Get yourself some reading material that will make you forget all about TikTok for a little while.
Today marks World Book Day, and in a world that's increasingly going digital, it's nice to pay homage to paperbacks every now and again. The World holiday seems to have inspired the masses, as every second person on my morning commute to work had a book in hand, which was lovely to see.
Dublin has some great book shops that are worth taking a gander into, so hopefully there'll be one near enough that you can pick up your next read (my personal recommendation is grabbing the new Liz Nugent which coincidentally also comes out today).
1. The Gutter Bookshop
Locations: Dalkey and Temple Bar
This store has two Dublin locations, one in Dalkey and one in Temple Bar. Named after the famous Oscar Wilde quote "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" The Gutter Bookshop is a small literary haven. You can check out their website for the opening hours of both their shops.
2. The Secret Bookshop
Location: Wicklow Street
This expansive bookshop is tucked into Wicklow Street, almost hidden from view. The Secret Bookstore sell tons of secondhand and new books, and are not to be missed if you're a book lover in Dublin.
3. Books Upstairs
Location: D'Olier Street
If you're looking to enjoy a coffee along with your book shopping, Books Upstairs in Dublin is the place for you. Located on D'Olier street, they boast a large selection of new and old fiction. Check out their upstairs café to re-caffeinate.
4. The Winding Stair
Location: Lower Ormond Quay
The Winding Stair bookshop is one of Ireland's longest surviving independent bookstores. It sells both new fiction and second-hand books, and has a lovely restaurant upstairs if you fancy getting stuck into your newly purchased book.
If you can't manage to get into The Winding Stair today, you can also place an order for a book online HERE.
5. Chapters
Location: Parnell Street
It was touch and go last year when Chapters revealed they were closing down. An institution of Irish literature, we were naturally reluctant to see it go, and over the moon when we learned they had been taken over by news owners and would resume serving the Irish people their literary needs once more.
To mark World Book Day and to celebrate the store's launch of eBay, Chapters Bookstore are also running a special promotion offering 20% off all titles until Friday 3rd March on eBay.ie.
6. The Last Bookshop
Location: Camden Street Lower
I am not a kindle gal, I will always be a paperback gal. But I've learned throughout the last couple of years that it's simply not realistic to buy every book if you desire; not in this cost of living crisis anyway. The Last Bookshop is a second-hand haven, where books are not going to break the bank.
Plus, if you walk all the way through The Last Bookshop, you arrive at the Cake Café, the perfect location to settle yourself into a new story.
7. Hodges Figgis
Location: Dawson Street
While Hodges Figgis is now owned by Waterstones, it's also Dublin's longest functioning book shop, first established in 1768.
It remains one of my absolute favourite bookshops; not to sound like Harry Styles when he was talking about filming Don't Worry Darling, but Hodges Figgis just "feels" like a bookshop. There's such a huge selection of books, no matter what you like to read, and it separates its books into categories, which is great if you're in the market for something new.
Header image via Instagram/booksupstairs & /gutterbookshop
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