作為一個文化和知識匯聚的國家,您不難找到各類型的書籍作消磨時間之用。以公共交通工具上的情況為例,你不會見到人人都是低頭族(哈哈因為地鐵手機訊號不好……),因為英國人習慣善用時間閱讀和學習。
倫敦的Waterstones和Foyles都是著名的多層書店,店內設有café吸引學生和各類人士聚會,而Piccadilly的Waterstones店更被喻為歐洲最大的書店。若你偏好舊式書店,就千萬不要錯過Daunt Books, Blackwells甚至是各區的小型書店,它們或許富有多年歷史,如全英最古老的書店Hatchards,更是皇室御用的書店呢。
即使是文具店和超市內也會售賣少量書籍,並提供送貨服務,但個人認為網上書店的俵俵者非Book Depository莫屬,全球運費全免,適合身在英國或是香港的讀者。如果不介意睇二手書,圖書館或二手書店都是好地方呢。
你又有沒有閱讀的習慣呢?
To: Bookworms in the UK
As a location where academics and cultures converge, of course in England you can have access to collections of books, for your enjoyment. When taking public transport, not everyone is on their phones (because of poor reception on the tube haha), but this also means Brits tend to take these opportunities to read and learn!
In London, Waterstones and Foyles both multi-storey bookstores with cafes, attracting many students and quick meetings to take place. The Piccadilly Waterstones store has also been referred as the biggest bookstore in Europe!If you have a soft spot for old bookstores, you will certainly enjoy visiting Daunt books, Blackwells or even your local bookstore, as many are rich in history. For example, Hatchards is the oldest bookstore in the UK and also the official bookseller to the Royal Household.
Some stationary shops or supermarkets also stock books and provide online delivery services. But I’d recommend browsing Book Depository as it consistently provides free delivery worldwide – yes that means it applies to some of you HK readers as well!
If you do not mind not being the owner of new books, consider visiting the British library or second hand stores. Do you have a reading habit?
If so, what genre or language do you prefer?