I must warn you. You should not come here if you are saving money. You should not come here if you…read moreare trying to live light. You should not come here if you're about to go overseas, or if you're about to move house. Because as soon as you step through the doors, you will fall into a hypnotic book-trance as over 8000 titles try to lure you over to them, all words and tongues, and you won't leave until you have a brown-paper lunch-bag full of the most delicious literary treats you could hope for! Warren and Kirsty have created the most beautiful inner-city shrine to literature, a land of teak and glass artifacts, tempting sit-spots and a plenty titles that are guaranteed to fill you with a sense of wonderment and inspiration! They also have an array of in-store events and appearances, and are just some of the most lovely people you'll meet! Moving to Melbourne from a small country town, I was warned you'd be hard pressed to come by a sense of community and caring in the big, cold city. But spending a little time in the store you'll see there's a heartbeat and lifeblood flowing though our beautiful Melbourne - and the soulful brain is at Embiggen. Go get lost there for a little while - you'll likely end up finding yourself on the shelves there somewhere!

I LOVE this swanky little book shop. There's a sweet open window front display of the whole store…read morewhich really feasts the eyes. When en-route to a meeting a friend for coffee i received a text that said she was going to be running late and lucky enough i was walking past Embiggen when this happened. Embiggen was actually closed up until mid October due to flooding (I'm sure it had something to do with that massive storm in August), now open Embiggen is a book store to be reckoned with. They have a large range of titles all spread across a wooden interior (both floor and shelving), genres range from anything Art & Design, Sciences, Fiction, Economics, Politics, Poetry, Travel and more, there's a epic range for you to procrastinate through.

The book grocer is the perfect little book shop. They have getting people back reading strongly on…read morethe agenda. With a good range of books spanning from Penguin classics right the way through to self-help books such as 'Sexercise'. But what makes The Book Grocer truly great is the fact that they serve up coffee and muffins and have plenty of couches and seats for the avid browser to sit upon, sip their coffee and ponder what to buy. And perhaps an even better thing is the fact that (bar a few exceptions) every book in the shop costs under $10. I don't know how they manage to be so cheap, but if you ask me $10 is a perfectly great price to pay for an entertaining book.

A visit to The Book Grocer is like falling down a rabbit hole into a bibliophile's heaven…read more A beautifully airy and modern bookshop replete with lots of seating and even a coffee machine, Northcote's Book Grocer sells an incredible range of books ranging from fiction to biography, art to the social sciences and all for incredible prices. Seemingly every time I visit The Book Grocer there are scores of people engrossed in a selection of this gorgeous little shop's tomes and this behaviour isn't just accepted, it's encouraged. The Book Grocer's staff are friendly and welcoming and there are so many incredible books within this awesome book shop's four walls that you can easily spend a good hour here giving each section no more than a cursory glance. Prices tend to be around $6 for paperback fiction and as little as $15 for a gorgeous hardcover, coffee table type book or cookbook. I was looking for some art and design reference books today and the selection was nothing short of intimidating. As a guide to the kind of discounts on offer, I found a beautifully put together book about legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland for $10 reduced from $40 and all stock is new and in impeccable condition. An incredible shop.

I'm always up for a second-hand bookshop, and this is certainly a decent one. Okay, it isn't huge,…read morebut like a lot of this places it does happen to have a pretty decent collection. However, the collection also tends to be pretty random so, like a lot of these places, the joy comes down to actually see what is on the shelf. I found some decent books, and as is typical, ended up walking out with more than I actually knew what to do with. It is tucked away off the main road, but still worth checking out if you happen to be down this way.

This guy is magic. I swear, every time I've gone into this place looking for anything in…read moreparticular, not only does he have it, but he knows the work, the author and is willing to chat about it. 'So what?' you say. Well, I don't know about anyone else but, usually when I enter a second hand book shop, the first thing I'm asked to do is remove my bag because I obviously look like a book theif, and then I'm often treated with a distant rudeness like I'm somehow interupting the ebb and flow of the vendor's day. Not so with Already Read. This bloke is cheery and engaging. He usually seems up for a bit of a chat and stocks great quality, sought after titles; not just best sellers and fuckin' Dan Brown. He keeps multiple copies of the greats and has a large cache out back if you can't find something in the well ordered shelves. Seriously, as far as second hand book shops go, this is the one.

This salubrious strip of Clifton Hill would not be complete without an independent book store for…read morethe cyclists to flick through after their coffee's. Clifton Hill Books stocks a mix of local/national authors as well as an international selection. No airport filler here, just the literary top shelf. There is a range of the cheap Penguin classics, best gift idea ever. Clifton Hill Books also holds readings from local authors, previous guests include local upstart Catherine Deveny who has read from one of her books here. Prices range from $10 to $60 for the more eclectic selection, not my regular bookstore but worth a look if you're after a tricky title.

Upon entering the store I immediately felt relaxed and at ease, Readings was my quite retreat from…read moreone of those unpredictable grey, gloomy raining Melbourne days. Not only does this bookstore offer a wide variety of books, but its almost a sanctuary and one of the most iconic book stores in Melbourne who gives back to the community. 10% of our profits go to the Readings Foundation, which support individuals and organisations that wish to further the development of literacy, community work and the arts. Readings flagship store is the Carlton store, however they have many locations including Malvern, Port Melbourne, Hawthorn and St Kilda. Readings organizes and holds many events during the years from book launches, signings and other events. Staffs are always friendly and willing to provide sound advice and lend an ear to chat.

Readings Carlton is my favourite book shop in Melbourne. Floor to ceiling, this place is packed…read morewith well-researched, beautiful books and accessories. It's a must-stop for any book lover while in town. It feels good, smells good and just is good. Anybody who reckons the future of the written word is shaky, or even destined for a digital medium, get down to Readings and you'll think again. What they do so well is offer up quality publications in a well ordered and well staffed environment. There are countless little nooks and crannys for readers to settle in a test drive a new work before purchase and the staff have a collective knowledge of books and trends that will blow your mind. Even better still, the Carlton Readings (there are a couple of others about town) also stock a great range of CDs and now vinyl. This place personifies the concept that 'it's not what you do but the way that you do it' and the results speak for themselves.

Grub Street BookShop is Quaint little bookshop with a wide spread range of books…read more Located on the bustling Brunswick Street, you'll stroll past Grub and find some books out the front in boxes (A tad trustworthy if you ask me!). When you enter the store, you'll encounter some awkward cosy isles packed choca-block with books. The thing that i love about Grub is that they stock random, quirky and interesting items. The books are so reasonably priced its ridiculous. The sections are divided by small plaque cards but if you cant find something, the staff are happy to help you out in finding something that meets your criteria.

Grub Street books is the kind of bookshop that inspires you to buy a million old books, most which…read moreyou've never heard of, and sit in a quiet room and read for hours. This quiet little store on Brunswick St, although curiously named Grub Street books, is chock-a-block full of old, secondhand books. Astrology to adventure, sexuality to semiotics - no matter what your interest Grub Street will have a book on it. You feel like you could lose yourself in the books there are so many, they tower above you and are piled below you - careful where you're standing, you might walk right in to a stack. The staff are friendly and helpful but do enjoy their peace and quiet, and the prices of the books are very reasonable. You could walk out with 10 books for $20. A great little bookshop for those that love that old book smell.

Avenue bookstore is my go to place for books. They always have what I'm looking for and if I don't…read morethey order the book that I need and it's there within a week. On top of that the place is always very clean and well organized and they always have cool new books coming in for me to check out. Staff have always been extremely helpful and excepting when you ask him for any kind of book. I recommend Avenue bookstore to any of my friends that asked me about book recommendations.

Brown & Bunting pride themselves on stocking quality second hand books. Yeah, yeah, that's what…read morethey all say, but these folk take it pretty seriously. Stepping into the place you can tell they give a rat's about the relevance of the stock they carry. They describe their stuff as "An eclectic range of literature, non-fiction, pictorial and childrens [sic] books" and they deliver on all fronts. They also run a pretty decent blog with updates of new stock, general literature-type information, contests and reviews. The coolest thing here is that they do house calls. That is, if you have unwanted books, they will actually come to you rather than troubling you to bring the books to them. It sounds crazy, I know, but it's oh so true. They're also saying they'll have an online book search up soon. Moving with the times...

Part of a dying breed of independent bookstores…read more The interesting thing about Brunswick Street Bookstore is that whilst it doesn't exclusively stock a particular genre, it DOES seem to stock the sort of publications you wouldn't find at a chain bookstore. More offbeat / leftwing / whatever type books, somewhat underground magazines and the like. Definitely worth a look if you're in the area or a call if you're after a particular printed prize. (I like alliteration, ok?)

I like Brunswick Street Bookstore. It is a small shop with an interesting range of books that other…read morelarger bookshops dont have - particularly the chain bookshops. It focuses on arty type books such as photography and stuff like that. For the genres Im into, it has a large range of Lonely Planet titles and quite a few travelogues. I also got a really good tattoo book there once - but that was a long time ago. The staff are friendly but they also leave you alone to browse and dont bother you. It also has some very comfortable chairs at the back to sit in and read - which is also a nice touch. I also like the fact that it is open late. If you are meeting someone at a restaurant or cafe or pub and you arrive early, where better to kill some time than having a look at the books! A shop with a very very nice energy!!!