The Bookshop That Doesn’t Want To Sell You Anything

…And Where People Actually Talk to Each Other

Last week I discovered a whole new little world in Zürich.

It is called Vastela Books, and the first thing I noticed was that nobody seemed to be trying to sell me anything.

I know, it sounds strange to say that about a bookshop. But you know what I mean. We live in a world where everything seems to have to lead to a purchase, a subscription, a product, a promotion, a discount code… and then suddenly you walk into a place where people are simply there because they like books.

They read, they write, they talk, they exchange ideas, they listen to each other and they meet people they probably wouldn’t otherwise have met.

The reading

I was there to read from Extreme Adventures, and what struck me most was the attention in the room.

I have done quite a few talks and readings over the years, but there was something different about this one. People were really listening. Not in the polite way where everyone is sitting there waiting for the person speaking to finish, but with genuine curiosity.

And then, when other people spoke, I found myself listening in exactly the same way.

That is probably what I liked most about Vastela. The attention doesn’t go only in one direction. It isn’t “the author speaks and everyone else listens”. People participate. They ask questions, tell stories, read their own work, recommend books and express their opinions.

There is a kind of energy that comes from that, and you can’t really manufacture it.

You can feel when a room is alive.

And this one was.

Pre Loved and On Fire

Vastela Books is an independent second-hand English-language bookshop in Zürich, but calling it simply a bookshop doesn’t really describe what happens there.

There are book clubs, readings, writing events, open mics and other gatherings, so you can come for a book and end up staying for a conversation.

The book club, for example, is not some intimidating literary affair where you need to have read all the “right” books and have an intelligent opinion ready. People can bring a book they have enjoyed and talk about it, or simply come along and listen to what other people recommend.

There are also writing events and open-mic evenings where people can read poetry, fiction, memoir, essays or whatever they have been working on.

I find that particularly lovely because there is something quite brave about standing up and reading your own words to a room full of people.

And I think that is what makes the place feel different: you are not only consuming something. You are contributing something.

Anna

And then there is Anna, the owner.

I discovered that she has a very interesting background connected to science and scientific communication, which somehow makes the whole place even more fascinating.

At one point I realised that she was actually working on a scientific paper from the back of the shop.

There she was, surrounded by second-hand English books, while somewhere behind the shelves she was working on science.

It somehow sums up Vastela perfectly. It is a place for curious people, and curiosity doesn’t really care whether you are reading a novel, writing a poem or working on a scientific paper.

Anna also told me that she has heard the same comment I made before: people often say that Vastela doesn’t feel like a shop where the main purpose is to sell you something.

I am clearly not the first person to notice it.

And I think that is quite a compliment.

What is Life2Books

The other lovely person I met was Cassia from Life2Books, who interviewed me about Extreme Adventures and reviewed my book on her blog.

I really enjoyed talking to her, and I also love what she is doing with Life2Books because her reviews are personal and thoughtful rather than just another version of “five stars, loved it”.

She combines her writing with beautiful photography and creates these little worlds around the books she reads.

If you love books, it is definitely worth having a look at her blog.

A little world built around books

The more I thought about the evening afterwards, the more I realised that this is probably what I am looking for in places like this.

Vastela is built around second-hand English-language books, but the books are really just the starting point. They give people a reason to come into the room, and then the interesting stuff starts happening.

Someone tells you about a book you have never heard of.

Someone reads something they have written.

Someone asks a question.

Someone disagrees with you.

Someone makes you laugh.

You listen to somebody else’s story and suddenly realise you have more in common than you thought.

And perhaps that is why the attention in the room during my reading felt so special. Because everyone was there for the same reason: curiosity.