Basement Books is a dangerous place on many levels…read more Danger number one: It's in Central. It is right in Central. Central is a place you meet people, so you might say, meet you in central at 4pm and then you get there at 3.30pm and you have to wait. So what do you do? You go to Basement Books and peruse their countless books with bright yellow stickers advertising their low and affordable price. Danger number two: Because these books that you're perusing are cheap, you can justify the price even if you're not sure whether you even need the book. 'Oh, a history of Physics' I've always been interested in Physics, and it's only $9.95 I should probably buy this and learn about Physics. Danger number three: Their range is gigantic! I almost said 'ginormous', but that's not a word. What I meant was Hugantic! There are literally thousands upon thousands of books and they're always receiving new stock. They have art sections, computer sections, history, film, personal growth, science fiction, literature, even books like the dictionary, which, had I purchased a copy last I was in, would have saved me the embarrassment of using a non-word like 'ginormous'. So beware of Basement Books. You have been warned. The bookshop is in a great location, the titles are cheap and the range extraordinary. I have a pile of books in my room almost as tall as I am that I have yet to read, opportune purchases that came at me as I strolled amidst the aisles killing time. A book on deadly diseases for $4.95, I'm not going to find that bargain again. Buy! Buy! Buy!

In this day and age of Kindle and Kobo and Nook, a solid read (and I mean one that you can…read moreliterally hold and turn pages beneath your fingers) comes pretty cheap. You really do need to head in to see what they've got because I find their online catalogue lacking and sometimes the staff don't even know what they're stocking. The outside disguises how big this place really is, as it has sections for anything from classic fiction to travel books and bios. It has a pretty decent selection of art supplies as well (I'm no art student, but it does cater for scrapbooking hobbies or the amateur artist if you're after it). Right in the back corner they have a little children's section which I found perfect for my six year old sister who's going through her first reading phase. I bought her a collection of these tiny Winnie the Pooh classics, and a special anniversary edition of Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and Friends stories which averaged around $4 and $12 respectively. They have tons of different hard cover books (some of which are pop up!) which were surprisingly cheap, but more importantly, were invaluable in keeping kids (of all ages) entertained for hours.

Lots of books. There was a large amount of bilingual books although it was hard to findread more

After I was done with having lunch at The Galeries, I went upstairs to floor 2 to check this place…read moreout. They're a Japanese chain bookstore. I've been to their locations in Los Angeles, CA and Seattle, WA. My goodness, they had quite the extensive manga selection! Of course all of the super popular ones were available. If I had one of these bookstores closer to where I live, I would be giving them a lot of my money! Everything was so well organized, so everything was very easy to locate.

I live for charming little bookstores like this one. In college I would spend hours in bookstores…read moreto study or just meditate and peruse through books. Sadly, more bookstores are being replaced by Kindle, but I still prefer the smell and feel of a paperback, and the comforting stillness of being surrounded by books. It's a shame there aren't many bookstores where I live in Honolulu, but I came across quite a few in Sydney, including Ariel Booksellers. Walking in here is simply a joy. Bookstores have now branched out to not only sell books but also the cutest knickknacks and items that anyone will love. Ariel sells calendars, postcards, greeting cards, even lamps like the cute bear lamp from the LINE friends collection as seen in one of the photographs below. Ariel was a lovely and relaxing stop during my busy day touring Sydney. I recommend this bookstore to tourists and locals alike who need a bit of respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The smaller of the two I've been to it's still not that small given the multiple levels. Where you…read morehave me lost is that most of the ground floor is gifts souvenirs and trendy stuff/stationary. Normally I don't mind but I was surprised given the fact that everything upstairs seemed so condensed because of this like an aisle and that's it. Because of this I didn't get the type of time I wanted to have in what I was told was the biggest in Australia. Your mileage may vary on this obviously but for me that's a dealbreaker. On lighter notes staff were scarce and while nice didnt have what I was looking for. Books were in the best condition of the two and I was impressed by that as again I don't have that where I'm from. Despite that Sydney will eventually be my home I'll definitely be looking to shop in Melbourne more for the genres of my tastes.

Absolute garbage service. I PRE ORDER a textbook MONTHS in advance. I then have to reach out to…read moreTHEM to confirm my order as they didn't do so. They extend the delivery date out another 23 days, whatever, fine. I reach out again 20 odd days after that date, only to be told they don't have the book anymore. I demand a refund. They REFUSE. THEY HAVE THE *GALL* TO REFUSE A REFUND UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES!?!? The demand my bank account number! They demand 4-6 weeks turn around time for their "Accounts" team to process the refund. WHAT. A. JOKE. Don't bother with this clown company. Absolute clown circus square go.

If you're a brick-and-mortar bookstore and you're still alive I take my hat off to you. Its…read moreimmediate respect, in fact - given the swift move to e-books and online purchasing all around the world. I really enjoyed my experience at Dymocks in the Junction. It is situated just below the cinemas and I popped in to find some childrens books for my nieces birthday. Not only did I find what I was looking for - books written by the one and only Enid Blyton, my idol as a child, but they beautifully gift wrapped it for me too! I'm not sure how they do survive and remain competitive, but it will be a sad day if a place like this does close down one day. There are some that say book stores are a dying breed. I'm not one of them.

I had seem this place out of the corner of my eye as I was wandering arouind Glebe previously, and…read moreI decided to come back and check it out a bit later on that day. I was lucky because I get inside about five minutes before he closed, so I got a good opportunity to look around. I have to be honest and say that as bookshop it wasn't one of the best that I have been to, and the stock didn't really impress me as much as it could have impressed me. Mind you, it stocks new as opposed to second-hand books, which is probably why it didn't grab my attention as much as a second-hand bookshop does (namely because secondhand bookshops always have something interesting inside, and tend to have that musty, used book, feel about it). Mind you, I did find a couple of interesting books, but still, with what is next door, it doesn't really jump out at me.

Apart from selling books, which it does and does quite well, Gleebooks also plays host to various…read moretalks and events which take place in the upstairs room of the Glebe Point Road shop. They hold book launches, established authors in conversation and every Sunday they host a book club, as well as, on the first Saturday of every month, a stand up comedy show. Wit Large, a stand up evening billed as "Smart Comedy for Smart People" is a night that has come out of a desire for comedians to longer have to tell jokes over the uproar of a drunken conversation, the clatter of cutlery or the various "witty" repartee of an inebriated audience member on their bucks party. The show also aims to keep its humour either brow or higher, and their website claims that each act is screened first to avoid sexism, homophobia and lazy or energetic racism. Each show comes equipped with a theme, such as, "Medicine", "Music" and "New Arrivals" and various professional comedians, some local, and seem even on the International level. The night was engineered by stand up comedian Dave Bloustein, who hosts each performance, and Carrie Hardie, the shows producer. Tickets are $15 each, and the night utilises the book shop well, as during the intermission, you're free to browse the paperbacks and hard covers that paint the walls surrounding the stage. Wine and beer is available.

There is nothing better than a good second-hand bookshop, other than a second-hand bookshop where…read morethe owner will talk to you for ages about second-hand books, and this is certainly one of those places. If there is one thing I love to talk about and that is books, expecially old books, and she certainly has a decent collection of them. There are some pretty good titles in here, but the best part about this place, as with most shops of a similar nature, is the ability to simply pour through the volumes looking for something that catches your attention, and also getting a nice, dusty old hardcover book.

As an American exploring Paddington for the first time I came across this awesome cafe on Oxford…read more My flat was close by and the purple exterior was a happy purple that made me curious. Then I saw things that sparked joy. Coffee, books, art, food, Australian wine. And the outside tables were occupied by chill patrons of the intellect hip kind. My kind of people enjoying the warm Sydney weather. Add to this 3 floors to explore. I loved this place so much I came a few times. I loved looking through all the books and trying items off their menu. Rose' excellent. Flat white perfect. Chai very nice. The food is made from scratch so I cannot give this place enough Yelp stars. It would be 5 stars for each category. Their wifi works great too. I tried to order things I wasn't familiar with. They also have specials of the day so give that a go if you find your way here. I tried a Caramel Slice coz I've never seen that before. It's a posh layered dessert snack type a thing. So glad I ordered and would order that again. This cafe / bookstore encourages you to grab a book and relax. So I found a few and ordered the Tapas board. Keeping with a variety theme. I had a variety of books and paired it with a variety board of food. They serve breakfast lunch dinner and good Aussie vibes. Mel M Yelp 22:10

As you walk down Oxford St, Sydney in Paddington, you'll find yourself passing by Ampersand cafe &…read morebookstore. Downstairs, it looks like a familiar cafe, with indoor and outdoor seating, but make sure you head upstairs in one of the three levels and find a seat amongst the floor to ceiling bookshelves. Set into three rooms, consisting of books aplenty, organised into their themes with comfortable seating, this is somewhere you could absolutely sit for hours. Order your food at the front, and it will be delivered to you as you immerse yourself in the books. Whilst it is only a small menu, the food is interesting and they also have some daily salads, sandwiches and pastry goods. A couple of options using black rice, we chose the brekky bowl with Bircher and sticky black rice with figs, cinnamon and fresh fruits. We really liked this as it was quite different to your normal Bircher. French toast is an option, baked or poached eggs and smoked salmon is on the menu but we opted for a familiar favourite - the eggs Benedict with crispy bacon and creamy hollandaise. We were hungry so we also shared one of the fresh Reuben Bagels. It was filled with a super flavoursome pastrami, cheese and sauerkraut and this was the winner on the day. For those wanting lunch, there's a burger, steak sandwich and even a black risotto or polenta chips. Coffee is by Little Marionette and the mocha was a good drop, complete with Lindt chocolate. We also had a cold drip which we certainly enjoyed. Smoothies and teas are also available. Pop in for a nice meal and a good read.

Abbey's is a great bookshop with a culty edge, they used to own Galaxy Bookshop on the same street…read morewhich is now closed and some of the sci-fi stock has been incorporated into Abbey's, check the window display for the very cute Star Wars soft toys (I want a Yoda, he is so cute). Being one of Sydney's larger bookshops Abbey's has a very large range, but the reason I like it is not so much for their books but the DVDs. Abbey's offers possibly the most extensive foreign film DVD selection in Sydney, they have many deleted titles and many imports. If you are looking for films by the greats of foreign cinema such as Bergman, Ozon, Haneke, Fellini, Antonioni, Abbey's is the place to find them. Oh and grab me a Yoda on the way out.

I was, for a time, what can only be described as a Frankophile. That's someone who is obsessed with…read morethings a la Francois. I got heavily into the music of Raphael, Camille, Serge Gainsbourg and even Vanessa Paradis. I was watching French Films like a maniac, and I even endeavoured to take up the ancient art of speaking the language. I decided the best way to do this (Well, not the best way, but the most accessible, the cheapest and the most likely that I would follow it through.) would be to purchase some French Speaking CD's and utilise the lessons therein. With a reputation for language books and media, I journeyed to Abbey Books just behind the QVB. Which has now taken into its premises the science fiction bookshop, Galaxy. I had no idea which one would be the ideal course for me so I got some advice from the staff there, he asked me questions about outcomes and reasons to learn and such and then pointed me in the right direction. I purchased my audio lessons and thanked the man. And after many a jog around the bay with my headphones in, repeating french phrases as I jogged. Probably looking like a looney from Paris talking to himself, I learnt the ancient art of Conversational French. Though I still can't have a conversation in it, unless that conversation is asking how you are, you say fine and then I buy something from you.

Great variety of vinyls, great vibe & it was nice to chat with staff about music cultureread more

I've walked past repressed records quite a few times but never went in until a few days ago. Its…read moreone of the smaller record shops in Sydney but I was happy to find some great albums in there. Its mostly a rock and alternate dominated shelf section, but the small but modest hip hop section was enough to open my eyes to a few artists I didn't know and a few albums I'd been searching for. The store also has a tee-shirt shop at the back, that sell lots of cool plain coloured 'as colour' brand tees, that can be heat pressed with artwork on display in folders and also have a few gift type goods in the display cabinets like wallets and watches. I liked the colourful passport wallets the best. A nice surprise.