Imagine for a second... It's 2020. You just broke your wrist and have a couple of weeks away from work. You spend your waking hours reading and escaping into worlds filled with handsome fae and magical creatures. What if you could be the one to help someone discover this story? You start looking at commercial real estate, because what if you could be the girl who actually opens the damn bookstore?

THEN BAM! A global pandemic shuts down that dream faster than you can say one bed.

Now imagine for a second second… Its December 2024. You still spend most of your recreational waking hours reading. It turns out life can be pretty lonely when your best friends are the characters you journey with on the page. You make a post online looking for local readers who read romance and fantasy and would want to create a book club and make some real-life friends. 6 months later and nearly 400 locals have joined the book club community!

Hi, I'm Beth. The girl you've been imagining is me! In June 2025, on a hotel bed in Sydney, chatting about dreams and aspirations, my dear friend Tina challenged me, "Why not?" Why couldn't I be the one who makes it happen? There's clearly a community in Canberra that wants this space and I've got the experience, knowledge and passion to make it happen.

So here we are! Welcome to Astoria Canberra's new home of romance and fantasy! We stock exclusively romance and fantasy titles across traditional, special edition and independent publishers! We hope to connect readers with new stories, authors and fellow members of our local reading community. So take a browse through our books and bookish merchandise at our store in Fyshwick, ACT. We hope you find your next favourite read and a new place to call home!