A bargain on books

Are you searching for something new to read? Then have a look at Senaatintorin Antikvariaatti in Torikortteli. Here you can get book in Finnish, Swedish but also in English for prices as low as 20 cents.

But also if you want to get rid of some of your old books you should drop by. If they are in good shape they might buy them off of you.

Have a look at the small shop in Sofiankatu and for more information also visit them online.

Bookfair weekend

Books, books, books. This year's Helsinki Bookfair takes place this weekend. Find out about the lastest trends and best sellers, talk to publishers and authors and find a few new additions to your book selection at home. 

This year's guest of honor is Italy. To see the whole program of today and tomorrow check out the program online.

And it's not just all about books. With the same ticket (16 €) you also have access to the Music Fair as well as the Wine, Food and Good Living Fair that are held at Messukeskus at the same time.

Library on wheels

The library system HelMet in the capital area works flawlessly and is just really good both in terms of service and selection. But there is even more to it than just the normal libraries. Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa also have their own mobile libraries.

Big busses filled with books drive through the cities and stop at several destinations every day to make the library service even more accessable. You can just come here and browse through the books or even reserve your book to be brought to your neighborhood by bus.

For the schedule and all stops check out the timetable of the library busses in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa.

Swap your books

You just came back from a trip abroad and have finished the book you took with you. You can now take it back home and leave it in the shelf to probably never touch it again. Or you could just swap it for another one.

On terminal 2 of the Helsinki Vantaa Airport you can find a book swap point where you can exchange your book for another from the shelf. Or just sit down in the rocking chair and grab one to read there. The service is completely free.

You find the Book Swap one level above Gate 27. Check it out!

I, Helsinki

Well, it’s about time the world noticed me! A lady always appreciates compliments, and in recent years I’ve been getting a lot of fantastic reviews in the media and praise from visitors. I’ve been a European City of Culture, a World Design Capital and even my airport has consistently won awards for quality. Important organizations appreciate my reliability, my beauty, my natural surroundings and my friendly inhabitants.

Helsinki, the proud lady at the shore of the Gulf of Finland introduces herself. She tells about herself, her sights, her culture, her sourroundings and of course her people in the new e-book written by Rusty Snyder.

Rusty, originally from California, has lived and worked in Helsinki for over 30 years and knows the city inside out. He is a journalist, lecturer and author. You can also follow him on twitter.

Find a list of all the online shops selling I, Helsinki from the publisher's website and enjoy this nice little book!

Sit down and read

Akateeminen Bookstore in the city center is definitely one of the best bookstores you can find in Finland. And did you can also come there to just read into a book first before buying it.

On the first floor you find a few sofas hidden between the book shelves. Grab a book and get comfortable here. It's actually quite a nice athmosphere as well. You also find a tablet attached to each sofa that can give you an overview over Akateeminen's catalouge.

Check it out and enjoy your book!

Books for free

You forgot to take something to read for your upcoming bus ride or for your metro trip? No worries. You don’t even have to buy a new book at the store. Just grab a one for free at the book shelf of Kampin Suutari shoemaker shop at the entrance to the long distance buses.

The shelf contains all kinds of second hand books coming from the recycling center and is being refilled regularly. You can find books in Finnish, Swedish and English. The shelf is accessible anytime even if the shoemaker and everything else at Kamppi Kauppakeskus is closed.

Check it out! 

An Event of Thousand Tales

The Helsinki Book Fair 2013 is open. Around 1000 writers, scientists, artists, opinion leaders and politicians will be on stage and over 700 presentations will be held at 12 different  venues. 

Of course big and small publishing companies will have their stands there as well and provide their own program.

This years guest land is Germany. And many renowned writers like Siegfried Lenz or Wladimir Kaminer will be at the book fair as well.

The event is hosted at the Helsinki Messukeskus. Entrance for adults is 16 €. The fair is still going on till Sunday and is open daily from from 10:00 till 18:00 (Friday till 20:00).

For more information visit the official website.

Manga and a cup of coffee

You love manga comics? Well, then you will love the Manga Café in Kaisaniemi. The whole café follows the manga theme. And of course there are tons of manga comics to read. The whole back wall is covered with a shelf filled with the Japanese comic books.

Real manga fans could probably spend whole days here browsing through comics while enjoying some hot beverage and a sweet treat.

A real must for manga enthusiasts! 

Borrow, don’t buy

The capital region has an amazing public library system. The city libraries from Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa are all part of HelMet (Helsinki Metropolitan Area Libraries).

On the HelMet website you find a huge catalogue of all the items in all the libraries attached to it. Just order it online and it will be brought to your closest library where you can pick it up a few days later.

Each library has also a wide selection of English and international book as well as CDs and DVDs.

You can get your library card for free at any HelMet library. Even if you are not a citizen of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen or Vantaa you can get a free card valid for half a year that can be extended after that.

A Finnish Egyptian

Would you like to read a real Finnish classic? One of the most successful books written by a Finnish author is definitely “Sinuhe the Egyptian”. This historical novels tells about a physician who travels the around the Mediterranean Sea giving the reader a pretty good impression of ancient Egypt and its role in the world.

With this novel Mika Waltari became world famous. In the 1950s Hollywood even adapted the story for a movie. Every Finnish child reads the book in school.

It is one of the most important pieces of literature in Finland. And it’s a really interesting book.

Enjoy reading it!

Storybook Helsinki and Beyond

When you walk through the streets of Helsinki and open your eyes to some of the buildings around you, you will soon find out that this city is full of architectural treasures.

Exactly this is what happened to Cody Douglas Oreck, the American ambassador’s wife when she explored her new home in 2009 for the first time. Searching for a book to tell her more about those astonishing buildings she soon found out that there was none.

Together with the talented Romanian photographer Octavian Bâlea she started working on exactly such a book. Three years later the Storybook Helsinki and Beyond is now on sale. And it’s worth risking a look. This beautifully illustrated book makes you see buildings you always passed by before in a completely different light.

You can get it from most bookstores in town for 44,95€ or download it as an iBook for about 15 €.