Popular is a chain bookstore that originates from Singapore and has locations in several Asian…read morecountries and Hong Kong. This location is on the third floor of Pioneer Centre in Mong Kok. The store is moderately sized, not on the scale of Eslite. The books sold here are in Chinese, but some of them (ex. cookbooks) have English translations in them. I did not see any magazines or newspapers, so don't come here for those. They do carry a selection of music and DVDs though it is not on the scale of HMV. Though these days, the selection there is getting smaller. And the offerings do not seem to be the most current. Since I can't read Chinese and the entertainment selection did not appeal to me, what garners three stars is their selection of stationery. The stationery here seemed mostly imported from Japan or Japanese inspired. What appealed most to me is their selection of imported Japanese pens. There is plenty varieties to choose from and they have test papers for you to scribble on to see if the pens are for you. They are slightly marked up, but not by much. Certainly not double the price like at one bookstore here in Seattle. If you are looking for Japanese stationery, check out Popular. It is the main reason I would come here.

We were actually in pursuit of a greeting card to send to someone for their birthday. Yelp guided…read moreus to this bookstore. On a Sunday, we had to make it through the maze of sales guys pushing condos before boarding the escaltors to get to the 3rd floor, but other than that, the bookstore provided what I was looking for. Not a big selection of greeting cards, but some. This store is half bookstore (not in English for the most part) and half gift/office supply store (wrapping paper, notebooks, pens/pencils, pads, toys, themed product lines of stuff, music CD's, puzzles, etc). Not a bad bookstore, but not the best either. Seems to be a chain of sorts.

Do you like books? I like books! Do you like books in English? Yes! I love books I can actually…read moreread! Swindleton book store is almost an entire store filled with books all in English! I came here specifically for a HK hiking trail book. The store front is adorable, it looks like it belongs in Britian! I loved it from the first sight! Located a street right off of the iSquare building and Peking Road on a one way street. You cannot miss the store because you will see all the mopeds parked nearby and there's a ton of little stores down this street! Overall, the store is well organized and offers a lot of genres of books as well as magazines, greeting cards, and small gift ideas. There's also an upstairs with more books! The only think missing is comfy chairs and tables! But I guess that would only encourage shoppers like me to sit, read, hangout and probably not buy (books) but ask where my latte is?? Ohh right, I'm totally missing my Barnes & Nobles and their coffee shops right about now! While I don't think I would come here to buy magazines, I priced a "normal grocery store check-out stand magazine (Marie Claire)" out at $112 HKD/$15 USD!! Normal books varyng from travel books to cook books were around $115/$14 and up. It's safe to say that this will probably be my only soft cover book that I'll be buying because I don't want to ship more weight back later on! Unfortunately they didn't have my hiking book in stock but the guy at the checkout was kind enough to call another store and they had one left and held it for me. I'd definitely come back here just in case I do need something or even to buy a simple gift because they had a great selection and we're so helpful. Save the book...Stores! They're a dying species!

This on always our last stop in Hong Kong. I adore Swindons. It is jam packed with the most…read moreincredible reading materials in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Unique items. Small hand-sized books, larger reading volumes and a nice array of stationary and cards. Due to luggage constraints, I could only buy 2 small books but they are keepers. A must go to if you enjoy reading unique books, and hard to find authors. My favorite bookstore on the planet.

I love a good book store. In Hong Kong, however, it's hard to find one with a big English section…read more Most of the stores I've been to have a shelf devoted to English books and many don't have anything at all. I think a great majority of them are just too small for that. JP is located 2 minutes walking from Wan Chai MTR Exit A3. You won't be able to see the name at the front of the bookstore, but you won't miss it, as it covers 3 floors and you can see it from street level. The entrance is wide open and it's inviting. On the first floor there is a collection of bestsellers and a few of them are in English indeed. That's what made me walk upstairs. And then I found out this room just for my beloved English books! It's organized by categories: History, education, business, language, children, Classic literature...and both new releases and classic books. I love the fact that it's in a separate space, a little apart from the rest of the floor and it's always quiet. There have only been a few people in there and the atmosphere is as calm as you would expect in a bookstore. Although their prices are a little higher than, for example, ordering online, they sometimes offer discounts on a selection of books. They are normally placed at the desks in the middle of the room. For me this is a great place to spend some time browsing around books: it's peaceful, organized, there's plenty of light and if you don't find what you're looking for, there's always someone at the counter you can ask for help to. Also, they do have some stationery!

This is a very conveniently located store for buying gifts. I specifically like that there is a…read morewonderful selection of imported children's books and toys. Service is very friendly. One way to make the day of a bibliophile is to visit here and buy a gift.

If you are looking for Manga in Japanese, this is an excellent store. I was shopping for my son, so…read morehad no idea where to find anything. Shop owner was super helpful, digging out a couple of additional items from inventory, in addition to what was on the shelf. A lot of the merchandise is gently used, so prices were great. It has a great vibe, buried in the basement of the building, spilling out into the lower concourse. Even if you don't buy anything, it is fun to visit.

A really good used Japanese bookstore located in the basement of a side street not far from Times…read moreSquare. Unlike some used bookstores where things were just piled around, this place is really organized. Their books cover a wide range of genre, not just the more popular topics about movies, anime, and beauty. If you are studying Japanese this is a treasure trove. They also buy back used Japanese books, though not very old ones. I took some old manga and fictions there and were told they don't worth anything. And I was treasuring them all these years. : P

I have been going to Eslite at Taipei 101 every time I am in town and was so excited that Eslite…read moreopens up this first location outside Taiwan in 2012 at Hysan Place in CWB. I can spend hours checking out all the books they have here. The collection here is just impressive. If you like food and cooking, they have a lot of good colourful cookbooks that is perfect for gifts. Aside from books, there are also gadgets, stationary, aromatherapy products from Taiwan, cafe and even a bbt shop. Worth checking out. I would ask to meet up my friends here especially the ones that are always at least 30 minute late.

Bookstores... they practically don't exist in the US. So I was very happy to come and see this…read morelarge shop in Hong Kong. They have a selection of English and Chinese books; English-speakers, it's all good. It's easy to spend a whole day here. I love how it's lively in here and full of readers. Easily the best bookstore in HK.

I go to Wan Chai at least once a week for my language course nearby, however, whenever I have time,…read moreI always wander around and spend time at a café shop. Little did I know that I might stumble upon this gem when I was on my way to the Café Pacific inside Shui On Centre. As I was taking the escalator to the second floor, I could not help but notice on my left was this colourful store that had stuffed animals, school bags, books on display and I was like "That looks cool". And it only got better. Turns out this place is called Bookazine and it has branches everywhere in Hong Kong. As a bookstore, Bookazine of course provides selection of magazines, stationery. However, the best part is that it has CANDY STAND there and the variety of candies there are unbelievable, most are from the States and I immediately acted like a school boy literally in a candy store grabbing all kind of sweet. Apart from that, they always have tote bags, greet cards, etc. On top of that, they also have kids corner (which is really thoughtful as the grownups are reading, the kids can read some children books or choose to relax throwing beanbags there). They mainly sell English books so now you have one more place to go to look for your books except Metro and the other one. On their website you may also order books there and have the delivery or pickup at the store as well. I would say that this is one of the best bookstores I have seen in Hong Kong with its superb service and most importantly, the candy stand... Actually I am quite surprised to have found this place as it is really hidden and I did not see one single customer there when I was there on that day... well, good for me to spend some alone time there then.