If you’re not familiar with the Ubik Café in Ruzafa, then you’re missing out on one of the coolest hangouts in the city.

The Ubik is more than just a bar or café… it’s also an incredible used & new book store, with a great selection of titles; mostly Spanish, though there are a few English boxes. The prices are great, especially on old, beat-up books, and the vibe in the café is unbeatable. Dogs run around freely, there’s an area for kids to play, and everyone seems chilled and probably a little bit cooler than you are. I recently picked up an old Agatha Christie for €1,50, ordered an Alhambra, and spent a couple hours on an old couch.

In celebration of the Feria del Libro currently going in the Turia Riverbed, the Ubik is holding a little fiesta of its own on Friday evening: The Tapa del Libro. For €3, you get a used book, a tapa, and a glass of wine. Not bad!!

The Ubik is popular anyway, and it’s almost impossible to find a spot to sit on Friday nights. So, I’m assuming that it’s going to be packed full for the Tapa del Libro. But for a deal like that, I’m willing to submit myself to a crowd. Besides, I’m already done with that Agatha Christie book. Maybe I can find an old Sherlock Holmes…

Tapa del Libro at Ubik
Friday, April 23rd at 8pm
C/ Literato Azorín 13
Location on our Valencia Map
963 741 255
http://www.facebook.com/ubikcafe

Used books for 1 Euro, 1 Pound or one dollar!

There are a number of book fairs in the city, but perhaps the biggest and best of them all is the Fira del Llibre in the beautiful Viveros Gardens. This year’s festival kicks off today, and runs through the 2nd of May. Plenty of time to get there, find a good summer read, and then spend a couple of hours with it in the park.

We like it almost as much as the Wine Festival! Oh oh, now I’ve done it. Don’t be upset, Book Festival… we like you, too! We like you both, just in different ways. You’re more the type we’d eventually like to settle down with, but it’s just that… the Wine Festival is a little more fun, you know? And we’re still young!

For the next 13 days, the stands will be open from 11 to 14h and 17 to 21h. Considering the amount of programs, reading-related activities for kids, and a huge list of book signings, you might want to check out their website before heading over.

www.firallibre.com
Location on our Valencia Map

Used books for 1 Euro, 1 Pound or one dollar!

Until March 21st, the 32nd Annual Antique Book Festival is being held on the Gran Vía Marqués. There are a surprisingly large number of vendors set up, and if you like books, this is an event you really shouldn’t pass up. It’s not just “antique” books either, despite the name — you can get really good deals on second hand novels and comics. Browsing is a blast, especially on a sunny day.

- Come for Fallas

Valencia’s old city center has a starring role in a new 48-page comic by Ana Miralles and Emilio Ruiz, called De mano en mano. The story follows a €20 bill as it passes to various people throughout the city’s streets and homes.

The comic has received good reviews from the few sites I’ve looked at, and uses its central gimmick to explore the social and economic issues of the city. Valencia is the setting, and the artists recreate a lot of city highlights, such as the Plaza de la Virgen.

Currently available for order, the book costs €18 from publisher Edicions de Ponent. Or wait until it comes to the library!

[Via Levante]

- Spanish Comics Here

Until May 3rd, the annual book fair, the Fira del Llibre de València will be held in the Viveros Gardens (location). We went last year and can report: there were a lot of books! And unless some crazy surrealist group has taken over the book festival’s organization, I’m sure you can count on a lot of books this year, too.

The fair is open from 11 to 14h, and in the eventings from 17 to 21h. There are numerous activities and events scheduled throughout each day, though they’ll all be in Valencian or Castellano.

They have a website, firallibre.com, but as of the time of writing this post, it is extremely busted. Come on, guys!

Pics & Information from Last Year’s Fair
Location on our Valencia Map