I love the cards, the books, the gift wrapping paper, the jewelry, the soaps... pretty much…read moreeverything they stock in here. If you are looking for something unique and quirky, this is a wonderful shop to visit. They'll even gift wrap your items for you. Another Newtown gem. A must visit anytime I'm in the neighborhood.

Where else can you find quirky book titles…read more(http://yelp.com.au/biz_photos/qUwMo_ehjAcq3QRu58nfAQ?select=3BfrHgYU-JPUd8VE63urDQ), a stack of journals (http://yelp.com.au/biz_photos/qUwMo_ehjAcq3QRu58nfAQ?select=hq1Rm0TOTs-eUpeU3_Du_Q) and colourful homewares by Mud (http://yelp.com.au/biz_photos/qUwMo_ehjAcq3QRu58nfAQ?select=RpBmC-yA9LUS7TJBS2zYlQ) all under one roof? As far as I'm concerned, nowhere else. Pentimento in Newtown has got it all. Pentimento is one of those places I go when I need to buy a gift of some description for that friend who already-has-everything-and-is-so-darn-hard-to-buy-for. Unique and eccentric, you can guarantee to find a present that no one else has thought of - 'The Moustache Grower's Guide', anyone? There are things that will make your friend laugh, inspire them to create, give hints on their travel destination or provide them with something beautiful to display in their home. Whatever the case, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you don't know what to buy someone (or perhaps you would like a self present), wander through Pentimento, it is sure to stimulate some original ideas.

Not that I am impoverished in any way, but when it comes to books, if I don't buy online, I almost…read morealways buy second hand, unless it's a spur of the moment purchase and the excitement of owning a certain book that I can see right in front of me outweighs the reality of how expensive that book is, especially when I feel impoverished. With that in mind, I can begin. Berkelouw books is the only second hand book shop in Leichhardt and is situated in the handy location of, right across the road from Norton Plaza. The first floor of Berkelouw is dedicated to new books with the sections divided into the appropriate and expected categories but with the exception of a specials/recommended table. A wall with the new titles and a staff picks shelf. Take a journey upstairs and you'll find yourself in second hand land where a large selection of both literature and reference books await you. If you're feeling lucky you can wade through the shelves of the, 'yet to be sorted' books. Or simply head to the aisle of your interest and navigate through the alphabetical titles there. The second hand section also sells CD's.

Berkelouw is a beautiful book shop, worthy of extended browsing and buying. The second hand…read moresection upstairs is easy to loose yourself in and the ground level of the shop pleases with crisp fresh pages of coffee-table books, paperbacks, kids books and an exciting range of stationary and tid-bits. The wine bar upstairs is also quite nice and is a fantastic place to relax with friends or alone, with a good book and a glass of red. Sadly, the downstairs roadside cafe is not as great as Berkelouw's other elements. Despite the perfect location, directly opposite the Norton Plaza and in the heart of Leichhardt, Berkelouw's cafe prices are quite expensive and, what's more, the prices are not indicative of the standard of the meals, with the food and coffee being of poor quality. If you're after a good location in Leichhardt then you've got it here. If you're after a good book or a great gift, then you've got it here too. If you're after a great breakfast with value for money then there are plenty of good options in your surrounding suburbs.

'Pages and Pages' is a bookshop for people who like to talk books. Every time I've been there,…read morethere is a heavy discussion taking place between staff and customer about the customers chosen tome. Now, I love books. In fact, I'm a committed reader of many genres, but especially literary fiction, this unfortunately falsely identifies me as someone capable of intelligent discussion. The truth is, I find critiquing a novel with an eloquent book vending professional intimidating. I feel like I have to prepare a Marieke Hardy type opinion of whatever I am browsing when I feel more Laurel and Hardy. If you want a recommendation though this is your place.The staff handwrite recommendations for many of the offerings on the shelves and of course, they're on hand to give their opinions! They have frequent Author talks and books signings and there appears to be a real writers and readers hub accessible through the store. Those who prefer to do their browsing in secret might find this store a little intense!

If you need any evidence that we should NOT resort purely to shopping for books online, this is it…read more A split store, with a front section dedicated to adults and a separate rear area for children, Pages & Pages is dedicated to the written word to the extent that the owner is even CALLED Jon Page. You'll hear him from time to time on ABC Radio talking about new titles, or illustrating how and why we avoid the demise of the independent bookstore. Pages & Pages is incredibly up-to-date, with new titles available quickly and read and reviewed by staff. It hosts regular authors evenings and lunches, usually in conjunction with local businesses, and co-ordinates a Book Club that meets in the delightful Bathers Pavilion in Balmoral. Local schools and charities are endlessly supported by Pages & Pages generosity, and if there is anything you can't find they'll get it in for you if it is in print. Now dare I even start on the children's section - we should hold Amelia up in lights for singlehandedly motivating our children to read. On her lengthy daily bus commute she reads title after title, covering books for littlies all the way through to teens. She buys well, and can talk knowledgably on pretty much all the titles in stock - if she knows a child, she will confidently point them in the direction of something new they are likely to enjoy, and if she doesn't, a few quick questions will give her the clues she needs to pick out what's right. An invaluable member of the local community - long may it outlast the online menace.

Great gigantic stationary and book store. We don't have stores like this anymore in the US…read more Love this store. I could browse for hours inside a store such as Dymocks. There are many ways to find and search for any books that one is looking for. I personally just go section by section. If there's a book I cannot find, I go to their computers to search for it. Thanks to amzn (though I do love amzn. Been an amzn shareholder since I was a baby...thanks to mommy for buying those beautiful shares....haha and still am), we no longer have big beautiful books/gift stores like we use to in the ancient days. So if you want, you may have to travel to DOWN UNDER to get some old school R&R. I did, LOL!! You've gotta visit this place when you visit the land down under!! Highly recommend it!!

The smaller of the two I've been to it's still not that small given the multiple levels. Where you…read morehave me lost is that most of the ground floor is gifts souvenirs and trendy stuff/stationary. Normally I don't mind but I was surprised given the fact that everything upstairs seemed so condensed because of this like an aisle and that's it. Because of this I didn't get the type of time I wanted to have in what I was told was the biggest in Australia. Your mileage may vary on this obviously but for me that's a dealbreaker. On lighter notes staff were scarce and while nice didnt have what I was looking for. Books were in the best condition of the two and I was impressed by that as again I don't have that where I'm from. Despite that Sydney will eventually be my home I'll definitely be looking to shop in Melbourne more for the genres of my tastes.

At Newtown's Modern Times bookshop, you can purchase an interesting range of books with particular…read morefocus on art, their have a selection of Art books you may not find in other book shops, the pop culture focus really appeals to me. Also on offer is an extensive collection of cult comics and graphic novels (I saw a Tank Girl art book there) they also have really odd toys for sale and they have wrapping paper, which has a fun pop culture style, they had Thunder Birds paper! Also they have a Doctor Who section with all kinds of books DVDs and a great collection of collectibles for sale. I must resist. If you are looking for children's books or a gift for kids, their children's section is truly excellent. The shop has an excellent set up as it is directly connected to Art on King (there is no diving wall) although they are two lots of businesses, so it is an artist's dream shop.

This Newtown store is actually two stores in one, the arts craft supply store, Art on King and the…read moreBookshop/stationary store. They don't have a large stock and mostly carry new and popular titles, but their comic book and graphic novel section is quite nice. They also offer 15% discount off new releases. Since the shop isn't too large it is easy to browse quickly through the titles. I bought The Decision Book by Mikael Krogerus on a whim since it was displayed ever so valiantly next to the cashier (I used the Swiss Cheese model and SWOT to make this decision). The stationary portion of the shop is well stocked with all sorts of creative tools and Art on King is one of the best art supply shops in Sydney.

Lots of books. There was a large amount of bilingual books although it was hard to findread more

After I was done with having lunch at The Galeries, I went upstairs to floor 2 to check this place…read moreout. They're a Japanese chain bookstore. I've been to their locations in Los Angeles, CA and Seattle, WA. My goodness, they had quite the extensive manga selection! Of course all of the super popular ones were available. If I had one of these bookstores closer to where I live, I would be giving them a lot of my money! Everything was so well organized, so everything was very easy to locate.

This is one of those places that Sydney is famous for, at least in my mind - secondhand bookshops…read moreand coffee shops. Honestly, why can't they introduce a concept like this in Melbourne because it will make the secondhand bookshops so much better when you can sit on a comfy chair and drink a coffee (or a tea) while perusing a book. Not only that, but it is just across the road from the railway station, another awesome aspect with Sydney because you honestly don't have such convenience in Melbourne. Okay, I didn't stay for a coffee, but I did browse the books, and even found a couple that caught my attention. We certainly need something like this in Melbourne.

With bookshops continually disappearing, it is sad to think that the bookshop/coffee shop may no…read morelonger be a thing any more. The book station is a lovely little reminder of how nice it is to take yourself away from home, away from work and enjoy a coffee and a book. The book station at Caringbah is essentially a secondhand book shop with a coffee shop which oozes community spirit and a love for books (and coffee). The shop is split level with an array of eclectic furniture, where you are encouraged to browse and read at you leisure. The books are very well organised in sections according to interest, and the people who work there will do what they can to assist you in finding what you need.

This place is really cute! It's a bit tough to find parking but we got lucky and found a spot right…read morein front of the shop! I came here for the Blind Date With a Book. The books are just over $16 AUD, I can't remember the exact price. I had a lot of fun picking my novel and am excited to unwrap and read it. If you open it to find you've already read it you can bring it back with original packaging and receipt to exchange it. I don't read many books so I wasn't worried and took it home with me to the states. The shop was busy and full of people and the prices seamed reasonable as far as I could tell. I enjoyed seeing a bookshop thriving for once!

Imagine my surprise, after visiting one awesome bookshop as I was wandering along King Street that…read moreI suddenly came across a second one. Well, it didn't take me much persuasion to step inside and have a look around, and I certainly was impressed. As mentioned, if I can find something of interest within a few minutes of browsing the shelves then it is a good bookshop, and sure enough, after a few minutes, I found a book (in fact I believe it was two), so sure enough this place gets the thumbs up. Actually, this could be the same shop that I visited previously, though the previous one happened to be in the city.