Our makeup artist told me about this lovely book shop called Atlantis Books, located in Oia, Santorini. I love the story behind it and would love to spend a day browsing its many shelves! She brought me back the postcards above, and a sweet little short story called “Feuille d’Album” by Katherine Mansfield. Published by Paravion Press, which was founded out of Atlantis Books, it is one of several different stories they print in small booklets that you can mail to a friend or loved one.

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“In the spring of 2002, Oliver and Craig spent a week on the island of Santorini. The land inspired them and there was no bookshop, so they drank some wine and decided to open one. Oliver named it Atlantis Books and the two laughed about how their children would run it someday.

We found an empty building facing the sunset, drank some whiskey and signed a lease. We found a dog and cat, opened a bank account, applied for a business license, found some friends, built the shelves, landed a boat on the terrace and filled the place with books. Jenny came in April and painted everything blue.

Atlantis Books opened in the spring of 2004 and lived below the castle for one year. In the winter of 2005 we moved into the center of town and settled nicely into the community. We’ve had food festivals and film festivals, writers reading on the terrace, and a host of cats and dogs.

The bookshop feels like home now and we’re still laughing about how our children will run it someday. As Will says, it’s as easy as that. As you. As that.”

“Paravion Press was born in a bookshop on the cliffs of an island in the south of Greece. The shop swarms with people who love stories and who are far away from loved ones. And it occurred to us that by sending a story in the mail there might, as John Donne put it, be a moment to ‘mingle souls: for thus, friends absent speak.’”

Check out their website!