Notes from the Shelf

In October, I went to Seattle for a birthday trip with my parents. Any time I’m anywhere new, I have to check out the local bookstores, and this vacation was no exception. Also, we were taking the train back from Seattle to Chicago, so I would have a few days to occupy my time and wanted a book as an option. Wishful thinking, because I usually get motion sickness, but I don’t need much of an excuse to browse and buy books. There were two bookstores I came across that I would like to highlight.

The first one was Mercer Street Books located at 7 Mercer Street, close to the Space Needle. This was only a few blocks away from our Airbnb, so it popped up on my radar. This was a very cute used bookstore. The store clerk was very friendly and the store was well organized by genre. It was a little cramped while browsing with others there, but overall, it was still a nice experience. They also seem to buy used books like other used bookstores would, although the shelves were pretty full so I’m not sure how much they would buy or if they give only store credit.

The second was Arundel Books located at 322 1^st Ave S, close to King Street Station. This was a last-minute stop before waiting for the train since it was so close to the station. There were mostly new books at full price, but there were a lot of books that you wouldn’t find at a mainstream bookstore and there also quite a few art prints and bookmarks from local artists. I found it cool they sold local art. Also, the shop clerk was super friendly, asking what types of books I typically read to make good recommendations. Also, there were local authors showcased at the front, and each area had a recommendations display as well. It was very easy to browse the store and was a very relaxed atmosphere. I ended up buying Swordheart by T. Kingfisher and my mom bought an art print.