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    Authentic Books

    4.7 (22 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

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    Book wall
    Jessica W.

    I found this place at the Yelp event at the science center. I love the concept of what they do and decided to go into store. They had a special theme for the month of April with more of a Gothic feel. With the books in marchandise to match. The $40 grab a tote is an amazing deal. I was able to get a book, glass cup, candle, and lip gloss. They also had a special QR code for music you can listen to while you're reading your book (at home) depending on what genre it is. Such an amazing concept and one that I would highly recommend if you're a book lover. Immerse yourself in your stories and allow your senses to be taken over while getting lost in a good book. The service was super friendly and helpful. It seemed like she knew a lot of the different books and could help find one that fit what I was looking for.

    Rita I.

    I have visited this shop several times, usually to fill my tote with goodies, but mostly I love the events they host. Each event offers a great opportunity to connect with fellow book lovers, get creative with fun activities, and I always leave feeling satisfied and happy, so they are worth every penny. Everyone who hosts the events or works at the shop is a pleasure to interact with and provides excellent service. I also appreciate that the books and goodies are always new since they rotate often. I love supporting small businesses, and this one will always be at the top of my list!

    Kieara G.

    I've visited in the past to purchase a book but this time l opted to partake in the build a book experience and it was such a nice and immersive experience. One that I highly recommend! It's $39 but comes up to $46 with taxes. There's an array of items to choose from to fulfill your sensory needs. I selected the Brew linen spray for the "touch", the "Femme Fatale" candle for the "smell", a lemon, ginger, and turmeric tea for the "taste" and a novel called Middle of the Night by Riley Sager as the "sight" option. This would make a great gift for someone else or a great solo date to treat yourself! Not to mention, it's woman owned and black owned. It doesn't get any better!

    Choices. 20.09.2025
    Trisha W.

    Before going to dinner, we stopped in to this super cute shop. You can make your own book. What? You pick one book and three items of your choosing at a fixed price. The items are adorable. They range from homemade candles that smell great, glass jar cups, apparel, self care goodies, or a drink. Dude. It was so cute. I want to go back when I have lore time, and energy, to peruse all the fun things. The employee was so nice telling us about the shop and answering all of our questions about books that were on display and the book box. 21.09.2025

    Jenni P.

    A bookstore with a sensory experience. I love going to this bookstore. The experience is unlike any other. You can get a book, a candle, something to snack on and curated playlists all in one shop. They host some of the most unique experiences throughout the month. I've been to a jewelry making workshop and a sensory experience for a movie release. Definitely one of the best places to visit in Orlando.

    Smell inspired book choice with sound card to listen to a Playlist while reading
    Stephanie F.

    We heard about this place at a yelp event and couldn't wait to check it out! Located in Ivanhoe Village, this quaint little book shop makes reading an entire experience! They recieve new books every week and pair the book to have all your sense emerged while reading. Choose a bag, book, and 3 items (such as lotin for touch, candles for smell, and a drink for taste for a phenomenal budget friendly price) for an incredible experience while getting lost in your imagination and relaxing with a ready thats inspired by your sense choices! They also offer in store experiences with candle making and scent shops! I cant wait to return for a new book and senses experience!

    Nhi B.

    Such a cool concept!!! I love the idea of not only immersing yourself into the world of a book mentally, but also physically. Authentic Books provides such a unique experience for book lovers and I love what they have to offer for book lovers. If you don't know -- Authentic Books started as a subscription box that would send books and other fun goodies (candles, food items, knick-knacks, etc.) that related to the book itself to allow the reader to bring the book to life even more. The shop is a real life version of that AND has plans to make itself a community space where book lovers can gather. They also stay true to their subscription box roots by allowing you to create your own book bag, complete with your own choice of books and goodies! For some of the candles, the owner partners with the author of the book to create unique candles and items that are specifically designed for their book. The selection is a bit small and limited right now, but the service is fantastic and I'm sure they'd be happy to order specific books by request. They've already begun hosting book-centric events and have plans to open up a coffee shop next door. Overall, they're a great addition to the Ivanhoe neighborhood and I'd highly recommend them for all book lovers.

    Entrance
    Jackeline F.

    Happy #nationalbookloversday My daughter and I love books. We love well written stories of all kinds. She likes more thrillers than I, who enjoy less thrillers, more love & connections. We also love a bookstore. @authenticbooks in Ivanhoe Village is the cutest. It's a small business, owned by a black woman who clearly loves books & invests in self-care. Spoke to her briefly and was inspired to broaden my book genres and recommended a new author. It was very emotive for me to experience this beautiful bookstore that with such care curates wonderful books, both hardcover and paperback, totes, self-care beauty items such as face masks, cozy socks, soy candles, tea bags, drink mixes, linen sprays & journals. All in an effort to encourage us to create an ambiance of relaxation. Build a book experience for $40. Grab a tote, pick a book and fill with three more items described above It's magnificent. Please visit this store, follow on socials, and be on the lookout for the events they host. Be mindful of the hours of operation. Friday 11AM-6PM Saturday 11AM-6PM Sunday 10AM-2PM Monday Closed Tuesday Closed Wednesday Closed Thursday 11AM-6PM The website has lots of info https://www.authenticbooks.com/

    Raymond S.

    Not sure what to say, to quote the young lady at the desk "We are an unconventional bookstore." Small selection, maybe less than 100 titles. She said it is a subscription thing. Not sure, certainly caters to females. She did tell me a local bookseller that would be more in my wheelhouse. I don't want to say anything negative so, good luck to them.

    Lana E.

    A few girlfriends and I checked out this spot and had the best time looking around! We put together our Build a Book experience- one tote, book and 3 items. Not only was the book selection awesome, the little goodies to fill the tote were super cute! They ranged from fun drinks to handmade candles and roller perfume! I highly recommend stopping by. The owner is super friendly and really helpful with recommendations!

    Lisa P.

    WHAT A CUTE CONCEPT!!!!! Such lovely service. I truly think it's a great deal to pay $39 for a book and three fun items! I will absolutely be coming back and will be checking out their monthly workshops. I am so glad to hear that this place is expanding to include a 'third-space' where people can come to enjoy coffee while reading or studying. Can't wait!!!!!

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    Ask the Community - Authentic Books

    Review Highlights - Authentic Books

    I have visited this shop several times, usually to fill my tote with goodies, but mostly I love the events they host.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

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    Brightlight Books

    4.7(106 reviews)
    6.5 mi
    $

    Kept trying to come here on Sunday- they're closed, but it kept being the only day I would have a…read morechance to go. FINALLY had a Saturday off, and I'm so sad I wasn't able to make it out here before now. I also brought a bag of books to sell. The processing for the books I brought took about 30 minutes (it was an IKEA bag FULL, I just needed to transfer to one of their bins). That gave me time to look around and see what they might have. Not all of my books were accepted, which was fine, because the reason this place is so big and yet does such good business is that the books are well currated to ensure that they are desirable. Older books, or less desirable are kept down to one copy, whereas more popular books may have three or four of the same book, but the book is popular enough that it will be sold. Value wise, the rare, signed, and first editions area is VERY reasonably priced. Value for books brought in is given as either cash (I was given a lesser amount this way) or store credit I walked out with a few of the sequels of book series I have the first and maybe second of, but this way I could complete the series for less. I also found a few books on my TBR that were available. Books are indeed at used book prices, not hugely marked up, so overall I considered the visit a huge win. Overall, I guess my complaint is only that this is the only location, and I wish there was a sister store more toward central or even the west side of Orlando.

    Brightlight Books in is one if my favorite used bookstores in the area. The team is always so kind…read moreand helpful and the selection of books, games and movies is diverse and they even have decent selection of newer titles. The prices are also very reasonable and I feel like I receive a fair credit for books I bring to them for resale. I highly recommend supporting this business!

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    Best Used Books

    Best Used Books

    3.9(47 reviews)
    9.0 mi
    $

    Great selection of books, dvds, mixed media, organized really well. They have so much product,…read moretheir shelves flow into stacks of books on the floor. They put care into their displays and what figurines or other trinkets are placed with which books. Their prices aren't as cheap as books when you thrift, but the effort that goes into curating and organizing a collection this big - almost makes it worth the retail prices on some of these books. I also noticed they had some Disney tsum tsum? Figurines that must be slight after and collectible because the retail was 5.95 and the written price for the store was $10.

    Wow, this store has a LOT of books, almost too many. There are so many that they have overflowed to…read morethe floor in some areas taking up part of the walkway. They also have a lot of CDs, VCR tapes, magazines, and many more items I was unable to explore on this visit. We were on our way to a concert and I had about 30 minutes to look for a few music books, which I found with the staff's help. I have to say that the staff were great and knew exactly where they kept the music books, good job! It's good to know this store has a variety of music books to choose from and for the most part they are organized well, except the ones on the floor. You just have to dig a little. I chose two Faber level III piano books and a Bastien level III piano technique book. The Bastien book was only $2 but it has a lot of notes from previous students. The two Faber books were $6 each and virtually untouched, excellent! Some of the books are on the pricey side, especially some of these old music books, they are asking $20 when the covers are missing and music score is illegible. I just don't see myself spending that much when I can put that $20 towards a brand new book series or Henle Album of exceptional quality. Regardless, I want to support local, and have been very happy with my purchase. I will return again to see what I missed on my previous visit. If you love book stores, this is a good one and definitely worth the stop.

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    Best Used Books - These two were $20 each

    These two were $20 each

    Best Used Books - So. Many. BOOKS!

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    Authentic Books - bookstores - Updated May 2026

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