With a few more weeks of long, lazy days ahead (for those lucky enough to squeeze a few days off or enjoy a proper holiday, or just make the most of weekends) now is the perfect time to relax with an imagination-grabber. Or take the time to learn something new.
At the Algarve Book Cellar there are literally thousands of books to choose from. Books of all genres and categories, from best-sellers to chick-lit, suspense thrillers to self-help and language books; a vast selection of children’s books and local authors published on specialist subjects like Portuguese cuisine and birdwatching.
The 200+ square metres of floor space are lined floor-to-ceiling with shelves containing the thousands of books, with the collection now over 250,000, according to owner Raymond Compton – and it continues to grow.
“My customers seem to think that one day I will get lost in here,” he jokes, “I now have over 250,000 books and as I only started with 20,000 12 and a half years ago, this shows the books increasing by 20,000 per year”.
The fantastic collection of books continues to grow everyday but if you can’t find what you are looking for then you can order in titles direct from Raymond. There are currently “lots of very good German and Dutch books” at the Book Cellar, along with a healthy collection of DVDs.
Raymond established the Algarve Book Cellar in Carvoeiro in June 2002 and his passion for the business comes not only from his insatiable love of books and reading, but also of meeting people.
Visitors from near and far frequently pop- in for a catch-up or a chat about the weather with the colourful Raymond, who has some interesting stories of his own.
“It’s very, very important for kids to read and I wish they didn’t tax books here, to keep the price down”, he reflects; “new books can sometimes be too expensive for people to buy for kids to read”, which makes the Algarve Book Cellar a great place to stock up on children’s books.
The Algarve Book Cellar is open from Tuesday – Friday, 9:30am – 5pm and Saturday from 9:30am – 2pm.

For more informationTel: 282 354 310 or email raymond.compton@gmail.com.