It's not every day you find a place like this. Berry & Peterson is one of Kingston's "hidden gems"…read morefor book lovers. Be aware, there are books piled from floor to ceiling - literally. As a result, it's not very accessible. The floors are a mix of wood and stone and can be uneven. There's an upstairs as well. Make sure you take a look there for more recent books. If you're into collecting old books, this place is for you! The shopkeeper is very nice and knowledgeable. I think he's one of the founders although I'm not sure which one. You can find him there most days listening to the radio or reading something. The prices can be a bit high, but that's the case with most book stores these days. I'm happy to support this local business as an alternative to some of the bigger chains that we have in town. I expect that they could probably use the business as well. You'll find the entrance near Chez Piggy downtown. Easy to miss but you won't regret a quick peek inside!

Although it is true that, as a previous review mentions, its catalogue isn't as deep as it could be…read more- in this day and age of a choice between Chapters/Indigo and Amazon for most book buying, I still give this vendor a 5 star rating. Book prices really don't vary when you're buying new, and given its size, location, and stellar service, I won't ding them for that. The store is in the heart of the downtown area and occupies a large, corner unit. They carry a large selection of calendars and daytimers in addition to the usual best seller books. Their sections include a New Age one as well as the more expected Children's, Canadiana etc. if that helps impress the range of merchandise. We found several books that were not on that list and really appealed to our imagination. The sections are labeled well enough and in good order, decently stocked and re-stocked throughout the day judging by the fact that was what one of the staff was doing while we shopped. I was looking for a specific Atwood title which wasn't on the shelf, but had been before selling out and could be ordered. Being a tourista on this occasion, I had to decline the offer. Speaking of the offer, the staff were all around excellent. One staff overheard me talking about daytimers to my family and politely interjected to assist. No one seems to be carrying 18-month, 2021-22 daytimers that begin in January rather than July, so he couldn't help on that score, but then no other retailer I've been to lately could either so that's also not something I'm going to consider on them. Checking out for the books I did find was very pleasant. The cashing staff was the one who had also offered to find the Atwood title in their catalogue and made a bit of conversation that was relevant and not long, intrusive or pushy - something of an art it seems when dealing with staff who converse with their clients. They'll provide a plain plastic bag or you can buy a cloth one if you want the tourista bag-with-logo part of the shopping experience. I would happily come back on a return trip to Kingston.

I owe novel idea a lot. It was here, 20 years ago, that I was I introduced to the fantasto-parodic…read moreliterature of Sir Terry Pratchett. I needed something to read, you see, on the trips back and forth to my driver's ed class, so I picked up a rather unassuming book called Pyramids. This is not unlike the friend who introduces you to your future spouse. That any independent bookstore has survived 20 years is somewhat miraculous. But Novel Idea has stayed in the same limestone corner location for all that time. It's comforting to come back to Kingston and know that I can visit it and pick up a few things. Now, as a local indy bookstore its catalogue isn't as deep as it could be, but it's pertty darn broad.