood to peek into Lata Peinada (de la Verge, 10), where we find Gonzalo also engrossed in numbers. This bookstore is a unique literary corner that revalues Latin American literature with editorial care, passion for the emerging, and a strong community cultural commitment in Barcelona. So his recommendation is the powerful Electrónica by Enzo Maqueira (Interzona). This is a short and intense novel that portrays a university professor in the midst of an existential crisis. Her life is shaken after an affair with an 18-year-old student. Family, apathy, drugs, electronic music, and the search for identity are mixed in less than 120 pages in a raw and sincere generational portrait. There is melancholy, eroticism, disillusionment, and the speed of a liquid society that absorbs flesh and blurs boundaries. A read for nights of insomnia and laziness.
Summer of reflection
Leaving the old town behind, we go to meet one of the new bookstores that has fascinated us the most since its opening. And Finestres (Diputació, 249) does not leave anyone indifferent, and no one who passes by its doors can escape the attraction to enter that it instills in the passerby. I speak with Ana, who confesses that she has been working there for a short time but it is clear that she is a good bookseller, judging by her recommendation: Algún día todo el mundo habrá querido estar siempre en contra, by Omar El Akkad (Libros del Kultrum). Under this title, its author articulates a brave and devastating plea: a book born from a viral tweet that brings together interconnected essays on Gaza, war, exile, and the moral betrayal of the West. With his voice as a journalist and writer, he questions the liberal-democratic values that remain silent in the face of horror, and exposes how silence can be the most undignified act of all. Summer can also be a time for reflection.
Literature will always be there to open doors for us, awaken our senses, and offer us new worldsWe continue our upward route through the city to the Gràcia neighborhood, and I cannot help but mention one of the bookstores that makes me dream of a place the most. And the beautiful Haiku (Montseny, 7) always takes me to the farthest Japan, just by looking at its window display. Marian, its owner and always attentive and close bookseller, has been recommending fascinating readings to me for years, and this time, it could not be less. Without hesitating or having to think much,The hunting shotgunof Yasushi Inoué (Anagrama) is his choice. A brilliant epistolary novel (barely 100 pages) narrated in three letters that reveal an adulterous relationship from different perspectives: the lover's daughter, the wife, and the lover herself. The protagonist, Josuké, receives a letter after publishing a poem that describes him.Each missive unveils deep secrets of love, betrayal, loneliness, and tragedy. An elegant, tender, and painful work, with poetic nuances and an intensity that lingers after reading. It makes me think of summer loves. Perhaps, it will for you too.
The last point of our tour is also the furthest, and a bookstore I had never been to, but which, through various channels, I had been told I should visit. Acció Perifèrica (Francesc de Bolòs, 28) is in Nou Barris and represents a transfeminist, inclusive, and critical bookstore model from the periphery. It is a cultural and educational space that aims to transform through literature and community action, especially aimed at people seeking LGTBIQ+ repertoires and the reinforcement of identities from diversity and the neighborhood. There, Jose recommends as a summer read La belleza de la ausencia by Julieta París (Siglantana), an intimate and reflective essay in which the author explores how absence ---loss, silence, the end of a stage--- can be an opportunity to reconnect with the essential. Through personal and professional experiences as a psychologist and anthropologist, París proposes a serene look at the value of accepting what is no longer there as a path to rediscover oneself. A sensitive and warm book, ideal for times of pause and reflection.
Eight bookstores, eight proposals, and summer days ahead. Some of you will travel to new destinations; others will stay where you are. But literature will always be there to open doors for us, awaken our senses, and offer us new worlds. As Marcel Proust wrote: "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." Happy summer, reader.
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