Your Guide to Bookstores In NYC

Ever since I was a kid, I loved reading but after some time, I stopped reading for the sake of trying to keep up with academic schoolwork (and because reading textbooks sort of waned my interest in books). But after graduating from college in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, I realized I could do more with my time. That was when I got back into reading and from then on, enveloped myself in my once-loved childhood pastime. Every bookworm knows the appeal of wandering through a bookstore, surrounded by the fresh scent of printed pages that tell stories you simply can’t wait to absorb. So, here, I give you a guiding list of some of the bookstores I have visited over the past year and what I absolutely loved about them!

Note: keep in mind, I haven't went to every bookstore in NYC, but these are the ones that I have gone to and thoroughly enjoyed so this is just my opinion.

1. The Strand

Honestly, I was torn between this and the Barnes & Nobles at Union Square, but after careful consideration, I realized The Strand had just this vintage bookstore feel that I just couldn't escape. Even after leaving with a ton of books that'll befriend the rest of my TBR list sitting in the corner of my bookshelf, it felt as if I were leaving this cozy, made-just-for-me land of a two-floored library. The Strand is literally an iconic landmark in NYC and has been living up to that standard for the past 90 years. However, it saddens me that it's the last surviving bookstore of New York City's "Book Row" so my fellow book lovers if we could all pitch in to keep this one alive, I'm sure all those books will be grateful.

Website: The Strand

2. Barnes & Nobles at Union Square

Okay, you literally cannot walk into this bookstore and tell me it's not the most beautiful place you've ever seen. Everything is arranged with such precision and grace that you just cannot walk out without a book. I don't know how they designed this place to have this "COME BUY ME" vibe everywhere you are, but clearly they are doing a great job. This Barnes & Nobles literally has four floors of books. You read that right, four floors, which also did make it harder for me to pick between this and the Strand for the top spot, but either way, you know my top two. And not only that, but they also have a robust schedule of author events that makes it one of the most vibrant stores in the renowned national chain. Spoilers: my favorite authors Chloe Gong and Alex Aster seem to be there often judging by their TikTok videos (hehe)

Website: Barnes & Nobles

3. McNally Jackson Bookstore

This beauty also has two floors and is at the heart of the downtown neighborhood of Nolita. It's an independent bookstore founded by Sarah McNally, a former book editor. Since then, three more locations have been opened: South Street Seaport, Williamsburg, and Downtown Brooklyn (also beautiful and cozy). It's known for its unique book organization system, with books from all over the world organized on shelves by country. As in other bookstores, the minute you walk in, all you see are the current trending and popular books from TikTok and possibly bookstagram but either way, everything there is super cute. Did I mention they also have an entire corner dedicated to stationery?

Website: McNally Jackson

4. Sweet Pickle Books

This was the first bookstore I discovered in Chinatown that I absolutely loved. Ironically, I was working near the area at the time so to chip away at my free time, I started looking for a bookstore close by and lo and behold, found this gemstone. The owner, Leigh Altshuler, is a total sweetheart (you can even find a bunch of articles talking about the bookstore and how she opened it right in the middle of the pandemic when bookstores were supposedly closing and drove around collecting books from people, it's super cool) and makes the entire vibe of the store so worth being in. It's also a secondhand bookstore so they have everything there for literally half the price of the original, possibly less. You can also if you couldn't tell from the name, trade in books for a jar of pickles (SELF-MADE PICKLES!!, and preferably you bring in at least 5 books and more). If anyone likes collecting albums and that sort of stuff, she also has a bunch of those as well on display. Side note: I also love Leigh because I'm a super fast reader and came almost every week, unless it was raining (but even then, I still tried running by) to the point where she recognized me immediately (super nice!)

Website: Sweet Pickle Books

5. Housing Works Bookstore

I didn't realize how close this was to McNally Jackson until I got off at the same train stop and then proceeded to walk down the same street before coming to the realization that it was literally a block away. Now this one I haven't gone to as many times, but it's great because it's a bookstore with a cause. All books are donated and 100% of the profits made help fund HIV/AIDS and homelessness programs of the non-profit company of the same name. It's a great place to look through when you don't have a specific book in mind because seriously, you will always find some gems in there.

Website: Housing Works Bookstore

6. Kinokuniya

Once again, I had trouble between this and Book Off and you'll see why when I get to Book Off, but they literally have an entire floor filled with nonfiction/fiction/whatever genre you can think of books and then in the basement, literally an entire floor filled with all the Japanese manga, anime collectibles, stationery (literally so many pens and washi tapes and journals that you will not be able to choose, which is a good thing, right? That's what their plan was when they designed the place), plushies, etc that you can find. And then the floor above you is like this cafe heaven where you have the cutest pastries (if you have a sweet tooth) or just coffee (because that works too). I'm here for the stationery (hehe)

Website: Kinokuniya

7. Book Off

They have an entire floor filled with books for $1 or it will not go over $10. Need I say more? I walked by this store so many times and never paid attention to it until I saw on TikTok that they had an entire upstairs floor filled with shelves of books for $1. Some of the books aren't in the best condition but that's okay because that's like 5% of the books (and it's also a used bookstore). The only 95% are beautiful, you'll find some rare gems, and you might even come out with a book that you didn't even have in mind but you found it for $1 and be like "why not? I've spent more". The first floor is literally collectible heaven. All the anime you can find and piles and piles of Funko Pop!

Website: Book Off

8. Albertine Books

I had to put this last, not because I didn't like it (these bookstores made the list - it's still growing! - because of how much I loved it), but because it's the last one I went to and now I'm either buying books off Amazon or slaving away in graduate school. But most likely when winter break comes, I'll add onto this list with more bookstores as we go along and explore the rest. Anyways, that picture below is literally what this place looks like: a hand-painted ceiling of celestial scenes and the zodiac rests above the shelves of books on the second floor of the prettiest place you've ever seen. It's such a dreamy sight, I couldn't get enough of it because you just don't see bookstores with this sort of decoration anymore (so rare). Imagine walking in and you're surrounded by planets and zodiac symbols and science and poetry, everything is blended seamlessly into one. However, the one true star of this bookstore is its vast collection of French books, which once again, a lot of the bookstores don't have anymore or at all. Come visit when you can and make sure to lie on the floor so you can enjoy the ceiling art in its entirety (yes, literally, because how else are you going to see this beautiful painting that's on the ceiling if you don't look directly at it?)

Website: Albertine Books

Which bookstore is your favorite?