Renaissance author Francis Bacon once said, "Reading makes a full man."

But in a world obsessed with bling bling over substance, how many of us still read, and in particular, real books?

Certainly not everyone in Sanlitun, but for expats who enjoy being fulfilled--at least with a diet of English-language books--The Bookworm is the place to be.

China, Beijing, Sanlitun, Bookworm.

Located in the southern branch of Sanlitun Street, The Bookworm presents a sharp contradiction to some people's perception of Sanlitun where "foreign devils" gather around. It is a "mini-library, spacious and open-planned," as described by its owner Alexandra Pearson. It also integrates a European restaurant and a café/bar, the "Kiddie's Corner" and a bookshop tucked in the back room.

Pearson also summarizes the tenets of The Bookworm on the store's website.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food," according to George Bernard Shaw.

"Wine is the most civilized thing in the world," Earnest Hemingway said.

"Read in order to live," if you believe Gustave Flaubert.

Four years have passed since The Bookworm was opened in 2002. Originally harboring a private collection of 2,000 books, it now boasts more than 20,000 titles, with many new ones added to the shelves each week.

The Bookworm has three separate rooms, two of which are smoking areas. "You know, freelance writers and artists like cigarettes," Pearson said, smiling.

All the books are precisely categorized on each wall in the three rooms. You can also enjoy decent Italian or French wines from Europe, which are brought to China by Pearson and her friends.

Light a cigarette. Have a cappuccino. One can easily indulge him or herself in the land of reading. From children's books to biographies, professional business books to fiction, The Bookworm has a wide range of titles to interest expats.

Meanwhile, foreign-language books are pricey in China.

In big bookstores like Wangfujing Bookstore and Xidan Bookstore, you might just look and sigh at the price tags on foreign-language books.

But Bookworm's members don't have to fret. If you subscribe as a member for a mere 300 yuan a year, you can borrow two books at a time and keep them for two weeks.