Tim's Bookshop has one of the best travel sections of any bookstore outside the CBD. They have an enormous range of DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, and Lonely Planet books for different countries and cities.
These are located towards the front of the store, and I can happily waste time reading up about distant cities and daydreaming about desert islands.
There are also some great fiction and kids sections with a wide variety, and while there might not be leather couches or cafes inside the bookstore, there is lots of space. Feel free to lean up against a wall or have a quick sit on the ground to rifle through the pages.
The staff are friendly and helpful, but when it is busy you may need to wait to catch their eye. They are knowledgeable about locations of particular books and editions and always happy to make a suggestion for a gift.
But if you have to wait to be served then be patient, you're in a bookstore and have the luxury of surrounding yourself with great stories. read more