The Top Five London Spots For Book Rats
I’ll come clean: I’m a book rat. Not a casual reader, not a “one book on the holiday and then I’m done for the year” type – a proper book rat. I hoard novels, sniff old paperbacks like they’re fine wine, and think there’s nothing better than spending a Saturday afternoon buried in pages while the world does its noisy thing outside. London, bless her chaotic soul, is an absolute wonderland for people like me. She’s full of libraries, bookshops, parks, cafés, and nooks that practically whisper, “sit down and read me cover to cover.”
Every so often, though, I realise that most Londoners stick to the obvious spots. Waterstones Piccadilly, British Library, a quick scroll in Foyles before heading back to the Tube. But there’s so much more out there! Over the years I’ve built up a mental map of places perfect for those who want to hide with a novel, lose a few hours with a battered copy of Woolf, or just stare at spines like they’re fine art.
So here it is – my top five London spots for the true book rat. Whether you want somewhere hushed, somewhere leafy, somewhere dusty and full of forgotten treasures, or somewhere with good coffee and a slice of cake, I’ve got you covered.
1. The Library to Rule Them All: The London Library
Quietly Glorious and Full of Ghosts
This is the book-lover’s holy grail. Tucked just behind St James’s Square, The London Library is where writers like Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, and Arthur Conan Doyle came to borrow books. When you step inside, you can feel that creative energy humming around you. The stacks are endless – narrow walkways lined with century-old volumes. It smells like leather bindings and dust in the best way possible.
Membership isn’t free, but if you’re serious about books, it’s worth it. You get borrowing privileges, a reading room that feels like Hogwarts without the loud teenagers, and enough solitude to make you feel like you’ve slipped back a hundred years.
Personal Note:
I once lost three hours here by accident. Not reading – just walking through the stacks, pulling random books off the shelves. It’s dangerously addictive.
2. The Best Outdoor Reading Spot: Hampstead Heath
A Book Rat’s Natural Habitat
When the sun decides to grace London with its presence, Hampstead Heath is my go-to. There’s something almost cinematic about finding a shady spot under an oak tree, spreading out a blanket, and letting the afternoon slip away with a good book. The Heath is big enough that you can always find a quiet corner – away from the dog walkers and joggers – where the only sound is birdsong and the occasional rustle of wind through the grass.
If you’re the adventurous type, bring your book down to the swimming ponds. Few things beat drying off in the sun with damp hair, wrapped in a towel, and reading something that makes you forget you’re still technically in London.
Personal Note:
I once read half of The Goldfinch here in one sitting, only realising hours later that I was mildly sunburnt and very dehydrated. It was worth it.
3. The Best Second-Hand Bookshop: Skoob Books, Bloomsbury
A Basement Full of Treasure
Bloomsbury is already famous for its literary connections, but Skoob Books is a hidden gem even some locals miss. Down a little staircase near the Brunswick Centre, you’ll find one of the best-curated second-hand bookshops in London. Over 55,000 titles, all neatly organised, and staff who seem to know exactly which book you didn’t know you needed.
The atmosphere is magical – quiet but not intimidating. There’s that faint, warm smell of old paper and ink that makes your heart beat faster if you’re a true bibliophile. You’ll find rare editions, out-of-print novels, and the kind of academic texts that make you feel clever just holding them.
Personal Note:
I once went in “just to browse” and emerged two hours later with a stack so high I had to balance it like a waiter carrying plates. Worth every penny.
4. The Best Big Bookshop for New Editions: Waterstones Piccadilly
The Grand Dame of London Bookstores
Yes, I know I said we’d skip the obvious choices, but hear me out – Waterstones Piccadilly is still underrated because people forget how brilliant it is. It’s the largest bookshop in Europe, spread over six glorious floors. There are hidden corners, cosy chairs, and entire departments you can lose yourself in.
I love wandering the fiction section, then heading up to the art and design floor to marvel at giant coffee-table books I absolutely cannot justify buying but flip through anyway. There’s a café and a bar too, which means you can grab a drink and carry on reading without ever leaving the building.
Personal Note:
I once went in during a rainstorm, telling myself I’d “wait until the rain passes.” Three hours later, it was dark outside, and I was halfway through a graphic novel I hadn’t even bought yet.
5. The Best Café to Read In: Paper & Cup, Shoreditch
Good Coffee, Better Atmosphere
Some cafés say they’re “great for reading” but blast music so loud you feel like you’re in a nightclub. Paper & Cup gets it right. This little café in Shoreditch is quiet, cosy, and lined with shelves of books you can actually buy. The chairs are comfy, the coffee is excellent, and the atmosphere is exactly what you want when you’re halfway through a gripping novel.
It’s also a social enterprise, so your flat white supports a good cause. Bring your latest find from Skoob or Waterstones, order something sweet, and watch the world go by through the big front window.
Personal Note:
I once camped here on a rainy Sunday with a slice of carrot cake and a copy of Rebecca. I stayed so long the barista started refilling my tea without asking. That’s when you know you’ve found the perfect reading spot.
Three Wild Card Book Rat Spots You Didn’t See Coming
Because why stop at five? London is full of strange and wonderful corners where you can feed your reading habit in peace. Here are three extra spots for the book-obsessed that you might not have thought of.
The Hidden Reading Room at the Wellcome Collection
Tucked inside the Wellcome Collection on Euston Road is a reading room that feels like you’ve wandered into a secret clubhouse for curious minds. It’s part gallery, part library, part chill-out zone. There are comfy chairs, open shelves full of fascinating titles on science, medicine, and culture, and even a few oddities like Victorian medical instruments displayed alongside the books.
I’ve spent entire afternoons here pretending to research something serious while actually reading about the history of tattooing. Nobody bothers you, the atmosphere is serene, and it’s free. It’s the perfect place to feel studious without actually being studious.
Daunt Books, Marylebone – The Travel-Lover’s Paradise
Technically a bookshop, but really more of a cathedral to travel writing. Daunt Books is famous for its oak galleries and skylights, making it possibly the most beautiful shop in London. Each section is arranged by country, so you’ll find guidebooks alongside novels, memoirs, and histories from that part of the world.
I once popped in “just for a quick look” and came out planning an imaginary trip to Iceland purely because I’d been seduced by a row of paperbacks with icy-blue covers. Even if you don’t buy anything, just standing under those high wooden arches with a book in hand feels like therapy.
The Flask Pub’s Back Room, Hampstead
Hampstead is crawling with literary ghosts, and The Flask is one of those pubs that makes you believe they’re still hanging about. The back room, with its wood panelling, low ceilings, and slightly creaky floorboards, is one of my favourite places to nurse a pint and read something moody.
It’s not officially a reading spot, of course, but the staff don’t mind if you sit quietly in the corner with a paperback and look mysterious. Bonus points if you choose a suitably dramatic book — a bit of Dickens or Wilkie Collins feels right at home here.
Closing Thoughts: London for the Book-Mad
London is a city that rewards book lovers. She hides her best reading spots in plain sight – in private libraries that smell like history, in parks where the grass practically invites you to sprawl, in dusty basements full of rare editions, in massive multi-storey temples to literature, and in little cafés that make you feel at home.
Being a book rat in London isn’t hard. The hard part is tearing yourself away when real life calls. Next time you have a free afternoon, pick one of these spots, grab a novel, and let yourself sink into the words. Whether you’re in the hushed halls of The London Library or sitting under a tree on Hampstead Heath, you’ll be in good company – the ghosts of every reader before you are right there with you.
And if you catch yourself sniffing a book or stroking its spine absentmindedly, don’t worry. In this city, that’s practically a love language.