Bookmarks was the bookshop I had planned for October, unlike all the others I visited on that crazy Saturday. This is where I ended my tour, which after visiting four other bookshops did not stop me from buying more books.

Bookmarks markets itself as a socialist bookshop and this definitely is a theme that is very consistent across both the books selection and the decor. As you can see on the pictures below the place is full of books and gadgets. It definitely had a free-thinking air, with the bookseller involved in a heated discussion with one of the customers regarding the freedom of speech.

To be perfectly honest I felt a bit intimidated, my political convictions definitely lean to the left, but I’m generally not passionate about politics and here it made me feel a bit ignorant and out-of-place. This bookshop wants you to be engaged, to pick a side and take a stance. Which is not a bad thing, it pushes you out of your comfort zone, makes you think, but is not something I expected. Generally I expect cosines from bookshops and this was a place that challenges you.

A very interesting experience, I’m sure I’ll come back.

Here is what I bought:

The Good People – Hannah Kent (r)
When I Hit You: Or the Portrait of a Writer as a Young Wife – Meena Kandasamy (r)
How Did We Get into This Mess? – George Monbiot