Atlantis Books in Oia, Santorini

What’s with this year and awesome bookstores? First there was the Stedelijk Museum bookshop, where I scored a really cool alphabet book for Tala. Then there was our visit to Selexyz Dominicanen, a 12th century church-turned-bookstore in Maastricht. Good things must come in threes, because this is the third fantastic bookstore of the year: Atlantis Books in Oia, Santorini.

I was first drawn in by the palm-sized, beautifully printed books displayed out front. They’re published by Paravion Press and are designed to be sent by mail. I’d be thrilled to receive one of these from Santorini… better than a postcard, indeed!

Then I saw this and just had to laughed. For €5, which do you think would be a better companion: a cat or a book? I’d have a hard time choosing, although if it was our cranky black cat for rent, I’d probably advise someone to take a book.

It’s hard to resist something that makes you laugh out loud, and Atlantis Books did just that with this adorable display. How could I not step inside?

What I found: a quirky, charming little hidey-hole, where books seem to snuggle together and converse, instead of being just stacked beside each other. I think the Dutch word gezellig (loosely translated as cozy) would definitely apply here.

Literary scribblings and hand-painted details fill the walls, announcing that this is no ordinary bookstore. This is a bookstore with opinions, observations, provocations, character!

Apart from books upon books, Atlantis Books also carries small offerings to appeal to the not-so-literary-minded, like these cute canvas bags.

I already have way too many unread books, but I couldn’t walk out of such a delightful bookshop without buying anything. I can never resist a good notebook, so I bought a lovely beach journal bound in sea-blue linen, with long, serious faces of Greek ikons stamped on its blank pages.

If you ever find yourself in Oia, I highly recommend you pop on over to Atlantis Books and buy something… anything! After all, such wonderful bookshops need to stay open. Don’t you agree?