Do you like books? I like books! Do you like books in English? Yes! I love books I can actually…read moreread! Swindleton book store is almost an entire store filled with books all in English! I came here specifically for a HK hiking trail book. The store front is adorable, it looks like it belongs in Britian! I loved it from the first sight! Located a street right off of the iSquare building and Peking Road on a one way street. You cannot miss the store because you will see all the mopeds parked nearby and there's a ton of little stores down this street! Overall, the store is well organized and offers a lot of genres of books as well as magazines, greeting cards, and small gift ideas. There's also an upstairs with more books! The only think missing is comfy chairs and tables! But I guess that would only encourage shoppers like me to sit, read, hangout and probably not buy (books) but ask where my latte is?? Ohh right, I'm totally missing my Barnes & Nobles and their coffee shops right about now! While I don't think I would come here to buy magazines, I priced a "normal grocery store check-out stand magazine (Marie Claire)" out at $112 HKD/$15 USD!! Normal books varyng from travel books to cook books were around $115/$14 and up. It's safe to say that this will probably be my only soft cover book that I'll be buying because I don't want to ship more weight back later on! Unfortunately they didn't have my hiking book in stock but the guy at the checkout was kind enough to call another store and they had one left and held it for me. I'd definitely come back here just in case I do need something or even to buy a simple gift because they had a great selection and we're so helpful. Save the book...Stores! They're a dying species!

This on always our last stop in Hong Kong. I adore Swindons. It is jam packed with the most…read moreincredible reading materials in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Unique items. Small hand-sized books, larger reading volumes and a nice array of stationary and cards. Due to luggage constraints, I could only buy 2 small books but they are keepers. A must go to if you enjoy reading unique books, and hard to find authors. My favorite bookstore on the planet.

Fancy going to a bookstore, get your books, and also pick up a new pair of eyeglasses, a necklace,…read morea bubble tea; a head of lettuce, a bag of quinoa and some sauces for dinner, a loaf of bread for tomorrow's breakfast, along with a toaster oven and coffee maker; some soap, incense, a potted plant for your home, and finally a caricature of yourself. Yes, you can do all that and more at this Eslite bookstore. While many bookstores carry some stationery, paper goods, toys and coffee, this place totally bring it to a new level. The store is somewhat divided up into stations like department stores, and as you walk around you will see a stall selling ceramics, then one selling cookies, another with leather goods... There was a lady making jewelries behind counter, one sampling her cakes, and another water-coloring on a table. There are quite a few booths promoting products designed in Hong Kong, with some local flair that makes for good souvenirs too. With so many things to see, this is a great place to spend some time, and you are unlikely to walk away empty handed. However, if you expect to find two storeys full of books, you may feel a bit disappointed. They do have a good selection of both English and Chinese titles, but not as extensive as I'd expected, and the organization is somewhat loose, making it hard to navigate around if you are looking for a specific title.

Summary: This place is beautiful but maddening if you are pressed for time. The large selection of…read moreknickknacks is also mystifying. Over a very sprawling two floors you can find (almost) everything you'd want - fountain pens, honey, baked goods, paper goods, nail polish, eyeglasses, tote bags, jewelry - oh yes, and books. Tons of books. This is a huge improvement from the hodgepodge of neglected shops that used to comprise Star House. The store is never totally crowded, and you have to wonder who is actually buying the beautifully arranged (but useless) expensive knickknacks all over there store. I've never actually seen anyone buy these things. Shoppers may be frustrated because the store is SO large that a quick in-and-out trip is nearly impossible. It's very easy to lose your bearings among the maze of books and displays - hence four stars not five. A personal highlight for me is the Ten Ren tea concession (2/F, near a bakery and the escalator entrance in Star House) - where you can get one of Hong Kong's butter cups of tapioca milk tea.

I have been going to Eslite at Taipei 101 every time I am in town and was so excited that Eslite…read moreopens up this first location outside Taiwan in 2012 at Hysan Place in CWB. I can spend hours checking out all the books they have here. The collection here is just impressive. If you like food and cooking, they have a lot of good colourful cookbooks that is perfect for gifts. Aside from books, there are also gadgets, stationary, aromatherapy products from Taiwan, cafe and even a bbt shop. Worth checking out. I would ask to meet up my friends here especially the ones that are always at least 30 minute late.

Bookstores... they practically don't exist in the US. So I was very happy to come and see this…read morelarge shop in Hong Kong. They have a selection of English and Chinese books; English-speakers, it's all good. It's easy to spend a whole day here. I love how it's lively in here and full of readers. Easily the best bookstore in HK.

Found a great collection of Chinese classics here. Always wanted to read them in traditional…read moreChinese characters, cuz I don't get a kick out of the simplified handicapped ones. Good collections overall!

Popular is a chain bookstore that originates from Singapore and has locations in several Asian…read morecountries and Hong Kong. This location is on the third floor of Pioneer Centre in Mong Kok. The store is moderately sized, not on the scale of Eslite. The books sold here are in Chinese, but some of them (ex. cookbooks) have English translations in them. I did not see any magazines or newspapers, so don't come here for those. They do carry a selection of music and DVDs though it is not on the scale of HMV. Though these days, the selection there is getting smaller. And the offerings do not seem to be the most current. Since I can't read Chinese and the entertainment selection did not appeal to me, what garners three stars is their selection of stationery. The stationery here seemed mostly imported from Japan or Japanese inspired. What appealed most to me is their selection of imported Japanese pens. There is plenty varieties to choose from and they have test papers for you to scribble on to see if the pens are for you. They are slightly marked up, but not by much. Certainly not double the price like at one bookstore here in Seattle. If you are looking for Japanese stationery, check out Popular. It is the main reason I would come here.

We were actually in pursuit of a greeting card to send to someone for their birthday. Yelp guided…read moreus to this bookstore. On a Sunday, we had to make it through the maze of sales guys pushing condos before boarding the escaltors to get to the 3rd floor, but other than that, the bookstore provided what I was looking for. Not a big selection of greeting cards, but some. This store is half bookstore (not in English for the most part) and half gift/office supply store (wrapping paper, notebooks, pens/pencils, pads, toys, themed product lines of stuff, music CD's, puzzles, etc). Not a bad bookstore, but not the best either. Seems to be a chain of sorts.

I love a good book store. In Hong Kong, however, it's hard to find one with a big English section…read more Most of the stores I've been to have a shelf devoted to English books and many don't have anything at all. I think a great majority of them are just too small for that. JP is located 2 minutes walking from Wan Chai MTR Exit A3. You won't be able to see the name at the front of the bookstore, but you won't miss it, as it covers 3 floors and you can see it from street level. The entrance is wide open and it's inviting. On the first floor there is a collection of bestsellers and a few of them are in English indeed. That's what made me walk upstairs. And then I found out this room just for my beloved English books! It's organized by categories: History, education, business, language, children, Classic literature...and both new releases and classic books. I love the fact that it's in a separate space, a little apart from the rest of the floor and it's always quiet. There have only been a few people in there and the atmosphere is as calm as you would expect in a bookstore. Although their prices are a little higher than, for example, ordering online, they sometimes offer discounts on a selection of books. They are normally placed at the desks in the middle of the room. For me this is a great place to spend some time browsing around books: it's peaceful, organized, there's plenty of light and if you don't find what you're looking for, there's always someone at the counter you can ask for help to. Also, they do have some stationery!

This is a very conveniently located store for buying gifts. I specifically like that there is a…read morewonderful selection of imported children's books and toys. Service is very friendly. One way to make the day of a bibliophile is to visit here and buy a gift.

So if large coffee table books about art, architecture, fashion and design or similar topics…read morewritten in English are your thing, you should stop by Kelly & Walsh. Not really a large, bookstore that features a large selection of the best sellers or popular magazines, but a darling bookstore none the less with an emphasis on quality special interest subjects from art & design to business & travel. Art is what I know and love. It was the best selection of art books I have seen yet while living in Hong Kong. Really a great, quality selection of some beautiful books. Everything is in English. It is tucked inside Pacific Place shopping mall and I almost missed it. It is up on the top floor and on the same side of the mall at Shanghai Tang and Kate Spade (just up on the top floor).

This Kelly & Walsh branch in Pacific Place is a great one - I first went there to check out an…read moreevent but then was caught by the bookstore itself. What I like the most about this place is the categories' arrangement; they have an amazing section on design and fashion books with some great big sized books for collection or gift. On top of that they have an extensive department for children, a little bit hidden on the left hand side on the shop. Then, the usual other sections: biographies, business, best-sellers, fiction, etc. Another 'plus' is the China and Hong Kong devoted corner. They have an information counter, but there was no one there today. The other great thing is that they hold events every so often, book sharing and signing up, which most other bookstores don't do. Right now there's an event scheduled for Iam Lambot's book signing, so I went up there today to check out his book. And this is where the dislike part begins: I wanted to have a look at the plot of the book and the details of the event but all they had was a poster with the title and date. No book. The staff seemed confused at my question about whether they had the book on store, strange! But to finish off on the good note it deserves: even though I'd have appreciated a bit more help from the staff, it's got a great collection of books, the perfect 'bookstory' atmosphere, quiet, clean, neat, tidy. And it's perfectly located in beloved Pacific Place.

When I am wondering around the city aimlessly, sometimes my favourite thing to do is to go to a…read morebookstore. I can spend hours on end at a bookstore. Ceaselessly filling my head with inspiration and new ideas. It's my best way of spending an afternoon. One of my favourite bookstores is Bookazine. The one in prince building is a little smaller than usual. Their selection is also more limited. I had a few books I had in mind to buy, but they were all sold out! I didn't let that ruin my afternoon of wandering from shelf to shelf in the store. Nicely cuddling up in the children's section, I can literally enjoy previewing lots of books in a genre that I am interested. It is in moments like these that I decide if I want to get the paperback version or the kindle version or not get it at all. Decisions, decisions! Not only does bookazine have books but they have cool gadgets and new toys for kids. It's a great store to pick something up for kids or even yourself! Now back to reading!

If you are looking for Manga in Japanese, this is an excellent store. I was shopping for my son, so…read morehad no idea where to find anything. Shop owner was super helpful, digging out a couple of additional items from inventory, in addition to what was on the shelf. A lot of the merchandise is gently used, so prices were great. It has a great vibe, buried in the basement of the building, spilling out into the lower concourse. Even if you don't buy anything, it is fun to visit.

A really good used Japanese bookstore located in the basement of a side street not far from Times…read moreSquare. Unlike some used bookstores where things were just piled around, this place is really organized. Their books cover a wide range of genre, not just the more popular topics about movies, anime, and beauty. If you are studying Japanese this is a treasure trove. They also buy back used Japanese books, though not very old ones. I took some old manga and fictions there and were told they don't worth anything. And I was treasuring them all these years. : P