I love book stores. They are magical places full of colours and inspiration. I could (and do) spend hours and hours going through the shelves, sitting in corners turning the pages of interesting looking books. They are slightly more rare but I love independent bookstores even more and Book People in Austin is just that, and a beautiful one too. It has been the leading independent bookstore in Texas since 1970.

The coffee shop at Book People’s is called interestingly enough, Coffee Shop. It is tucked in the far right corner on the ground floor. Behind the counter is a row of clear glass containers filled with different kinds of tea and a whole range of different coffees. They have one hot chocolate which says milk + cacao + vanilla + spices. I order one.  I’m surprised that for being such an environmentally conscious city it is given to me in a paper cup (blah). I find the taste and smell of the cardboard overpowers the hot chocolate. The hot chocolate is just ok, very subtle in flavour but I enjoyed sitting there watching people exploring the store. It is 11am on a Monday and the place is buzzing (do people work in Austin?)

Two men at a table nearby are playing chess while a third man at the same table is talking non stop, never taking a breath as he jumps from talking about philosophers to gossip to the latest Austin bands. A couple discuss whether it would be more interesting to live in Russia or China while looking through books they picked up from the travel section.

Verdict: If you are in Austin this book store is worth a visit and while you are deciding which book to buy, grab a drink at the coffee shop. The hot chocolate is fine but they also have a really interesting range of other drinks, in particular teas and coffees. Book People, 603 N. Lamar, Austin, USA

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