All About LA Guide to LA

10 Los Angeles Bookstores That Will Turn Anyone Into A Bookworm

Los Angeles Bookstores

World Book Day is on April 23, and what better way to celebrate than by paying homage to bookstores! Each bears a unique personality with an abundance of books that transport us into another world, away from daily stress with world wind romances, dynamic story lines, and diverse settings and characters. So crack open a good book because nothing compares to the smell of those pages! Here are 10 Los Angeles bookstores that will turn anyone into a bookworm!

The Last Bookstore

In the heart of DTLA, The Last Bookstore draws crowds with its stunning in-store design, most especially their gravity-defying arches. Though they like to joke about the irony of their store name, since bookstores have started to die out, they continue to buy, sell and trade. It is the best place for used books, with hundreds of material in the $1 section alone!

Traveler’s Bookcase

As you might’ve guessed, the Traveler’s bookcase is the best place for travel books and the like. Explore everything from guide books, international cookbooks, globes and other items, with the owners and staff having visited over 100 countries. Adventure awaits!

Book Soup

Located on the Sunset Strip, Book Soup has been serving celebrity clientele, artists, rock n’ rollers and more. It has become a landmark attracting locals and visitors. Known for their vinyl record reissues, high-profile author readings and 60,000 titles, Book Soup will certainly bring out your inner wild child!

Skylight Books

Skylight Books is your all-around neighborhood bookstore. The friendly staff, earthy yet modern design and overall atmosphere welcome browsing. In addition, they feature their own “regional” section with LA related material, a great magazine section!

Stories Books and Cafe

Stories includes a cafe which is part of the store itself, after all, book-browsing can work up an appetite. Try their vegetarian chili or the breakfast burritos! Plus, they regularly host author events on their patio in the back of the shop!

Small Worlds Books

Small Worlds Books is hidden behind the Sidewalk Cafe on the Venice Boardwalk. With its coastal ambience, the store presents books ranging from poetry to eastern mythology. And don’t forget to take a picture with their live black-and-white feline mascot, Conan the Librarian!

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Diesel: A Bookstore

With two locations in Oakland and Brentwood, there is an endless amount of events and activities. Check out their monthly World of the War, Science Fiction Newsletter or their April Video Poems to celebrate National Poetry Month!

Hennessey & Ingalls

Hennessey & Ingalls’ is the best place for everything art and architecture, with a majority of their items being heavy volumes. They have made the move from Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade to the DTLA Arts District, joining the rest of the visual community, aspiring to make vibrant art!

Samuel French Hollywood Bookshop

Calling all those in the entertainment industry and performing arts! The Samuel French Hollywood Bookshop is your one stop shop for all things theater and film. Locate all those hard-to-find plays, books on acting and biographies of filmmakers!

Iliad Book Shop

Those large iconic books outside their NoHo store are just as impressive as the books they have inside, not to mention they were featured on A&E’s Storage Wars along with other movie and television shoots! They have over 125,000 books in stock! Don’t forget to say hi when you spot feline brother Apollo and Zeus roaming around the store! Hence the literary pun! Haha!

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Don’t forget to check out our Ultimate Guide to Downtown Los Angeles and The LA Girl Shopping Guide: The 10 Best Places to Shop In Los Angeles!