Happy Place: Flow Books

Our fellow book worms will be in heaven at this gorgeous second hand (previously loved?) book store in Central.

Brrrr…. it’s cold outside! Hong Kong recently experienced the coldest weather in it’s seen in 59 years. Wow. I don’t know about you, but it makes me want to curl up next to my heater with a hot cup of tea and a good book. I could happily spend days lost in historical accounts of interesting people or tales of far away places. Which is why I recently braced the cold to stock up on reading material at one of my happy places… Flow Books in Central.

“She kept her nose in a book, and her head in the clouds” – Karen Robards

Flow Books is located at 29 Lyndhurst Terrace in Central. To get your Flow on, take the midlevels escalator and exit at Lyndhurst Terrace. Then groove on over to the Lyndhurst Building (to the right of HSBC). Flow Books is located in Room 204, on the second floor. Upon exiting the lift or stairwell on the second floor, you will be greeted by my favourite little book shop in Hong Kong.

“And though she be but little, she is fierce.” – William Shakespeare

Flow Books is a second-hand (I like to say previously loved) bookshop. The gently used books, media & CDs lining the shelves (including some rare and collectible books) are full of character. Some of the titles I’ve purchased at Flow have had hand-written notes, doodles, inscriptions or leftover bookmarks inside. I like to imagine where my book may have travelled before I purchased it. Who was its owner? Why did they buy it? It adds to the adventure of reading.

“A book is a gift you can open again and again.” – Garrison Keillor

Flow’s absolutely lovely owner believes that there should be a constant “flow” of books. According to their website, Flow has collected around 630,000 books in their 17 years of service and sold over 250,000. You can stop by Flow to drop off your reading materials for others to enjoy, or pick up previously loved treasures. Make sure to give yourself ample time to wander around this shop, as it’s chuck full of travel books, biographies, novels and other media. You probably won’t find the NY Times best seller that was released last week, but you are sure to discover something unexpected.

What’s great about that? Well, unlike many ‘new’ bookstores in Hong Kong, the book prices at Flow are really reasonable. Books at Flow go for as cheap as $15 HKD! I often enter empty handed and leave with a bag full of books and a heart full of love for less than the price of one sparkly new release at other shops.

There are several used bookshops around Hong Kong, but I find that Flow has more charm and more selection. From the moment you enter Flow, you are made to feel extremely welcome. Can’t find something? The owner will be happy to help you locate what you’re looking for. As an avid traveller, I particularly like the travel books section at Flow. Travel guides don’t tend to change too much from one edition to the next, so why not pick up a used copy and save the extra cash for your trip? Sometimes the previous owner has even left a few extra tips in the pages!

“The more you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Suess

So, if you’re looking for a good book (or ten) to curl up on the couch with this winter, pop by Flow Books in Central. They are open every day from 12:00 – 7:00. Website: flowbooks.net. Phone: 2964 9483.

Brandie is an American living in Hong Kong with a British husband, a Chinese pug and a Parisian soul. She believes in making bold decisions and living a life full of happiness and laughter. A few years ago, she quit her job as an attorney to explore the world and she blogs about it here: