A couple of weeks ago I was looking for book shops that weren't Waterstones in Leicester. This was a challenge, however there's this lovely area call St Martin's Square which is filled with independent shops. It's a mix of fashion, food and to my surprise an independent book store. So I planned my day out. The goal actually was to visit the city near were I live and just explore. My first visit was Fox Books, which was the independent book club. This shop opened during the pandemic and they stock all types of books. They offer the option to order in a book for you, even if they're obscure! Honestly I loved the vibe the book store gave off. It was cozy and welcoming. Visiting made me wish I had visited before. The selection of books on hand was brilliant and I decided to get Artemis Fowl for that childhood nostalgia. I asked to take loads of photos and was welcomed to. This is just one of those great places that I hope expands and stays open. If I had more time then I would have stayed in the shop for ages but alas I had to eat lunch.
Now I couldn't go on a bookish day out without eating food. St Martin's is full of independent food places but the one I was most excited by was this Italian place called 'Just so Italian'. It's a really cute cafe and it has this really nice atmosphere. I decided to get a cappuccino and a piadina (kind of like flat bread). At this time I decided to start read Artemis Fowl and realised why I liked it as a young child. I wanted to be like Artemis Fowl, even though he's morally grey. I do prefer the old covers though just because that's how I imagined him to look - so sun bleached that he was pure white because all his colour got drained.
After some time I decided to leave the cafe but not before getting some focaccia. Which I then ate while doing my day job (it tasted really nice).
Shopping independent is always good - we encourage you to explore your city and find some independent book stores to support!
Mika
@Mikasibyl
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