Bookstores I have known and loved

I’ve said I love books so it’s no surprise I’m sure to hear that I love bookstores and libraries; mostly bookstores though since I get to keep the books! People are always asking me where I get books so I thought I’d share some of my favourite bookstores.

Hemingway Books in Abbotsford is my new favourite used bookstore. It’s very well laid out and has a great selection of new and used books. One of the things I really liked is that the books are shelved horizontally making it much easier to scan the titles and choose books. There are usually several copies of the more popular books and they are the cleanest used books I’ve ever seen.

Black Bond Books has warehouses in Langley and Surrey where you can get new books at a reduced price.

Of course there’s Wendell’s’ Bookstore in Fort Langley where you can buy a book and then have lunch in the adjoining café.

My most unique bookstore experience so far is in Sidney, BC where they have a Book Town. This consists of several bookstores scattered about a 2 or 3 block radius. The stores sell both new and used books and some stores have themes like military or history.

The key to a good bookstore experience is the staff. They need to be friendly and knowledgeable about their stock. I love getting recommendations from them and finding out what they are currently reading.

There’s nothing like a good visit to a bookstore but I have to also admit that I love ordering books from Amazon. I like being able to read the reviews before I buy and I like being able to get a list of everything an author has done in order of publication date.

So where do you like to shop for books and why?