Curl up in a nook with a book and absorb the homeliness that resonates from this hidden little hole…read morein the wall come bookshop come cafe in Glenelg. Every wall is covered in books or funky nanna crafts in this place and it is a perfect spot to stop for a pot of tea or coffee, a home made slice of cake, a brownie or tart and a good read or a quiet giggle with a girlfriend. From non-fiction to crime, humour to cooking, science to religion, you will find both old and new books that will fill any bibliophile's longing desire for text. With 39 book groups alone and some crochet and knitting classes to boot held here every week you are more than encouraged to join in the community of granny skillz being fostered here with love. Sign up to their newsletter or just pop by for a tea luvvy and have a chat with the 2 girls who are changing up the traditional bookstore scene in Adelaide.

I discovered this bookshop and cafe 3 years ago and I'm still a regular. The owner Stacey is great…read moreat giving book recommendations and looks after all customers really well. The coffee needs a special mention because it's really great! Cakes, slices and scones are all homemade and wholesome but the best thing about Mockingbird Lounge is the 5 (yes 5!) rooms of second hand books and heaps of cosy corners to loose yourself in. Special shout out to all my bookclub pals. I urge you to discover this place for yourself!

I first discovered The Book Boys a few years ago at a temporary site offering discount books…read moreleading up to Christmas. They'd set up an endless row of trestle tables covered with books in an empty shop and were pitching the 'great ideas for Christmas' angle. It wasn't until I stumbled onto this Harbour town store that I realised they part of a group. What I like most is they are Adelaide-owned and offer a great range of books at discounted prices. They many not have everything and probably not the latest on offer, but there are always great kids books, paperback and other ideas for gifts. The store at Harbour town is packed to the brim with specials and I never leave the store empty-handed. As tempting as Amazon.com and bookdepository.co.uk may be, if you want to buy well-priced books and support a local company, The Book Boys are a good place to start.

There are plenty of decent books and bits and pieces here, and they're not terribly expensive…read more This isn't a bookshop that I go into, looking for something specific. I probably wouldn't find it. No, it's a place that you come to, in order just to look around and find something interesting. The board games are pretty good, too, they're not terribly expensive. I quite like this little shop.

I certainly can't go past a bookshop, especially one with as may sci-fi books as this one has. In a…read moreway it has been around for ages, or at least as long as I can remember, though it is only in recent times that I have gone and paid it a visit. Mind you, it can be a bit confusing finding the entrance, namely because it happens to be behind the shop, not the front, namely because you won't be able to find a park out the front anyway. Oh, and they also deal only in cash, but still, it's a pretty awesome place to go and explore for some books.

The first thing I spotted upon entering this store was the Candace Bushnell novel 'One Fifth…read moreAvenue' sitting smugly in the literature section. This was quite a blow and I staggered backwards in horror, smashing my elbow on the rear shelving in the process. Seeing this sort of absolute rubbish languishing in between William S. Burroughs and A.S Byatt made the bile rise in my gullet, but I swallowed and attempted to give this store a fair trial. Booked has an excellent non fiction range, the very latest children's picture books and a nice long bench in the corner for kids to sit and browse on. I also noticed staff calling kids coming in by name, and allowing them to hang and paw through numerous books at their leisure. This sort of relaxed and encouraging attitude to kids in book stores is excellent. But I do have to note that the books weren't cheap, with Julian Barnes's sense of an Ending (150 pages mind you) costing $30. I was heartened by the $9.99 book shelf at the front but was sad to see a number of them were quite damaged. Nice store, good range, but dear God if I find the author of 'Trading Up' in the literature section again, I'll go all cuckoo like Burroughs in the London Years.

Booked at North Adelaide is a well-stocked bookshop catering to its middle to upper-middle class…read moredemographic. It has a great range of genres, including home deco and gardening, travel, politics, biographies, health and well-being, cooking, teenage fictions, children's fiction and plenty of new release fiction. It has a wider selection than standard independent bookstores, and has some uncommon pieces that I haven't seen anyway else. I was caught by the large hardcover of the complete works of Jane Austen, a beautiful piece for collection or a gift for only $50. As the only bookshop in the vicinity, it caters well to most needs. It is not overly cheap, but it's no more expensive than other independent bookshops.

Tucked in beside Foodland in the Norwood Mall, this newsagent looks super unassuming - but it's…read moreactually a pretty OK selection of mags for what is a relatively small space. While not as big as Dillon's Newsagent just across the mall (near Coles), they stock all the usual suspects. If you're after your Vogue or Elle or Frankie or other big titles you will find in on their shelves. I couldn't see many overseas titles. I've found the staff to be pretty chatty and kinda funny. Last time I went in to get Harper's (with the winner of ANTM on the cover) for a friend overseas, I ended up chatting to the guy about Australia's Next Top Model for ages...which I don't actually watch, but I winged it pretty well! Good for your basics!

Weird set up, it's like a walk through newsagency. one side is the bottle shop and the other is…read moreFoodland, people tend to use it as a thoroughfare to get to either side so it tends to get quite busy in there, for the wrong reason. Or maybe it's just really good marketing, people come out of food shopping with the kids and think "man, after that I reallllly need a beer" so they decide to take a short cut through the newsagency and along the way they decide "man, I really need a pen too". You never know. There are books available here too, last time I visited I spent a good 10 minutes leafing through a book about the life and designs of Coco Chanel, of course I didn't buy it because it was $50, besides, I'd already read it hadn't I? If I need a pen I just go in and use one and then leave, they should really monitor people like me! But, considering these guys don't, that makes them 3 stars in my book! There are little gifty things available too, take a squiz on your way through to the bottle shop.