This bookstore has a wide selection of books that you won't find at any standard book store or…read moretypical cookie cutter store. The interesting part is that they have a mix of used and new books which allows for a larger selection of books you won't find most places. The prices are very good, and the staff is nice. It's a quiet book store tucked away with seating in the downstairs area for browsing, and it has an open atmosphere without feeling too crowded or too stuffy.

I was just wandering around on my first trip to Chicago and stumbled into After-Words in the River…read moreNorth area. Total indie bookstore vibe. I felt at home as this place has a ton of character and feels really quaint. I'm not even much of a bookstore person, but the quirky little touches made browsing way more fun than I expected. The shelves are on the smaller side, so the selection's limited, but everything on them feels hand-picked. Perfect cozy spot to slow down, poke around, and support a local shop.

Comparing Myopic Books with Barnes & Noble is like comparing a Panera (if we ignore their…read moredisastrous quality recently) with a slightly rough-around-the-edges dive that makes great food and has some character! Myopic books is stuffed to the brim with gently loved books found across three floors. Sometimes, the flooring can be a little uneven, or even a piece of lumber as if from a hardware store, but it is all part of the charm. It's such a pleasure to explore the nooks and crannies of the place and see what kind of books they have. Whether for yourself, as a gift, or just to see what is out there, it makes for a fun experience! The staff is friendly, helpful, and happy to help you find what you're looking for! The space is also inviting for those who'd like to relax with a book for a bit, rather than get, buy, and leave... and they do this without having a coffee shop on-premise. Final verdict: I am working on being more of a reader. If a bookstore is to help me do so, Myopic Books may just be the one. It finds itself on many of those "Explore IL" Facebook posts, and for good reason!

Over the years, this place has truly been a sanctuary for me. Whether I was just killing time while…read moremy girl was out shopping, spending a lazy Sunday afternoon browsing through the aisles, or picking up great second-hand books of interest, it has always been my go-to spot. A timeless gem for any book lover looking to unwind!

Well organized. Clean. Helpful without being overbearing. Employees give enough space and are still…read morefriendly and welcoming. Truly a reader's bookshop. The mix of new and used books means READING IS FOR EVERYONE!

Awesome used bookstore in West loop! It's tucked under the green/pink line near the Clinton stop…read more The selection of books is insane and it's well priced! They have a bit of everything from cookbooks to political history, you can find just what you're looking for here. They even have a selection of a new books. The staff is always helpful! I'd definitely recommend!!

Ravenswood Used Books is such a cozy bookstore that you can spend the entire day in if you're not…read morecareful! There are so many books in such a small space it can really be overwhelming to start looking in all the sections. It's easy to access on Montrose and there are several great food places near that you can go to before/after your book hunt. The prices for the books I looked at were more than fair and the books were in good shape. There are even a few spots around that you can sit and read if you so choose! This place is also dog friendly, although with how tight the space is I'm not sure any dog above 20 pounds would do well. It's not a place that folks who have physical limitations or need physical assistance may enjoy, there are piles of books on the floor and the aisles are really narrow. One small thing that could bother some, is that the prices for the books were written in the cover pages. Not a huge deal but sometimes the prices were a bit fainter to read since they were written in pencil. I also get that it's a way to save money and keep the store running when you don't have to worry about labels, etc. Overall, I've found a place to frequent when I want to add more to my "to be read" list.

I love the labyrinthine space with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Fairly organized with a reading…read morenook at the back.

Fabulous bookstore! Kind and helpful staff. Really well organized. Spacious. It can hold a lot of…read morepeople and not feel crowded. I love the high ceilings and open layout. Impressive selection, including indie publications. It's a really cool place! It's Chicago's only employee-owned and operated independent bookstore. They have really cool events and guest speakers, and have a community focused mission. I really appreciate what they do!

I was disappointed with this visit. I was looking for a book by a black author and after going…read morethrough a list, I wasn't able to find any of them. I also didn't love the layout of this bookstore. The way the books are displayed is overwhelming and the shelves go up too high to realistically be able to browse and find what you're looking for. I resorted to finally just asking the cashier if they had the books on my list. Because they did not, I opted for a book bag I wasn't excited about. When I tried to check out, the system would not accept Google pay and I had to go digging for my card which just added another layer of disappointment to my already disappointing visit. I wouldn't return.

Loved The Dial Bookshop, On the 2nd floor of fine arts building, It is captivating. I found this…read morebookshop online while wanting to explore the city mainly for literature. Very clean and organized. Reasonable prices for used, old and new books. Great selection and genre of books. Floor to (almost) ceiling bookshelves, wood floors, plants, huge windows, it's just a beauty. Through out the store there is some history about how the shop came about. We copped around 6 books that were $7 to $10 bucks, WHAT A FIND. Definitely a best kept secret, it's worth your time

A super sure bookstore tucked away in the old Studebaker Building on the second floor…read more New and used books by all the authors that matter. In an era where boutique bookstores are all but gone this is a gem! Tip... they have a great selection of vintage Chicago postcards!

What a cute little bookstore. I was too uncool to listen to Liz Phair but the store's name is an…read morehomage to the raised-in-Chicago artist's album Exile in Guyville. Anyway, I brought my toddler to a show at the Studedekbaer downstairs and we thought we'd explore a bit of the building. Heading up to the bookstore in the building was of course part of that plan. It's tiny but mighty and they have a surprisingly large selection. They also had a really interesting coffee table book called The Fine Arts Building that I had to talk myself out of buying. Instead, we bought a copy of Roald Dahl's The Enormous Crocodile, which they had in stock because the show was playing downstairs. I'll keep an eye on their events and since I now know it's here, may pop in when I'm downtown in my office. No parking since it's downtown--unless you want to pay for parking--but it's just near the CTA and south side Metra lines.

Small but mighty! This cute bookshop is tucked away on the 2nd floor of the Fine Arts building,…read morewhich is an excursion in and of itself because it has the last manually operated public elevator in Chicago. The bookshop also has a special view overlooking Grant Park to Lake Michigan. I've been to Exile for an event before (which they had in a separate space) and I recently stopped in again to browse their books. I can appreciate their collection is thoughtfully and uniquely curated, with prices on par with the average independent bookstore in Chicago. I also like the handwritten summaries and recommendations for standout books. They are not going to have everything because they're in a small space but I was able to find both a popular book that was on my wishlist and also a book I'd never heard of before that piqued my interest, so I purchased both. I also love that they're open every day of the week, which makes it easy to pop by!

I was very sad when the Logan Square location closed - I spent a lot of money there and brought…read morevisitors who loved it. Finally had time to visit this location, which I was told was massive. Well - the building is massive - the little section that you can actually browse is tiny - and I mean like TINY. No rare books, genre sections barely a shelf long. I was in and out in 15 mins and even that was me trying. This was about 2 weeks ago. There was a giant section on the west side of the building with stacks of books that was roped off. Is this the inventory? Why can't I see those books too? Did I come during an event prep or is this literally how it is? If I didn't know this was the same organization, I never would have guessed it. I support their mission but what happened? Why is this location so bad? Hoping the Lake St location has some of that LS location magic because I'm so so so disappointed.

The vast collection of books available for review and selection is amazing, and so well organized…read more The collection covers all ages and interests!

I adore this bookstore. It's very cozy inside and the staff is super helpful…read more They may not know the title of every single book that's in there, but they can certainly point you in the direction of where it could possibly be. I went in looking for about 2 of the 15 books I bought and still spent less than I would have if I went to any other bookstore nearby.

The first time I bought a book by myself, saved up my allowance, walked here, and got a paperback…read moreby Phillip K. Dick. It was 1972. Love this bookstore. Great selection, it's in the vicinity of the University of Chicago so you're likely to find well read books from the personal libraries of people who use words like "hermeneutical," and "epistimelogical," and yet they also have a good selection of mysteries and science fiction. Good choices in poetry, history, science, literature, and collectibles. Read books and learn stuff.

I finally visited unabridged bookstore! It is definitely worth the hype. This place is HUGE,…read morehousing so many different genres, authors, and books for everyone. Browsing for books is one of my favorite past times and I could have spent a loooot of time in here. Being a mom to a two year-old I especially love looking for new books for him. I was able to find one of my favorites here-- where the wild things are. We have since read it every single night before bed for the past two weeks. It continues to be a smash hit. I also grabbed him one of the books from the little critter series that I loved as a kid. He really likes that one too. I only had about 15 minutes to look around, so I definitely need to make another trip to dedicated to finding some books for myself, but I was happy to support this local shop by purchasing some classics for my kiddo.

I have very mixed feelings about this bookstore…read more If you're a big reader of fiction, as I am, you'll find the selection to be first-rate. There are large sections devoted to Penguin Classics, Modern Library, NYRB, and so forth, and a good selection of mystery, horror and science fiction novels. But the non-fiction side of the shop is pathetic. The guiding principle seems to be, "we only stock books that will make our readers comfortable. Books that will tell them what they already think they know. Books that won't challenge them. Books that will teach them nothing new." The entire purpose is to offer customers only those world views that they're already in agreement with -- uniformly Leftist, naively "socialist," anti-capitalist, and anti-Western civilization. And, needless to say, there's a heavy emphasis on sentimental Palestinianism. It's a suffocatingly narrow-minded approach. A bookshop should be a place to discover new ideas and new perspectives. Not a place to have one's dated orthodoxies and narrow-minded perspectives confirmed. If you're in search of books that will confirm your biases and comfort you in your prejudices, it's the bookstore for you. If you want to be intellectually challenged, you'd be better off going to Barnes and Noble, which carries a wide range of authors with differing viewpoints. (Yes, a "big chain" bookstore is more indie than the indie competition!) It has wider aisles too, and friendlier and less condescending clerks.