whenever i arrive in a new country, one of the first places i go is a bookstore. i do this for several reasons. having spent much of my life and income in them, i always find them to be comforting spaces. and they often stock more specific maps and guides than you can get outside the country.
but the real reason i love these places is that by scanning the titles for sale – just gazing down the spines – i can get a glimpse of how people in that country see themselves. what stories do they tell? what stories do they read? what books do they print? and what do 