Don't judge me too much, but the last time I actually read a physical book -- like, held it in my…read morehands and sat there and turned pages -- was at least several months ago. I know! I'm a monster. That time is seared in my brain, though, because one of my children, when he saw me sitting on the couch reading, commented that he had never seen me reading in his life. (I tried to explain to him that I do lots of listening to audio books and reading digital books on my phone, and I also do a lot of reading for work, but he wasn't giving me any credit.) As much as I don't hold books in my hands, I do love bookstores, and they hold a special place in my heart. The Paradox Book Store is West Virginia's oldest bookstore, and it's truly a gem. It has all of the things you want in an old bookstore: that musty smell, the cramped and crowded feeling of spines all around you, hand-lettered signs, soft jazz playing from a radio, a warm feeling emanating from dim lamps set up strategically around the store. This is a bookstore-bookstore. You will mostly find old used books here. I didn't see too many new titles. But if you're looking for some seedy pulp paperbacks or a book on fresco painting from the 1980s, you're freaking in luck. One of my children was excited to find and purchase a three-inch-thick German dictionary, because ... reasons? He doesn't speak German, has never showed interest in the German language or Germany, but he read that book all day. OK! That's the magic of bookstores, though -- you never know what you'll find, and sometimes the most random things will spark your interest. The prices are extremely fair for used books. The German dictionary we got was $4, and most of the books I saw were under $5. They have a little nook on the porch with ultra-discounted books (5 for $2), with a sign that says you can even just borrow them. They also have a sign welcoming everyone in, no matter if they have money or not. The children's section is small, but they have lots of books and toys to play with, plus a bench for adults to sit and watch as their kids play.

Super cute bookstore in the heart of Dormont. I first learned about this store when I decided to…read moremake a Bookstagram (literary.listener). They sell books via their physical store but also post stacks of books and you can claim them. The owner is very sweet and even works with you if it takes awhile for you to get to the store. Honestly, I love this. It helps to show the stock and then I go in already knowing what I need/want. Also in the area you can get a nice little bubble tea so you can have something to sip on while you peruse the bookshelves. They do have events also in the space. You should check out their Instagram. And after you check out their Instagram actually go to their bookstore and shop local.

This is the best, coziest bookstore in the Pittsburgh area! A visit to Dormont is incomplete…read morewithout a stop at this lovely shop. Owner Jamie is the sweetest, I could talk about books with her all day! With a vast selection of mostly used and some newer popular fiction (all at an amazing discounted price), there is surely something for everyone! There are so many unique finds here. She puts so much work into buying books for the store. She has even acquired rare first editions of Sarah J. Maas books, and I was lucky enough to snag one of them! You can sell books to her as well, just keep an eye out for when she's buying!

Bookmarx is not huge, and it can be a little squished if in there at a busy time, but their shelves…read moreare full and they have a lot of options. The prices are okay. They do have a unique selection though, and I was able to find some books that are difficult to find at other places, both used and new. The most unique parts were that they also have literary-themed tea, and being a small local store, they even have speakers come for events. The employees were friendly, but I happened to be there on a particularly busy day and I felt bad for the brand new employee who needed a little more guidance from her supervisor to check everyone out so the line could keep moving. It was nothing bad for the new employee because she was very friendly and doing her best, but it is important to help a new employee when it is busy.

We were visiting Steubenville for the day and happened upon this super cute bookstore! The owner…read morewas so nice and helpful. (Also gave us some great dinner recommendations) They had a great selection and the books were all very reasonable. Will definitely be back!

Amazing atmosphere! AMAZING BOOK SELECTION, new hardcovers and paperbacks from great authors…read more Friendly staff, great boyfriend chair in the back for while you book shop!!

This place is so adorable! We stopped in for ice cream and browsed the book selection. There are…read moreplaces to sit and it is pretty cozy feeling. The staff is usually friendly. The ice cream selection is enormous! They also have a huge selection of candy.

I love this book store! The kids' book selection is great and they are priced really well! They…read morealso have board games and the like to rent and even test out on the tables at the store! The games are also at a decent price. The people there are really nice and helpful. My kiddo loves the stuffed animals and small kids' seating in the front of the store too.

It's a cute little used book store in a small strip mall off Blizzard Dr. There are three rooms to…read morethe store, with genre fiction in the first room, children & YA in the next room, and non-fiction/literature in the last. The general fiction leans heavily towards the Christian fiction and related genres, but there was some contemporary fiction like Saramago and DFW (I almost bought a copy of "Infinite Jest," but really, when am I going to have time to reread that?). Their sci-fi and fantasy collection wasn't too bad either. Prices were pretty good (the aforementioned DFW was listed at $7, and sci-fi paperbacks between $2-4). The proprietor let us know that everything is catalogued, so you could inquire about a particular title if you were looking for something specific. It looks like they also buy used books, which is good to know. They do play religious music in the store, but they also have Bible verses posted in the window, so I suppose that's fair warning.

I'm not sure why this location was marked at closed. I went to the store yesterday (1/22/2020) and…read morebought a few books. This place is great--the selection of pay-what-you-want books is really interesting, and the second floor is filled with an eclectic mix of books, from religion and philosophy, to medicine, to poetry, to geography-specific books. I always like to peruse the medical books, where you may find a new(er) book about updated technologies, or old hygiene guides from 1921. I never know what you're going to find when I go, but I'm always happy with my visit. They do have an online system that allows you to search for specific books, but I've never used it. The people who run the shop are nice and always happy to help. I will definitely be returning in the near future.

From the owner: Online only bookstore based in Pittsburgh, that specializes rare antique and antiquarian books and…read morerelated ephemera.

There is a wide variety of books for such a small store. They have really reasonable prices.read more

Great little used bookstore. Heavy on the fiction, and for the items I was interested in they had a…read moredecent selection of hard-to-find items. Even had a few old, 2nd edition Dungeons and Dragons books. Everything was priced reasonably. Be sure to stop in with your Goodreads list!

My boyfriend and I are obsessed with bookstores. We can't go anywhere without finding a local…read morebookstore to poke around in for a few hours. I knew about this place since I grew up in the area, so on one of our trips "back home" to the area I brought my boyfriend here. Now every time we visit, we grab a coffee from next door (Templeton's) and pop into Books in Stock to peruse the many, many, MANY shelves of books for at least a couple of hours, and always leave with a stack or two of wonderful finds. Apart from the vast selection that spans every genre you could possibly think of, the atmosphere in this shop is the true soul of this place. Two floors packed full of books (and that comforting old-book-smell) with chairs here and there should you care to plop down for a literary adventure. We've frequented many bookstores in many states, and this is still our favorite one. You'll almost always find what you're looking for - and probably leave with several books you didn't know you needed when you walked in.

I found an absolutely gorgeous set of His Dark Materials from 2008. Just stunning books. Great…read moreprice on them too. This place is really great if you're looking for "their type"...which seemed to be Christian definitely, nationalist maybe...so if you're into that you'll love it. There WERE sections for diverse topics-they were just either empty or nearly so. Maybe a bunch of witchy liberal first peoples recently came through and they haven't recovered? There were whole aisles devoted to Christian books. All in all, not diverse but they do have nice books if you are looking for what they carry.

Probably the best bookstore I visited while in Pittsburgh... they had such a good collection of…read morereally incredible pieces of work. The guy who was working was curating everything right in front of us and I can tell that each thing is thought out and intentional. I ended up leaving with 2 books but wanted more.

This is a super cute local, independent bookstore and I highly encourage anyone in the area to…read morecheck it out! Most of the books there are used, so they're sold at a cheaper price but they have new books too. The used books are almost all in really great shape. Outside of the store, they have book carts with $5 and under books. The store is two floors, and the upper floor has a cozy reading area. The shelves in the store are separated by genre and there are also tables with owner-recommended books. In addition to books, there are also plants for sale. The place is so nicely decorated and such a nice environment for reading. To be honest, it doesn't even feel like walking into a store, and it's more like a cozy home. As a plus, I think this place has a cat around sometimes, but I didn't see the cat during my visit.