My 11 favorite bookstores in New York

see ya in the stacks

I live in New York because I like to go out.

I like to eat in booths and sit on stoops. I like to explore museums, bars, bookstores — oh god, the bookstores! We have more here than anywhere, and one day I hope to visit all 80-ish.

Today I decided to rank my favorite NYC/Brooklyn bookstores, so feel free chime in with your own. If you aren’t a Bookstore Person and are lost without the Replacements videos and Harry Dean Stanton references this week, I promise they’ll return posthaste.

And we’re off:

11 - Rizzoli Bookstore (1133 Broadway at 26th St.) — This place is so damn sexy, it’ll nearly knock you down. Stone floor, tall wooden shelves … how many other bookstores have been profiled in Architectural Digest? Steep in the art section, where you may find yourself next to a statuesque bibliophile clutching a pricey Hermès bag — but you will not judge, because you know she has the same novel inside of it that you’re carrying in your ten-dollar tote.

10 - Community Bookstore (143 7th Ave., Brooklyn) — My neighborhood shop is cozy (and sometimes a little cat-ty, which is cute but makes me sneeze), but it’s also efficient and friendly, and the table up front always has That One Brand New Book I can’t wait to read. They also have a piano and a turtle, so stop right there, what more do you want?

9 - P&T Knitwear (180 Orchard St.) — My A+ afternoon would consist of a Katz’s sandwich followed by ample time at this Lower East Side bookstore that mixes best sellers with cult faves. Last time I went, they had a big section of heavily discounted titles, and there’s beer/coffee for the thirsty and leisurely.

8 - Book Club Bar (197 E. 3rd St. at Ave. B) — Equal parts bar and bookstore, this East Village spot can get kinda loud in the evenings, but it also gets kinda fun, because that’s when they host readings/signings/open mics and all sorts of things for bookish social folks. There’s no haughty attitude, just a shared love of verbs.

7 - Lofty Pigeon Books (743 Church Ave., Brooklyn) — Launched last year in a neighborhood that needed more chapters, the husband-wife owners have built this charming, well-stocked shop from the ground up. Lofty Pigeon might be the only bookstore in NY that makes me think maybe *I* could own a bookstore one day, too.

6 - Troubled Sleep (129 6th Ave., Brooklyn) — This used bookstore is full of surprises, like a large graphic novels section and the time I found an old Richard Brautigan book I didn’t know I needed. They’re 100% analog, so there’s no “hmm, lemme check the computer to see if we have it,” and the owner is happy to buy my weird old books, which I exchange for store credit to feed my habit.

5 - Books are Magic (122 Montague St., Brooklyn) — This place can get jam-packed at all hours, which is why I prefer the more chill ‘n’ spacious Montague location. Children’s/YA sections are particularly strong, and tables of staff recs remind me of browsing DC’s Kramerbooks back in the day. Have strangers hooked up after spotting each other across the aisle here? Bet your bottom dollar.

4 - Barnes & Noble (194 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn) — Can a B&N be pretty? Oh, yes — and although I love a tiny bookshop, there’s something so luxurious about a big, clean two-story space that improves upon the old corporate standard. My favorite part is that all kids and YA titles are downstairs, leaving grownups to peruse in peace.

3 - Center for Fiction (15 Lafayette Ave. near Flatbush, Brooklyn) — Not only are there novels from floor to ceiling, this incredible space across from BAM hosts top-tier author events several nights a week AND has a beautiful members-only floor where you can work/read quietly for a reasonable annual fee. There’s also a café, cool merch and some nonfiction, too.

2 - The Strand (828 Broadway at 11th St.) — I have a whole routine when I go into Manhattan to get my hair done that starts with an egg salad sandwich and ends with a long trip to The Strand, the iconic spot near Union Square with “18 miles of books.”

1 - McNally Jackson (4 Fulton St., Seaport location) — My gold standard: beautifully designed, by the water, sells like 100 different kinds of pens, nonstop author events, tons of signed copies and, unlike nearly every other New York bookstore … COUCHES AND CHAIRS! The second I enter, my blood pressure lowers and curiosity rises. When can I move in?

Asterisks and honorable mentions:

* This list was inspired by my first visit to Three Lives & Company, a beloved spot in the West Village that has been around about as long as I have.

* I don’t include the MANY great comics shops and/or niche/specialty/museum bookshops like Quimby’s (zine heaven), Printed Matter (indie books as art objects), Desert Island (wall-to-wall comix), the MoMA bookstore (dreamy), or Drama Book Shop (plays for days).

* The new-ish Liz’s Book Bar is quickly rising up my list, due to its extended hours, proximity to work and all-around rad vibe that comes from being run by an author who lives for livres.

Thanks for reading — more soon!

now in softcover,
whit
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