He offered to make me a pot of tea and disappeared to the small kitchenette at the back of the shop. It was our second visit to this delightful place of old and new books, curious mixtures on bulging shelves and above, left on chairs and in the creases of comfortable couches, stacked on and under small tables.

A bookshop so invitingly and welcomingly furnished, not just because of the antiques (including a couple of pianos you are allowed to play if you properly could) but mainly because of the cozy mess of books strewn around and drawings in the children’s alcove littering the floor amidst the bean bags.

Staff dressed in fabulous handmade attire of bookish fabric, a space on the pavement to sit and browse through second hand literature and then there was the pot of tea, placed on the big table in the bigger room of the shop with the message from the owner (I suspect) to enjoy, to take my time and stay as long as I liked while browsing. My idea of heaven! He came a bit later to borrow some of my/his tea in a tiny cup of which, he explained, he had many during the day.

While I like order and clean lines and modern, the charm of this bookshop in Port Douglas (Queensland, Australia) touched me in many ways. We left obviously with books purchased and a truly memorable experience. I almost forgot about Bailey, who is The Book Lounge’s shop dog and loves your cuddles when you read him a story.