I’m Sarah, a Californian in Amsterdam, documenting my quest to start a bookshop in an Italian town called Narni. Follow along by subscribing:

Narni is a place of long, light-filled days, birds crying overhead, cats napping on warm stone. And yes, it’s the town that inspired C.S. Lewis to create the land of Narnia. It’s a magical city where dreams feel like they might just come true.

I first visited in 2022, and fell in love. And then, through some bright turn of the universe, two years later, I sat—keys in hand—on the steps of a little house I still can’t believe belongs to me.

See that unassuming door just visible beneath the staircase? It’s an unfinished cellar with a soaring ceiling that I’m slowly turning into the bookshop I’ve been seeking around every corner all my life.

Along the way, I also write about life as a Californian in Amsterdam, keeping a reading notebook, and what it’s like to live abroad long-term.

So take a seat, grab a mug of your favourite warm and cosy drink, and settle in as we embark together on this journey.