Cozy Bookshop Corner

Imagine the smell of books, the sound of dark, worn wooden floors cracking as you walk through the narrow shelves lined with hundreds, maybe thousands of books proudly presenting their imprinted spines.

Whether you’re in your favourite university library or the village bookshop that’s somehow always been there, cute nooks and inviting reading spots beckon from the cosy corners, inviting you to sit down and get lost in tales of adventure, love stories, culinary journeys of the world, travel guides and maps of the world, classics or hot political debates.

Who doesn’t love these book heavens full of adventures, dreams and hopes?

My love for letters has existed since I learned to make sense of lined-up words and was able to dive into a world I hadn’t yet known existed. Maybe not surprisingly, the dream of becoming a writer or bookshop owner emerged soon after. When I was expected to help with house chores, you could either find 9-year-old Carmen behind the sofa or hiding in the bathroom - book in hand. 😂

As a student, I pursued, what most told me was a useless yet to me fascinating BA in Social and Cultural Sciences while working at Germany’s largest bookstore.

I preferred the late shifts, enjoying the quiet store where I could chat with customers without a queue behind them, tidy the classics section (while flickering through pages and extending my wish list), or restock the display of current bestsellers near the entrance.

My shift would usually end at midnight when the store closed. Joyfully, I’d walk to the underground in high spirits, having spent the evening in the best possible company - books. Later, I worked as a research assistant at the Leo Baeck Institute in London, sifting through thousands of letters, notes, and other primary sources from the Second World War to compile a history module that is still taught at a top university in the UK today.

While I no longer work directly with words today (apart from writing on Substack obviously), I’m now bringing my beloved books to you online. In my little corner of the internet.

This July, I was approved as an affiliate by Bookshop.com, and in autumn, just in time for the cosy season when books are cherished most (next to warm tea, a wood-fired oven and fresh apple cake), my digital cosy bookstore corner aka favourites list will launch.

From the comfort of your warm sofa, you can support cosy indie bookstores plus my work when purchasing via my links and browsing through my curated selection of books.