If you love the smell of books and the feel of a paperback in your hand this is the place for you…read more Books are piled everywhere all the time but the owner Wendy knows exactly where to find just about any book in stock. Staff is friendly and up for a chat about your favorite books and Authors. You can order a title in if it's not in stock, or, if you have a kazillion books at home already you can bring some in because its a new/used bookstore that does 50/50 credit. Don't let reading be a lost art. Go, take your kids, find a new author and enjoy this diamond in the rough.

The Really Good Book Shop (TRGBS) totally lives up to it's name. Part new books, part book…read moreexchange, I guarantee you will be overwhelmed by the selection on offer. If you are claustrophobic, TRGBS, is not for you. Books are strewn up and down the aisles and it can be very difficult to move around when busy. I am always scared of knocking some books and bringing the place crashing down.The store itself is located in a terrible position, making it tricky to get to. I had to do a lap round to get into the cramped car park. The real selling point of TRGBS for me is the very generous exchange system. The friendly staff will give you half of what they can sell the book for as credit to your account. When you make a purchase you pay for half in cash and can use your credit for the other half. I hope that makes sense. Unfortunately this does not apply for new books. If you are an avid reader, I highly recommend paying a visit to the TRGBS.

Clicking "Buy Now" on Amazon or Book Depository seems like the easiest way to have the latest best…read moreseller, adult colouring in book or animals giving high five thank you cards (yes, these are a thing and you can buy them at Mary Ryan's) in your hot little hands, but really, who wants to wait for them to arrive. We live in an age of instant gratification. And that, my friends, is what you get walking into Mary Ryan's in New Farm Village. Instant gratification from the well thought out books that line the shelves. Just the right mix of new, niche and even a grand selection for kids. As other Yelpers have noted, they know their target audience well with a brilliant range of travel, fashion, fiction and gift-items. Instant gratification that you can take your book home with you then and there. If you've timed your visit right you can then proceed to spend the afternoon, with a cup of tea, devouring your new book. Instant gratification that you've helped a local businesses. If we live in an era of instant gratification then this is the kind I want. Not the momentary rush of hitting "buy now" and waiting for it to arrive. Damon and his team have kept this little book shop humming when many haven't survived and I hope it stays that way.

It's pretty telling when a wee little chain like Mary Ryan's is still going strong when mega stores…read moresuch as Borders have closed. Mary Ryan's is really good at knowing their market. For instance the New Farm store is a great mix of food, travel, fiction and fantasy and I've ALWAYS found what I needed (or didn't quite know I needed but now need DESPERATELY) when I've visited. The staff are cool and very helpful, there's no judgement if you ask for the latest fantasy novel (we all have guilty secrets OK) and they now sell gourmet chocolates in store. Yes, gourmet chocolates. Way to buy my vote guys!

The best and worst thing you could ever give me is a Folio books voucher…read more I will be elated for days greedily thinking about all the books I have had my eye on, but when the time comes to pick the one book that gets to come home with me I start to panic. Will it be the limited edition Graphic Novel? the book on the history of Swiss Design? the vintage tattoo encyclopedia? the hilarious cat flip-up book?? Of course Folio books has such offerings and a whole load more. It's shelves are groaning with fat glossy art books on show and a large range of fiction to boot. to make matters worse for my wallet, I have recently discovered their online store (+ $9 postage anywhere in australia!) Goodbye money! Hello GREAT RAILWAY MAPS OF THE WORLD (Mark Ovenden, 2010)

If you walk near Albert Street or you're a QUT student, you'll no doubt have fallen across Folio…read moreBooks, but have you gone inside? This guy is just a place with wall-to-wall books on everything from design to art, fashion, food, photography, poetry, design, and just about every topic that's ever been written about. They also have a pretty sweet collection of fiction and some truly fantastic journals and diaries bound to look like antique books. So good. The trouble is picking a section in which to start browsing, because you get turned around and dazed with so many book and category choices. A kind of strange thing that stands out about Folio Books for me is that everything is shiny and new. I like a little bit of history to my books but this isn't an antique store, I must remind myself, so I shouldn't be too judgmental. This place has a ridiculously extensive range of books to delight and inspire.

Lots of book is a small book store in the Mall at the top end of Town in Ipswich…read more You won't be disappointed when you enter this store, for a small store there is a huge selection of books. The shelves are full of variety, new current and some older harder to find books. If there is something that you can not find just ask the guys at the counter, they are extremely approachable, and know there thing about books. If it's not in store they will order it in for you, no worries at all.. When the books arrive, they will phone you or send a message if you prefer to let you know your books are in. I love the small businesses and strongly encourage everyone to stop in and keep our book stores alive.. There is a place for ebooks, but you can not go past the enjoyment of curling up on a raining day and turning the pages of your favourite book.. A lot of Books can certainly help you find your love for books again. Oh, they also have a range of gift items and games available - it's not all about the books.. Get in there, get a great book from great people and you'll be supporting a great Ipswich small business.. I am indeed sold on this store : ) Happy reading..

Terrible service. Went to buy a book and it was sold out. Spoke to one of the girls and she said…read moreshe can get it from out the back in a couple of hours, since I was leaving very soon she asked for my details and said will contact me the next day since by then the books were scheduled to be back on the shelf. It had been over a week and I didn't receive any calls from them. Walked past them the other day to see the book on shelf, but I hadn't been contacted to notify me that it was in-store. So unreliable.

Strolling along Park Rd a friend and I came across this charming book store. The word charming is…read moremost often synonymous with smaller shops, but this respectably sized store somehow masters the concept while managing to offer plenty of merchandise. Meg Ryan would be proud. When you step inside you are greeted by shelves full of books of all genres, shapes and sizes, an internal coffee shop with a line of customers and a smattering of other bits and pieces such as quirky felt handbags and soft toys. We amused ourselves wandering about and picking up random books. We found some of the sections to be a bit oddly named - the 'recovery' section was full of diet books and the like, which struck us as a bit bizarre. There's a chance they were undergoing a bit of a restructure, but I didn't get that impression. I suppose someone in there just has a bit of a strange concept of dieting. Other than that, this is a great bookstore that I highly recommend.

My parent's live around Milton and we frequently meet up here for a coffee and a catch up every…read moremonth or so. It's promising to see that some of the local, Australian, book chains are still going strong. Especially in time where hard copy novel sales have been in a steady decline. This Mary Ryan's, as mention above also has a little coffee shop inside that serves a great drop, provides some yummy toasted sandwiches and moorish deserts. Perhaps it's because of its locality, every time in at Mary Ryan's there's a good crowd, milling amongst the shelves that contain a popular selection of genre fiction and non-fiction literature. There's also a section dedicated to magazines and newspapers. The Milton store has a ABC feel to it because it also sells a selection of DVDs and CD, that I would say is more for the adult contemporary listener rather than the youth market. I would also suggest that more than often the clients of Mary Ryan's Milton are of the baby boomers and beyond. Non-the-less, if you're going to meet up with your family, this is a pretty good place to do it. If you can go on a weekday afternoon, it's a little quieter and is almost like a library.