So...I
may have broken my book buying ban a little...
Last
week, I flew back to visit my old stomping grounds in Chi-town and see some
friends. It was lovely to be back in the Windy City for a couple of days. While
I was there I might have given into temptation and bought a few books but I
also crossed an item off my bucket list so I don't feel to terrible about it.
Let me elaborate. As
an undergrad studying in Chicago I found I had little time or money to spend on
reading that wasn't part of my course curriculum. Which was was heart-wrenching
because there were so many books I wanted to read and so many amazing
bookstores within walking distance of campus. (I'm sure many of you can
relate!) Occasionally, if I was feeling masochistic, I would wander through the
bookstores and admire all the books I knew I couldn't afford to buy and I would
silently vow that I would one day come back as a rich alumna and buy all the
books I wanted. Dramatic I know, but hey.
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| My Chicago spoils! |
Now
two years later I came back to these bookstores as an alumna, and although not
necessarily rich, I had a little more change in my pocket now that I am not
buying $200 dollar text books every 10 weeks, so I indulged a little bit. I
didn't buy ALL the books (trust me, I though about it) but I did pick up a
couple of full-priced books, just because I wanted them and because I could. It
felt very rewarding to be able to buy my own books with my own money and cross
of an (albeit, slightly frivolous) item off my bucket list. So here are the
stores I visited and the items I piked up! This is just a small sample of the
bookstores Chicago has to offer.
The
Seminary Co-Op in an independent bookstore that has served the University and
Hyde Park community for over 50 years. Originally located in the labyrinth
basement in the old seminary building. It recently relocated and expanded. It
generally caters to the academic crowd and carried specialized academic volumes
that you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else, although it does stock
some contemporary literary and genre titles as well. The store has an airy and
light-filled feeling and has plenty of chairs for your reading pleasure as well
as a cafe next door.
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| aka the Sem-Co-Op |
Located
on the epinomous 57th street. This bookstore is actually part of the above
Seminary Co-Op as well but offers a more commercial fiction rather than
academic offering. This basement store has an amazing selection of children and
young adult books, contemporary social issues books and spiritual/philosophy
books. This bookstore boasts 3 rooms that seem to expand for ever and super
friendly staff who are always happy to offer recommendations. Once you have
made a purchase, head over to the Medici bakery next door for their famous hot
chocolate and pastries.
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| Underground treasure trove |
This
was a new discovery for me! This bookstore is actually located in the nearby
city of Evanston, which is accessible by CTA from Chicago. This is a used
bookstore and is probably one of the most novel bookstores I've seen. It is a
book deli! you can find books literally by the bucket and you purchase them by
weight! The selection is pretty varied although if you are looking for a
specific books you might not find it, but browsing can yield some surprising
rewards!
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| Buy books by the pound! |
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