This bookstore, whose name translates from Portuguese as ‘read slowly’, should be visited at least for its extraordinary design. Located in a former industrial hub in what is now known as LXFactory (the hippest and most creative space in Lisbon), this sizable shop boasts a large X-shaped staircase, old industrial printing machines and curious sculptures and installations, such as the famous flying bicycle. And the books? There are thousands of them, old and used, distributed among shop’s many ceiling-to-floor bookshelves.
Although to be honest, I saw people loitering upstairs mainly to take photos, while the book shopping was mostly happening downstairs, where the store displays the more ‘en vogue’ titles. There is a decent English selection, and an especially good choice of Portuguese interest titles. I’ve been searching for Pascal Mercier’s ‘Night Train to Lisbon’ to accompany my Lisbon adventure, and only in this shop I was able to find it. Another great addition to the bookstore is a cafe on the first floor, with good and cheap coffee, something that Portugal is famous for.
