Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Bookstores

Top Ten Favorite Bookstores

“I love walking into a bookstore. It’s like all my friends are sitting and shelves, waving their pages at me.” ~ Tahereh Mafi

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is a freebie so we’re highlighting some of our favorite bookstores, not only locally loved spots but some of the places we’ve come to know on trips both near and far. 

Northshire Bookstore ~ Manchester, VT and Saratoga Springs, NY

This independent bookstore has one of the best selections of both new and used books; and each of its locations has a sense of magic to it. Whether it’s the book arch in the Manchester location or the page “ceiling” in the Saratoga Springs spot. There’s also always a great line-up of  author and community events. 

The Green Toad ~ Oneonta, NY

Between its adorable name and great selection, this Main Street shop is a must stop whenever we’re in Oneonta. Plus, it opens into a coffee shop. What more could one want?

The Green Hand Bookshop ~ Portland, MA

Not sure why so many bookstores have “green” in the name but anyway, this hole in the wall shop has a fantastic selection of used books. It’s pretty well organized and we found so many from our favorite authors that we’d been looking for for a long time. 

Strand ~ New York City, NY

I (Pete) had the amazing opportunity to work at this legendary bookstore for a year after college. Aside from being the biggest bookstore I’ve ever been in, offering a section on nearly everything, it’s also filled with amazing people.

Book Culture ~ New York City, NY 

There are a few locations around NYC and each one has its own feel to it; some are more like neighborhood stores and others appeal to more of a college crowd. Either way, they’re great shops with good selections of both books and gifts. 

McNally Jackson ~ New York City 

This little store manages to pack its shelves with a great selection of fiction, fantasy, and plenty of other categories. It’s in a great part of the city and it has a great vibe.

Lyrical Ballad ~ Saratoga Springs, NY 

This is a legendary Saratoga bookshop located in a former bank, with vault doors still visible. It’s got a seemingly never-ending selection of used and rare books and it’s easy to spend an entire afternoon simply exploring the shelves. 

Old Saratoga Books ~ Schuylerville, NY

This used bookstore had a wonderful atmosphere and a very friendly cat named Samuel. They still sell books online, but we will always miss their great selection of classic sci-fi and contemporary fiction.

Popeks Used and Rare Books ~ Oneonta

This little bookstore had two locations during our time as students at Oneonta, and it was always packed to the brim with classics.

Owl Pen Books ~ Argyle, NY

Without a doubt the most magical store on our list, Owl Pen is tucked away in the rolling hills of Argyle, New York. Getting there is always an adventure filled with dirt roads, but at the end of the journey is the cozy book barn, filled with an impressively up-to-date collection of books on all subjects.