Bookstore Recs: Must Visit Bookstores on a Trip to Los Angeles
A couple weeks ago, I was invited by TikTok to come to LA for the first ever Booktok Book Fair (You can read all about how it went here!). Since the event was on a Friday, I decided to make a bookish creator weekend out of it, and my friend Sarah (She has the most amazing shelves—you may have seen them on Booktok), let me crash at her place. So on Saturday we had an amazing time visiting some quintessential bookstores in LA, meeting up with some fellow booktokers, and enjoying lunch and coffee at The Grove. Here are a few bookstore recommendations I feel are must-visits if you’re traveling to LA and you’re a bookworm.
I’m actually really proud of myself for not going willy nilly. TikTok and Harper Collins gave us some amazing books, and I only had a small suitcase, so I blame capacity and some shelf control on this trip. I DID however, find a super cute edition of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice with the cover design based on the actual wallpaper from her house in Bath! So happy to be able to add this to my collection (I could only find it online on UK sites, but I’m sure you could order directly from The Ripped Bodice below too!).
The Ripped Bodice
Location: 3806 Main St, Culver City, CA
A romance book lover’s dream. Now y’all know I’m a fantasy and sci-fi girl (mostly), and yes, this adorable romantic bookstore has romance of all genres and spice levels. The decor?! The shelves?! The merch?! I ended up snagging a paperback edition of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen for my collection that I had never seen before (I collect Pride & Prejudice copies). What made it super special, is the pattern on the cover was inspired by the wallpaper in Jane Austen’s actual sitting room. Are you kidding me?! Obsessed.
The Grove Barnes & Noble
Location: 189 The Grove Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90036
I’d been to The Grove before, but never had a chance to pop into the GIANT Barnes & Noble with floors upon floors of books. They’ve recently been stepping up their sprayed edge game, and there were so many new pretty books on display. We snagged some coffee from La La Land, and perused the shelves for quite a while. Someone even recognized Bailey and fangirled (don’t worry, we always do too).
The Last Bookstore
Location: 453 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Didn’t make it to this gem of a bookstore on this trip, but I have been before, and couldn’t not include it on the list! There are so many titles in this bookstore, multiple floors, and they definitely have obscure or older published used books, so it’s perfect if you’re looking for something specific. There’s also plenty of photo ops with the famous tunnel of books, and book window.