August 28, 2013

World of Books: Brittany + Chicago Suburbs, Illinois

Everyone has their neighborhood bookstore or their local library they call home. Maybe both even. I know I do - in TWO different cities. World of Books if a bi-weekly feature that allows me - and any of YOU - to share the bookstores and libraries you love so much. If you want to be featured on World of Books too, make sure to go HERE and fill out the contact form!

This week on WORLD OF BOOKS Brittany is going to tell all of you guys about all of the awesome book stores around the Chicago Suburbs!

1. Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, IL: 
Anderson’s is by far my favorite book store in all of the Chicagoland suburbs. They host so many author signings and some really great authors have come to town thanks to them! They’re located in downtown Naperville which is perfect for me because I live right over there (or, well… I did before I moved) and they also have a great YA section which I LOVE. They keep extra signed books on hand for people to purchase even if they weren’t at the signings too. The staff is great and I’m especially thankful for all of the people who support the YA crowd! 
They also have a nice selection of cards, games, and magazines (and… of course other age ranges of books like children’s and adult – you know I’m usually hanging out in the YA shelves though!) and they even have “Anderson’s Two Doors East” which specializes in gifts, toys, décor, and much more.
Find Anderson’s on Twitter, at their store website, OR on the site for their gift shop!

2. Bundles of Books and Gifts, Glen Ellyn, IL: 
Bundles of Books is a used book store that my friend Lisa found back in the day (which was about 2011, for those keeping track) and this is basically what started and fueled our reading addiction and what ultimately led me to start my blog! Back when cozy mysteries were my main reads, I used to hang out in their mystery section practically the whole time and my shelves are STILL full of tons of paperback mysteries. 

They don’t have a large YA section, but it’s there! These are also ALL used books so they’re only able to stock what people sell back to them. I can usually find a few good titles when I go in there though!
They also have a little gift shop in the front with homemade gifts (I’m assuming from local people – I haven’t actually perused it much) and often times, especially in the winter, they’ll have hot chocolate or cider or coffee for people who are walking the store! 

I actually still have a box of books I need to sell back to them but haven’t gotten around to it yet… The books you sell back you get store credit for, not cash, just as an FYI! I do like selling my books back to a used bookstore though because hopefully someone else will pick them up! 

3. The Frugal Muse, Darien, IL: 
The Frugal Muse sells both new and used books but the majority of them are used (I think the only thing I bought new there were my Song of Ice and Fire paperbacks). I actually haven’t sold any used books to them yet (it’s a little further out of the way than Glen Ellyn is for me) so I’m not totally sure how it works but their selection is pretty good! The store is BIG and has several different sections (they even get really specific – there’s a whole section just for Shakespeare!) including a pretty nice YA section! For being a used book store, their prices aren’t SUPER cheap, but they are cheaper than brand new books (hey, the store has to make a profit too) and I feel like they have a lot of popular YA titles and some smaller ones as well. 

They also have music and movies too! 

And now I want to go visit all of these awesome places in. With Brittany, preferably. Time for a trip to the Chicago Suburbs? Let me know if you want to join me in the comments below!

4 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for having me on World of Books! If you're ever in the Chicago 'burbs, I'd be happy to take you around :) :) :)

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  2. I totally want to go to Anderson's Bookshop, just because I've heard so much about it! It seems like THE place for authors on tour to go, and I am so insanely jealous of the sheer amount of people who stop by there. The other two bookstores seem great as well!

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  3. I've been to the Anderson's in Downers Grove, but not the one in Naperville. I live in Iowa now but a lot of my friends are still in the area, and one lives about two blocks from the DG location.

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  4. Yay Brit! I love these features even though it makes me sad that my hometown is really lacking in the neighborhood stores. Sigh. Maybe no real readers live there? ;)

    I love that B has the opportunity to meet so many writers at Anderson's! That's just too awesome and amazing for bloggers and book lovers alike.

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