I absolutely love bookstores and can spend hours on end getting lost in them. A visit to one also usually always ends with one, two or even more new additions to my library - new or used I don't discriminate. I particularly love Independent Bookstores, with their unique characteristics and handpicked treasures. One thing I am especially fond of doing whenever I go to bookstores is spotting what they have to offer in the way of African literature and I am usually very surprised (in a good way) by what I find. 

I was sorting through old photos and I realised there are a lot of pictures on my phone, my camera and on my laptop of the different bookstores I've visited in the last few years. It got me thinking about sharing these photos and writing about what I loved about the bookshops. Also, it reminded me of something I've been wanting to do for the longest time but for many reasons (bit of lack of time with a sprinkle of slight apprehension) I haven't been able to do. 

I've always been interested in visiting different bookstores and seeing not only what is unique about them but what they have to offer in the way of literature from Africa and the diaspora. I figure there is no time better than now to start that. I have no idea where it will take me, how many bookstores (with African literature) I will go to but I'm excited about it. Over time I hope I'm able to also visit bookstores in different African countries. That would be amazing.

London

The London Review Bookshop
Word on the Water

Rest of the UK

Brighton Bookstore Crawl (Brighton Books, Kemptown Bookshop, PSBrighton and Studio Bookshop)
The Old Town Bookshop, Edinburgh, Scotland

Beyond

DC Bookstore Crawl 1 (Bridge Street Books and Kramerbooks)
DC Bookstore Crawl 2 (Second Story Books and Books 4 America)
DC Bookstore Crawl 3 (Idle Time Books and Busboys and Poets)
LX Factory, Lisbon, Portugal
Munro's Books, Victoria, Canada
Renaissance Books, Victoria, Canada
Russell Books, Victoria, Canada
Seattle Bookstore Crawl (Arundel Books, Globe Bookstore, Lamplight Books, Left Bank Books, The Elliot Bay Book Company and Revolution Books)