Bookshop Wayword & Wise might just be the most thoughtfully curated bookshop in the city. This Ballard Estate bookshop, located a five-minute walk away from CST, sells around 7,000 books, which were selected carefully from over three lakh books by the shop’s owner, Atul Sud, and its curator, Virat Chandok.
This bookshop is ideal for a book-lover looking for something extra. If you’re tired of Flipkart and Amazon, and have forgotten what it’s like to actually discover a new book in a beautiful, hushed bookstore, head here. Their fiction aisle, which stretches across the length of the store – includes both Helen Fielding and Paul Auster.
We loved their food section the most. Besides including the classics by Pooja Dhingra, Jamie Oliver, Anthony Bourdain and others, we spotted Jerusalem: A Cookbook (INR 4,500), a culinary exploration of a land which is a melting pot of Muslim , Jewish, Arab, Christian and Armenian communities. All you music lovers can check out their copy of the Kurt Cobain Journals (INR 1,372). This collection of writings and drawings by the musicians include revealing poetry, doodles and heartfelt letters sent to other musicians. We also enjoyed their selection by Pushkin Press (a publishing house whose works are rarely seen in Mumbai bookshops) such as Journey Into The Past by Stefan Zweig (INR 550), and The Monocle Guide To Better Living, a collection of writing, reports and tips on simply living a better life (INR 4,254).
Wayword & Wise is a bookshop for the discerning reader who's looking for titles they would never discover on a Flipkart or on an Amazon (not organically, at least). Their collection is thoughtful, thorough and diverse. We suggest you spend a day here, browsing and finding your next favourite book.