Jetlag Books Offers a New Home to Unorthodox Literature in SLT
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Sanlitun art and literature enthusiasts with a fondness for independent publications now have a new go-to spot to shop: Jetlag Books. Located in Taikooli North, Jetlag is a single-room book store and coffee shop specializing in imported art magazines and small-time literary journals that you’ve never heard of – the kind that you might see in the window of Gentle Spring Breeze Magazine Library, a more prominent, competing bookstore just around the corner.
Jetlag boasts one of the best selection of independent magazines in the city
But Jetlag had one key advantage over Gentle Spring Breeze this past weekend, as flocks of good-weather excursionists lined up to get their temperature scanned and enter the plaza: it's actually open, while the latter remains shut.
You won't find cartoons like this in 'The Washington Post'
Customers browse the books and thick magazines that line the three walls of the room while tunes from a British radio station were beamed in. The longest wall holds fashion and art magazines, while coffee table art and design books are held in the back, and a section of travel books (mostly in Chinese) is available to the right.
The table in the center offers the closest thing to conventional reading that you will find in the store, populated with everything from publications from The New York Times (sadly, not the newspaper) as well as The Adventures of Tintin. It also hosts a selection of paraphernalia, such as scented candles and other items that wouldn't go amiss as last-minute presents.
A table of heavier books stands prominent in the center of the store
Most publications will set you back at least a few hundred RMB, but if you're just looking to browse and want to support the store, you can grab a coffee for a more reasonable RMB 24-33, snack on an artisan chocolate bar (RMB 50-plus) or a snag souvenir glass mug (RMB 49-plus).
In all, Jetlag may not be all that different from its larger and better-known neighbor, but with so much heterodox literature in the world, there is certainly room for one more store in downtown Beijing.
Jetlag Books
1/F, Bldg 15, Taikooli North, Chaoyang District
朝阳区太古里北区15号楼一层
READ: WBcomics is the Best Beijing Graphic Novel Store You've Never Heard Of
Images: Joey Knotts
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