{"id":4852,"date":"2016-05-06T16:31:30","date_gmt":"2016-05-06T14:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/?p=4852"},"modified":"2020-02-17T08:28:42","modified_gmt":"2020-02-17T07:28:42","slug":"book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/book\/","title":{"rendered":"A bookworm&#8217;s guide to Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The\u00a0various\u00a0cultural and leisure features of <strong>Madrid<\/strong> attract people\u00a0with all kinds of interests: fashion victims (Cibeles Fashion Week), football fans (Santiago Bernabeu football stadium), nature enthusiasts (El Retiro, Casa de campo&#8230;), art lovers (El prado)\u2026 However, the kind of person that will\u00a0also fall in love with <strong>Madrid<\/strong> if they visit the right places and attend the right events is the <strong>bookworm<\/strong> (a person who has a passion for reading). This article is meant to point out\u00a0everything you need to know about <strong>Madrid<\/strong> to have the best of times as a<strong> reader<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Index<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/book\/#major-bookshops\" title=\"Major bookshops\">Major bookshops<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/book\/#second-hand-bookshops\" title=\"Second-hand bookshops\">Second-hand bookshops<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/book\/#literary-events\" title=\"Literary events\">Literary events<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/book\/#bookshops-that-are-also-coffee-shops\" title=\"Bookshops\u00a0that are also coffee shops\">Bookshops\u00a0that are also coffee shops<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/book\/#libraries\" title=\"Libraries\">Libraries<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"major-bookshops\"><\/span>Major bookshops<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/books-bookshop-magazines.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4680\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4680 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/books-bookshop-magazines-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"books-bookshop-magazines\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/books-bookshop-magazines-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/books-bookshop-magazines-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/books-bookshop-magazines.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>In the city, you can find a huge amount of <strong>bookshops<\/strong> that sell <strong>books<\/strong> of various types (fiction and non-fiction). We have\u00a0Casa del libro, which is the most\u00a0famous <strong>bookshop<\/strong> in Spain. It has eight establishments in <strong>Madrid<\/strong> and they are impressive for\u00a0its beautiful disposition, the variety of <strong>books<\/strong> that they\u00a0harbor, and the\u00a0size of the building (some of them have three floors plus a cellar). Casa del Libro is involved in cultural events such as out-loud readings of literary works\u00a0and creative\u00a0writing courses.\u00a0Other major <strong>bookshops<\/strong> worth visiting are L\u00e9 librer\u00eda, a smaller\u00a0and cozy\u00a0one in Paseo de la Castellana, and Librer\u00eda de Mujeres, which is specialized in topics such as feminism and gender studies.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/english-book\/\">English language books in Madrid<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"second-hand-bookshops\"><\/span>Second-hand bookshops<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">They are sometimes more difficult to find than the first ones since they\u00a0tend to be not as famous but <strong>second-hand bookshops<\/strong>\u00a0in <strong>Madrid<\/strong> are equally numerous and interesting. The\u00a0most outstanding ones are Tik Books (six establishments in which the used and out-of-print <strong>books<\/strong> that they sell have a fixed price regardless of author, size or literary quality), Abi (which, apart from a <strong>second-hand bookshop<\/strong>, is a stationery shop), and Tuuulibrer\u00eda (a one-of-a-kind <strong>bookshop<\/strong>). This last one strikes as something really\u00a0extraordinary: it is a non-profit organization in which you take all the <strong>books<\/strong> you want and leave the donation that you consider is fair.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"literary-events\"><\/span>Literary events<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Throughout the year,\u00a0various\u00a0acts\u00a0related to <strong>literature<\/strong> take place in <strong>Madrid<\/strong>. The most relevant one is\u00a0<strong>Madrid&#8217;s book fair<\/strong> (27th of May to 12th of June), which reunites\u00a0more than three hundred\u00a0<strong>bookshops<\/strong>, publishing houses and distributors in El Retiro park, where they erect stands in which you can buy <strong>books<\/strong> with special discounts. There are also\u00a0a variety of activities such as talks, out-loud readings, and games for children. There is also the <strong>fair of the independent book<\/strong> (22nd and 23rd of April), that\u00a0allows for minor publishing houses to exhibit their<strong> books<\/strong> in order to become more known. The\u00a0<strong>children&#8217;s book lounge<\/strong> is also quite notable (14th of December and 3rd of January): it has activities of all kinds for more than two hundred hours and a huge variety of <strong>books<\/strong> for younger <strong>readers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/top-5-cafe-bookshops-in-madrid\/\">Top 5 Cafe-Bookshops in Madrid<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"bookshops-that-are-also-coffee-shops\"><\/span>Bookshops\u00a0that are also coffee shops<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/petras-bookshop.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3012\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-3012 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/petras-bookshop-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"petras bookshop\" width=\"181\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/petras-bookshop-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/petras-bookshop-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/petras-bookshop.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 181px) 100vw, 181px\" \/><\/a><\/b>You can find various of these odd places in the city. For example, there is\u00a0La Infinito (a <strong>bookshop-bar<\/strong> specialized in tea that offers\u00a0a number of cultural activities such as storytellings and theatrical plays), El dinosaurio todav\u00eda estaba all\u00ed (you can have dinner while reading a <strong>book<\/strong> of some not very known author or enjoying\u00a0poetry recitation), Tipos Infames (<strong>bookshop<\/strong>, wine shop, caf\u00e9, and exhibition room), and J &amp; J Books and Coffee (all kinds of <strong>books<\/strong> in English).<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"libraries\"><\/span>Libraries<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Libraries<\/strong> are easy to find in <strong>Madrid<\/strong> since they are numerous. There is the <strong>National Library<\/strong> (which\u00a0has several\u00a0lounges, contains an enormous variety of bibliographic material, and some of its<strong> books<\/strong> cannot be handled by the general public) and various\u00a0others throughout the city (Mar\u00eda Zambrano, D\u00e1maso Alonso, Retiro, Jos\u00e9 Hierro&#8230;). Nevertheless, what might surprise the <strong>bookworm<\/strong> greatly\u00a0are the <strong>Bibliometros<\/strong>: small\u00a0booths\u00a0full of books in some underground stations\u00a0from which one can borrow <strong>books<\/strong> just as in a standard <strong>library<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"\n    class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-valign-bottom kksr-align-center kksr-disabled\"\n    data-id=\"4852\"\n    data-slug=\"\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 20px; height: 20px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 20px; height: 20px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 20px; height: 20px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 20px; height: 20px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 20px; height: 20px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 75px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 20px; height: 20px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 20px; height: 20px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 20px; height: 20px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 20px; height: 20px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 20px; height: 20px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-legend\">\n            <strong class=\"kksr-score\">3<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\/<\/span>\n        <strong>5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">(<\/span>\n        <strong class=\"kksr-count\">2<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\n            votes        <\/span>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0various\u00a0cultural and leisure features of Madrid attract people\u00a0with all kinds of interests: fashion victims (Cibeles Fashion Week), football fans (Santiago Bernabeu football stadium), nature enthusiasts (El Retiro, Casa de campo&#8230;), art lovers (El prado)\u2026 However, the kind of person that will\u00a0also fall in love with Madrid if they visit the right places and attend the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":303,"featured_media":3006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1570],"tags":[769,765,1190,1193,1192,1189,1086,171,1191,1194],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4852"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/303"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4852"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11371,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4852\/revisions\/11371"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}