Hey everyone! Hope you’re having a great 2015 so far. Shout out to all my fellow book lovers. This year, one of my resolutions is to read at least one new book a month. I think it’s a great resolution because it’s fun and simple. It’s a great way to get back into reading for those of you who’ve been out of the chair for a while. Start off with small books and work your way up to larger ones. What better place to find new and enchanting books than in a city full of captivating bookstores? Take a look at some of my favorite bookstores in Los Angeles.
LA Bookstores
Let’s start this list off with Vroman’s Bookstore. Founded in 1894, at one point it was the largest bookstore west of the Mississippi! Vroman’s is well known for their philanthropy. Over the years they’ve participated in various food drives, pet adoptions, and charity raffles. They host hundreds of community events each year such as signings and readings.
Samuel French first started circulating a theatre catalogue in the mid 1800’s. That catalogue has grown to include several forms of dramatic literature. The Samuel French Hollywood Bookshop has been in operation for over 65 years! They have a large selection of dramatic literature including: teleplays, stage plays, screenplays, ePlays, and radio plays. They also have books on stage and set design, theatre history, and hair and makeup.
Hennessey + Ingalls Art & Architecture Bookstore is known for having the “best books on the visual arts.” They’re always up to date on the best sellers in art and architecture world. Their collection includes topics covering film, furniture, graphic design, and even landscaping and gardening! Go in today and browse their rare and collectible section.
Located in Burbank, Dark Delicacies, a quaint little shop is known to some as the “Home of Horror.” Sue and Del Howison started the bookstore in 1994 and have been providing their ghoulish guests with books, movies, posters, and other macabre merchandise for over 20 years. They’ve been featured on SciFi Channel’s SciFi Buzz as well as in the Los Angeles Times and New York Times.
Children’s Book World is another bookstore I can’t go without mentioning. If you’ve got kids or just love children’s stories then this is the place for you. Every Saturday they have readings and activities for children hosted by award winning authors, storytellers, puppeteers, and musicians. They’ve got everything from science kits to educational aids. Get moving; they have over 80,000 titles to choose from!
Skylight Books is the place to go if you’re looking for something off the beaten path. Take a walk on the wild side and sink your fangs or fingers rather, into some juicy page-turners. Boring is one thing they’re not. Take a look at some of their titles: Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham, Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon, A Load of Hooey by Bob Odenkirk, and Yes Please by Amy Poehler. On top of all that, they’ve got graphic novels galore and even some magnificent Zines.
Known as “bookseller to the great and infamous” Book Soup is one of the must see bookstores for anyone who’s into books. They host events almost every day! They keep you up to date with all the new bestsellers (hardcover and paperback). They have over 60, 000 books, stacked from floor to ceiling. Search through them and you might even find a few autographed books.
What better way to finish off my list, then with The Last Bookstore? It is California’s largest used and new bookstore. They carry over 250,000 books. Wow! It’s been voted the best bookstore in downtown LA by LA Weekly and The Downtown News. They’ve got two floors packed to the brim with books styled around gravity defying architecture. Get moving downtown and see for yourself why people keep going back.
What are some of your favorite LA bookstores? Did I leave any off my list? Tell me about them in the comments section below!