I was hoping for a few Sue Grafton books for my mom. I found that and a ton more…read more Stepping in to this store it's easy to imagine that we are a nation of readers. Every worker here seems to share a passion for books and the energy is infectious. I had to cut myself off, close my eyes, and slowly step away from the stacks. They also have some art and crafting supplies, paper goods, and vinyl. The prices are low and I think there might be some categories of people who qualify for discounts.

Unique establishment that is a place to donate items. They have a section for books, records, CD's,…read moreDVD's and cassette. They also sell vintage guitars.

I finally visited unabridged bookstore! It is definitely worth the hype. This place is HUGE,…read morehousing so many different genres, authors, and books for everyone. Browsing for books is one of my favorite past times and I could have spent a loooot of time in here. Being a mom to a two year-old I especially love looking for new books for him. I was able to find one of my favorites here-- where the wild things are. We have since read it every single night before bed for the past two weeks. It continues to be a smash hit. I also grabbed him one of the books from the little critter series that I loved as a kid. He really likes that one too. I only had about 15 minutes to look around, so I definitely need to make another trip to dedicated to finding some books for myself, but I was happy to support this local shop by purchasing some classics for my kiddo.

I have very mixed feelings about this bookstore…read more If you're a big reader of fiction, as I am, you'll find the selection to be first-rate. There are large sections devoted to Penguin Classics, Modern Library, NYRB, and so forth, and a good selection of mystery, horror and science fiction novels. But the non-fiction side of the shop is pathetic. The guiding principle seems to be, "we only stock books that will make our readers comfortable. Books that will tell them what they already think they know. Books that won't challenge them. Books that will teach them nothing new." The entire purpose is to offer customers only those world views that they're already in agreement with -- uniformly Leftist, naively "socialist," anti-capitalist, and anti-Western civilization. And, needless to say, there's a heavy emphasis on sentimental Palestinianism. It's a suffocatingly narrow-minded approach. A bookshop should be a place to discover new ideas and new perspectives. Not a place to have one's dated orthodoxies and narrow-minded perspectives confirmed. If you're in search of books that will confirm your biases and comfort you in your prejudices, it's the bookstore for you. If you want to be intellectually challenged, you'd be better off going to Barnes and Noble, which carries a wide range of authors with differing viewpoints. (Yes, a "big chain" bookstore is more indie than the indie competition!) It has wider aisles too, and friendlier and less condescending clerks.

Love how cozy this place is and how friendly the staff is :) I've called in an ordered many books…read morehere and have sat and enjoyed a coffee in the reading area.

Grabbed coffee and browsed books on a pleasant winter Sunday. Lots of options for all the…read moredifferent types of readers. Vibe was community -oriented and family friendly. Good coffee!! Purchased a few post cards here too. Loved the art!

Awesome place to get great reads - for travel, anytime reading, and up-cycled gifts. Love to bring…read morethe kids and have them make a cash transaction with the helpful volunteers. A hidden gem in downtown Wilmette!

I love this place. Anytime I'm in the Chicago area, I have to go here, I find so many treasures. I…read moreeven had to get an extra suitcase on my flight back to Houston just to take back all the amazing finds. Books are so amazingly priced, that if you love books, you must visit. Cash is preferred, but you can pay by card upstairs at the front desk.

Cute. Family friendly. Had a nice visit there. It was our first, we'd consider going backread more

This store is great and ordering online is easy and efficient. Books arrive on time and well…read morepackaged for a decent price.

Such a cool space! It has an incredible view of the park and Lake…read more It's not a big space but they use the space well. We stopped in today after going to the violin shop at the Fine Arts Building. It was really busy! Lots of people inside a little hard to maneuver around, but all good. I'm happy they were busy! Books were well organized and easy to find.

Small but mighty! This cute bookshop is tucked away on the 2nd floor of the Fine Arts building,…read morewhich is an excursion in and of itself because it has the last manually operated public elevator in Chicago. The bookshop also has a special view overlooking Grant Park to Lake Michigan. I've been to Exile for an event before (which they had in a separate space) and I recently stopped in again to browse their books. I can appreciate their collection is thoughtfully and uniquely curated, with prices on par with the average independent bookstore in Chicago. I also like the handwritten summaries and recommendations for standout books. They are not going to have everything because they're in a small space but I was able to find both a popular book that was on my wishlist and also a book I'd never heard of before that piqued my interest, so I purchased both. I also love that they're open every day of the week, which makes it easy to pop by!

Great prices and a very unique assortment of books in this small shop. They only offer cash for…read more"antiquarian" books, aka over 100 years old and very collectible. If you want to sell your typical used books to them, you will receive store credit. But I think they're pretty generous with the credit they give you. It's nice to have credit and just walk in and pick something out and they ring it up on your tab. It almost feels like getting a new book for free. When I don't know what I want to read next, this is a great place to go. Service is super friendly. If you have an idea of what you want but aren't finding it, just ask! Street parking is pretty open outside using the Park to Pay app. Felix Lectio!

Honestly, the only reason I wanted to check out Uncharted Books was to meet Ramona, the store's…read morewhite husky! This bookstore has been around since '12, and they have a selection of rare and used books, zines, and other unique works. I particularly found their 1st edition behind a locked case in the back pretty cool! The store itself is a bit tight and hard to navigate; the aisles are narrow, but I think the main reason why is due to the group of pretentious individuals you encounter who don't have any manners that have no regards for others. So rude! By the way, Ramona is super precious! Metered street parking available. +Ramona! +metered street parking available

The staff were friendly and helpful. I thought this shop had a great selection and was beautifully…read morecurated.

Madison Street Books is a bright and airy West Loop bookshop. They had a wide variety of books, so…read moreyou can find something for everyone from kids to grown ups. They even had a small selection of bookish gifts and stickers that I enjoyed browsing. I picked up a book and a few stickers that spoke to me. Pricing was comparable to Amazon, but I loved that I got to support a small business instead. I'd come back here again.

This bookstore does not support local authors. A local bookstore should. They are very rude and…read morepompous as well. We don't need that behavior in Evanston.

It was a nice surprise that the bookstore was still open after our post-dinner treat. It's always…read morefun to browse, and the store is very attractively laid out, with book covers gleaming and beckoning like inviting gems. I found a new book from my to-read list, coveted a cute display of Studio Ghibli merch, smiled at the witty cards, and soon my companions and I amassed a stockpile of items to purchase and so they gave us a nice tote. Maybe next time we'll skip dessert and head straight here (must check hours to see when the bar is open).