I really liked this small shop…read more They offer a ton of great books, many of which are hard-to-find. Whether the subject is science fiction, biographies or travel, they offer a good number of books, most of which are specific to the LGBT community. The customer service was good and helpful. The Bookshop is open late on Fridays and Saturdays so it's a perfect spot to browse later in the evening.

Did I just walk into a gay adult book store? I'm not actually sure…read more I think so. There were posters of men, gay tales novels, and Ellen Degeneris. But there was also other novels and magazines too. And there was no warning upon entry that I was entering some place unsavoury or particularly oriented. Well maybe that's it. Maybe it's a normal book store, that just happens to have an unusually high content of material of a certain nature, tailored for those of a non-heterosexual orientation. Tyler, that's an gay adult book store. Sigh, ok, maybe it was. Anyway, if you're not worried about connotations or questions being asked, or eyebrows being raised in your direction, have a browse. Though if you're a straight guy like myself, you may not find anything worth while. But if you do; report back. What type of store is it again?

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.

Excuse me if I'm wrong, but I think Phoenix music might be the only CD shop left in the Potts Point…read moreand Kings Cross area. Even without any other physical competition, it must be tough for them to survive in this digital age we live, but some of us do still buy CDs. I had to go inside and check it out when I saw Bjork's Biophilia poster in the window. It's only a little shop, but they still have quite a good selection with some interesting imports and rarities and a range of categories, even though they are eclectic selections, they even have some collectible vinyl editions. Also they have a nice little DVD range, predominantly the art house stuff, which is what interests me. Shops like this used to be everywhere, enjoy them before they're all swallowed up.

The first thing you need to make sure you do is cross the road. You'll be at Fratelli Paradiso or…read moreWoolworths or the Yellow cafe .. cross the road. I know that life is more exciting on the other side of Macleay St but you won't regret it. You're going to love this bookstore. I bought Stanley Fish here. I bought one of the Cleopatra biography's (two strangely came out at almost the same time) here. I bought Nicholas Nasim Taleb here. I bought Charles Saatchi here. You will get an education. I also love the aesthetic look of this place. It's airy and a little roomy and good books are always easy to find here.

This cute little book store is independently owned and stocks a good range of design, cooking and…read moretravel books as well as novels and beautiful coffee table books to give as presents. When trying to track down some vintage Golden Books that a particular Sydney-based designer transforms into blank journals, this place was listed as a stockist. Though none were available at the time, the friendly staff member took down my details and promised to call back at a later date when a new batch came in. When I ended up visiting in person, it was easy to see why people enjoy perusing the selection here with attentive shop assistants and easy to navigate sections. I ended up leaving with a new restaurant guide purely because they were so charming. And, they don't even mind if you casually skim through a coffee table book or two whilst seated in their cushioned window bench, complete with stuffed animals and an outlook onto the bustling Macleay Street.

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.

Having walked past this place numerous times I thought it was about time to see why this place has…read morebeen around for a while. The small record store was full with people digging the crates lining the walls of the store and I managed to get in easily to the bargain bin at the front that I thought was a little bit overpriced for a bargain bin, with prices starting from $10. That being said, there prices were soon justified as I found most of the items were good, hard to come by finds and some that blew me away, like "Juicy" by Wrecks'N'Effect. I never knew that Mtume's Juicy had also been sampled by them, I thought it was only Biggie, but then after google-ing later that day, I was soon to find out that a whole heap of artists had actually sampled this track. Thanks record store for opening my eyes to another sample off a golden classic.

Very trendy record store in Surry Hills, The tunes that are racked up here are all about a good…read moretime and have a very particular sound. A great range of dance records, electronica, dubstep D&B, soul and funk and a wide range of CD's. The staff are really friendly and they are able to help out with any requests for help. I really enjoyed browsing through the stuff here, they don't mind you taking a look. You can sample the pieces through earphones, and the staff can help you with that too. They buy and sell records here, they also have DJ acessories, needles, headphones record bags.

I think this makes my top 5 of good bookstores in Sydney…read more Its selection is limited, so if you're after a specific book you may not get lucky. However, the alternatives Oscar and Friends provides you with may very well be better than your original search item. They stock a fantastic range of creative non-fiction including travel books and guides, biographies and autobiographies, a top choice of beautiful cook books and shelves of coffee table art books including a few fantastic graffiti and tattoo lookbooks. Oscar and Friends obviously opt for quality over quantity, with their slightly smaller fiction section made up of a strong choice of new releases and classics. The kids selection is even smaller, but once again it is made up of a few choice picks, including my favourite, "Possum Magic". Their 'staff picks' shelves always seem to correlate with my own choice of reading materials and so when I'm at a loss as to what to read I know I can always trust Oscar's recommendations.

Oscar & Friends stocks a wide ranging collection of classic and contemporary novels, large glossy…read morecoffee table books, children's books, arts and design books, autobiographies... there's quite a lot squeezed into this little store. It's probably more gift shop than bookshop, Oscar & Friends boasts an eclectic range of books to match its eclectic clientele. This is the shop that you could do ALL your Christmas shopping in and pick up some great cards as well.