I recently rediscovered a secondhand bookstore in Brussels I really love. In October, a friend took me there and made me remember why I loved it so much. I hadn’t been there in years before that visit, and I’ve already gone back once since. One of the reasons I love it so much is that there are always so many people there. It warms my heart to see that many people browsing the shelves! Especially since it’s open every day – which doesn’t happen often in Belgium.
For those of you who are interested, the bookstore is called Pêle-Mêle. The location I always go to is at Boulevard Maurice Lemonnier 55, 1000 Bruxelles. The majority of the store is made up of French books, which is sad because my French isn’t good enough for that. I especially find it sad because they have a HUGE comics and manga section, but the majority is French. However, they do have English and Dutch (and some other languages) sections too, and the English one isn’t that small. I’ve found some gems every time I’ve been.
So what did I find the last time I went?


The Fifth Season (Broken Earth #1) by N.K. Jemisin
I can’t tell you how excited I was to find a perfect paperback edition of The Fifth Season for only €3. I’ve been wanting to read this series for ages, ever since I read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by the same author. She creates such incredibly fantasy worlds, and this seems like her most loved series. I immediately started reading it after buying it…
The Obelisk Gate (Broken Earth #2) by N.K. Jemisin
After I spotted The Fifth Season, I walked around some more. Hidden behind some other books, I found the sequel too! Another perfectly fine paperback for €3. I couldn’t believe my luck. Now I have 2 out of the 3 books, and only spent €6!
Emperor of the Eight Islands (Tale of Shikanoko #1-2) by Lian Hearn
I’m going to be honest, I picked this one off the shelves because of the cover. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Apparently, this author is quite famous so I don’t know how I’ve never heard her name before… The only thing I remember about this book is that it’s set in a medieval Japanese-inspired world. I’m kind of sad that the author isn’t Japanese, so I’ll keep my eye out for the representation but it does seem like an intriguing read! I found a hardback of this book for only €3. Can you believe it?
I absolutely love Pêle-Mêle, and I’ll definitely visit more often from now on. Do you have a favorite secondhand bookstore? Have you read any of these books?
Oh wow, such great finds! I’ve checked out some secondhand bookstores in Ghent and Bruges, but the selection of English books was very disappointing…
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I find that often happens in Belgian bookstores, whether they are new or secondhand ones. Pêle-Mêle does have quite a few English books, but nothing compared to the amount of French books they have. I wish they had an English manga section! They have such a giant French manga section, and I get sad every time I see it.
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The Jemisin books are so worth it. ❤
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That’s so cool that you found the first two Broken Earth books for so cheap! 🙂
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Right? I was so happy!
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The Emperor one looks really cool!! I love the cover!
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I love the cover too! It’s even prettier in person since some of it is foiled. Not going to lie, that was the main reason I plucked it from the shelf.
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