The Bookworm is a reminder of home. A place were you can drink coffee and indulge in books, many many books. I love reading, I love books...I do not like kindles or ipads or computers for reading. Everyone tried to convince me to get a kindle before I went back to China, my mother even offered to buy me one. But I refused! Why do we need kindles to read, have we become so lazy that the effort to carry a book is too much for us these days. I left Ireland with nine books, I have read most of them...Jordan could not understand why I was wasting valuable luggage space on books when I could have taken several boxes of chocolate and percy pigs but I was persistent and I was rewarded. I love holding a book, turning the pages, the smell of the paper and not worrying if I spill coffee that it will stop working. A co-worker of mine argued with me that a kindle was the best invention ever. He had hundreds of books available to him at the touch of a button, however when I asked him what book he was reading he did not know as he could not look at the front cover. Alas I won the arguement because when you have a book in your hand at least you know what your reading. Thus the Bookworm situated in Building 4, Nan Sanlitun Road, Chao Yang District, Beijing, has everything I need. You can buy brand new books or join their library system which is great. For 200yuan, (20 pounds) I became a member and I can take out two books at any time, there is no fines if you return them late and there are hundreds of books to choose from. There is a great restaurant and coffee shop, supplying you with lovely delights as you read or watch the world go by. They have Book Festivals, film screenings, quizzes, interesting talks and much more. But it is the access to books which is most important. In China it is hard to get books, don't get me wrong you can buy books but they are expensive and often there is only a few to choose from. What is so pleasant about the books in the Bookworm is that all these books have come from different countries, they were owned by travellers or expats, they all have a history. It is like lifting a book in a hostel and finding someones travel notes, a message from a family member or simply a name and date. Books are important to me, they take you on adventures and therefore I cannot replace them with a kindle...no matter how heavy they may be!