My favourite bookstores

Today, I walked into a bookstore for the first time in months. The first thing I did was stop, close my eyes and inhale deeply. Beautiful. I love the smell of new books. Even better than that, a whole room full of new books. I almost forgot how much I love this smell since I only seem to shop online now. 

It got me thinking about some of my favourite bookstores. Books in Australia are expensive and although I can't justify spending $30 on one book, when I can get two or three for that price off Book Depository, I do miss browsing bookstores. Here are my favourites:

Books Kinokuniya - Sydney

Books Kinokuniya is located in The Galleries Victoria, in George street, Sydney. It is a large Japanese bookstore that stock a lot of Japanese books, anime and graphic novels along with many English titles. It is a pleasure to browse this store. It is open and well lit making it easy to view the shelves. The staff are friendly. I can spend hours in this store. It is the first place I visit when ever I make my way into the city.

Galaxy Bookshop - Sydney

© Galaxy Bookshop

 Galaxy Bookshop is a science-fiction, fantasy and horror specialist bookstore located in York street, Sydney. Richard (being the big sci-fi nerd he is) loves Galaxy so we usually stop in here as well. It has a great selection of titles. I have also bought books off their online ordering system and they have really fast delivery.

Borders 

 

I love Borders. I love the fact that I can walk into the store, pick up a book, sit in an armchair and read. You are hard-pressed to find bookstores in Australia that are happy for you to read titles you don't plan on purchasing. I have even sat on the floor reading and no one cared. How awesome is that. They also have a fantastic selection.

Mr Pickwick's Fine Old Books - Katoomba

As far as second-hand bookstores go, I think one of my favourites is Mr Pickwick's located in the Blue Mountains. They have a selection of over 60,000 books spanning three levels. They also sell antiques, bric-a-brac and collectibles. They specialise in rare books and I am sure will be able to hunt down anything you are after. This store has that typical 'second-hand bookstore smell' and dusty books that accompany it. I can spend hours browsing this store as there is always something interesting to hold my attention. It's a 'must see' if you are visiting Katoomba.


What is your favourite bookstore? Where do you like to shop for your books, or just browse because you love the ambiance?