By Khadija Coats

There are a lot of bookstores in the greater Cleveland area and here is a list of the top five, according to me. This list isn’t meant to drive you away from visiting other bookstores, but to encourage you to visit and support local ones. Every bookstore is different and is full of genres that I guarantee you’ll love 🙂

Loganberry Books

Loganberry Books is an independent bookstore in Shaker Heights. The bookstore contains both new and slightly used books. It also houses many books of several genres and has decent prices (rare books are kind of expensive though). The store is very picturesque making it the perfect place to visit if you love aesthetic places.

Address: 13015 Larchmere Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44120

Appletree Books

Appletree Books is a small bookstore located in Cleveland Heights. The bookstore contains just new books and has several books of all types of genres. It has decent prices and friendly staff members. The store is pretty small, but it has a nice cozy atmosphere. I’d recommend visiting it if you enjoy reading fiction and fantasy books. You won’t find a lot of romance books here. 

Address: 12419 Cedar Rd, Cleveland, OH 44106

Half Price Books in Mentor 

Half Price Books is a local bookstore located in Mentor (it has other locations too). The bookstore contains both used and new books. It also has a wide choice of books- every genre! The books are relatively cheap and the staff members are really helpful in both recommending and finding books; however, I would not recommend selling your books here, as they don’t give you much. One time I sold a few books here that were in perfect condition, and they only gave me a dollar for them. Better luck at Mac’s Backs, they’ll give you store credit.

Address: 9383 Mentor Ave, Mentor, OH 44060

Mac’s Backs in Coventry (my favorite)

I love this bookstore! Mac’s Backs in Coventry is another local bookstore in Cleveland Heights. The bookstore contains both used and new books. It also houses several books of several genres but focuses more on fiction and sci-fi books. So if you’re a sci-fi and fantasy reader like me, you’ll love it here; however, if you’re a romance reader, you won’t find many romance books here. They also sell really cool, aesthetically pleasing journals and lots of popular well-known classics by popular authors such as Jane Austen and Fyodor Dostoevsky. The store is small, but it has a nice, cozy atmosphere. For example, the inviting posters, the size of the store, and the lighting give it a warm, comfortable feel. I’d recommend visiting Phoenix Coffee before stopping by Mac’s Backs, they sell really good lattes (their fall spice lattes are really good)  and the BEST pastries.

Address: 1820 Coventry Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

And last but not least, Barnes and Nobles (all locations: Woodmere, Crocker Park, and Mentor)

Barnes and Noble is a large bookstore located well…everywhere. The bookstore sells only new books, but occasionally has major sales that significantly reduce their prices. It houses every genre and I personally recommend looking through their fantasy section, they have the best books and sell pretty popular titles. The prices are pretty high, so I’d recommend picking out books you know you’ll enjoy reading. 

Address: Great Lakes Mall, 7900 Mentor Ave, Mentor, OH 44060