A Book Lover’s Guide To Chicago

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Park, Store
Myopic Bookstore is filled from floor to ceiling with used books. This is the perfect place to spend a rainy Saturday roaming around all three floors full of books including fiction, art, music, film, religion, sci-fi, and children’s sections. Between the old paper smell, the live music series, and the poetry readings, you’ll feel as though you died and went to literary heaven.

Bookstore

This independent bookstore is full of local charm with handwritten “staff favorite” notes and community events. The store has a wide array of sections from cookbooks to biographies, but it is best known for its large children’s section. With story time twice a week, book clubs, and Sunday Stories & Puppet Making, this is the perfect place to help turn your child into a book lover as well. They also sell unique local Chicago prints, cards, and literary gifts.

Museum, Park

Any literary junkie will be thrilled at the chance to see the first home of literary genius Ernest Hemingway. Take a tour of the house and catch a glimpse of some of his first writings, original letters, items from his family, and photographs.

Bookstore, Store

Located in Lincoln Square, The Book Cellar is the perfect place for the classy literary sage. The store is small and has an intimate aura. There is a small café inside, and you can even sip on a glass of wine or a craft beer while perusing books.

Printing House Row used to be home to (you guessed it!) several of Chicago’s first printing houses. During the first week of June, be sure to catch the annual Printer’s Row Lit Festival. Booksellers line the streets and famous authors host readings. And the best part? It is all free! That is, if you can refrain from buying all the unique books and literary gifts.

Bookstore

With the motto, “shop as independently as you think,” this forward-thinking bookstore is sure to get your heart and mind fired up. Located in Andersonville, Women and Children First definitely has a feminist vibe; however, the store contains over 30,000 books, so there is something for everyone.

Bookstore

In this bright, two-floor bookstore, you can choose from over 70,000 new and used books. From fiction and poetry, to health and photography, After-Words has just about every book you could ever need. They also have a space available to be rented out for private parties.

Bookstore

Located in Hyde Park near the University of Chicago, the art of history and knowledge is not lost at 57th Street Books. There are many academic and intellectual books as well as bibliographies throughout the store; however, it also includes a large children’s section. Be prepared to wander through the maze of floor-to-ceiling books, and before you know it, you’ll be lost in a literary trance.