Books I keep going back to

Priya Chandaria

@priya_c17

7Items

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Not strictly a shelf, more a geography, because half my recommending happens between Orford Road and whichever gallery I've wandered into that week with a paperback jammed in my coat pocket (occupational hazard of editing travel guides, you end up reading everywhere and judging the lighting everywhere too). These are the London bookshops and the odd book that earned a permanent spot in my E17 orbit, listed with zero objectivity whatsoever.

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Books I keep going back to — 7 items
Name	Address	City	Speciality	My take
1Pages of Hackney	70 Lower Clapton Road	London	General independent, strong local and political nonfiction	Small shop, big opinions on the shelf cards, I trust their staff picks more than most broadsheet critics.
2Review Bookshop	131 Bellenden Road	London	Fiction, poetry, café attached	I plan entire Peckham days around having a coffee here with something new, tip: go on a weekday morning before the browsers descend.
3Word on the Water	Regent's Canal towpath, near King's Cross	London	Secondhand books, floating barge shop	A literal boat full of books, it moves occasionally so check before you trek out, but finding it feels like a small reward.
4Libreria	65 Hanbury Street	London	Curated fiction and design, themed shelving instead of genre	No wifi signs and shelves arranged by mood not category, sounds precious until you actually find something you'd never have searched for.
5Daunt Books Marylebone	83-84 Marylebone High Street	London	Travel writing arranged by country, general fiction	Occupational pilgrimage this one, the long oak-galleried room is where I go to remember why travel guides are worth making.
6The Second Shelf	14 Smith's Court	London	Rare and first edition books by women writers	Tiny Soho courtyard shop, more museum than shop in the best way, go for a browse even if you're not buying.
7Gay's the Word	66 Marchmont Street	London	LGBTQ+ fiction and nonfiction, long-running community hub	A proper institution near Bloomsbury, the noticeboard alone is worth the detour, tip: check their events listings before you go.

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