Bookstore Cafe Love

 



A new year and a new favorite bookstore cafe- life is good! We celebrated   New Year at  The Book & Bar in Portsmouth.   It's our kind of spot - lots of good books in a beautiful space , plus a cafe with good noshes and drinks. 

The owners' plan was for a European- style literary salon, with good books and fine wine.  There is an eclectic selection of books, with an emphasis on art and literature.  Mixed in are some great children's books, cookbooks - the same categories found in any bookstore, but with books most don't carry.

 

Beautiful setting - high ceilings, big windows, vintage-style light fixtures.

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee art

 

Turns out the owners previously owned another of our favorite bookstore cafes - The Montague Bookmill.  The LA Times rated the Montague Bookmill as "perhaps the world's finest bookstore cafe".  The Bookmill's slogan (see t-shirt below) , "Books you don't need in a place you can't find" is right on - it's in a "you can't get there from here" location!  But once you find it, you'll fall in love - old mill on a river with some of the industrial gizmos as part of the decor,  lots of little reading nooks overlooking the river and a great cafe space.  And books- mostly used, mostly the kind you don't find in big box stores.



 

 

 

We'll be cheating on Barnes and Noble with our new bookstore cafe love.