The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World. [Editor’s note: In celebration of the holidays, we’re counting down the top 12 Flavorwire features of 2012.
This post, at #1, was originally published January 31.] With Amazon slowly taking over the publishing world and bookstores closing left and right, things can sometimes seem a little grim for the brick and mortar booksellers of the world. After all, why would anyone leave the comfort of their couch to buy a book when with just a click of a button, they could have it delivered to their door? Well, here’s why: bookstores so beautiful they’re worth getting out of the house (or the country) to visit whether you need a new hardcover or not. We can’t overestimate the importance of bookstores — they’re community centers, places to browse and discover, and monuments to literature all at once — so we’ve put together a list of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, from Belgium to Japan to Slovakia.
A gorgeous converted Dominican church gives the power of reading its due diligence. Bookshelf Porn. Beautiful photo books and book printing. Make your own book. Book-A-Minute Classics: A Midsummer Night's Dream. The 10 Most Disturbing Books Of All Time. In my younger days if I heard a book or movie was disturbing or hard to handle I generally took that as a challenge.
Most books generally turned out to not be too bad, but occasionally I’d come across something that would leave me with a sick feeling in my stomach for weeks. I’ve largely outgrown this “genre” of late, but here are my picks for the ten most disturbing books of all time. Any one of these books is capable of leaving you feeling a little depressed at the least, and permanently scarred at the worst. I’d say enjoy, but that doesn’t really seem appropriate … 10. Blindness is a book with a truly horrifying scenario at it’s heart: what if everyone in the world were to lose their sight to disease in a short period of time?
9. Anti drug crusaders should stop airing goofy commercials that nobody takes seriously and start pushing to have Requiem For A Dream made required reading for every high schooler in the country. 8. Naked Lunc is another ode to drug addiction. 7. 6. Bleak. 5. BookMooch: trade your books with other people. Welcome to BookCrossing. J.K. Rowling's New Book Cover Revealed: Everyone Freak-Out! Arguably one of the world's most beloved authors has finally revealed more information about the hotly-anticipated follow-up to her iconic Harry Potter series. Taking a stab at more adult literature after the so-successful-it-is-really-quite-unfathomable wizarding series, J.K. Rowling has let it slip (officially, of course) that the newest main character in her mystery novel is a bloke that goes by the name of Barry Fairbrother.
And no, there is no literal magic involved, though Rowling's ability to make people read actual books again could certainly be described as magical. The press release for the novel--which includes the book cover (below)--explains that the story of Barry Fairbrother takes place shortly after his death, which--she's killing off the main character before the book even begins?! Oh SNAPE, you guys! Alright, Potterheads, are you excited for an adventure outside the walls of Hogwarts?
[Little, Brown and Company] Follow Alicia on Twitter @alicialutes More: J.K. J.K. The Best 100 Opening Lines From Books.