1. Books On the Square

1. Books On the Square

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Virden, IL

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Books On the Square

5.0 (1 review)

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8 years ago

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Left Bank Books

Left Bank Books

4.6
(171 reviews)
64.6 mi
$$

What a comfy book store with lots of great finds!…read more Came here on a weekday afternoon to browse some books for something new and to get a few books from my TBR list. The space inside feels older, it has characters & that bookstore feel you can't explain. I was pleasantly surprised by how big the store was! They did a really good job of organizing books so it wasn't hard to find what I was looking for and in addition to it was easy to browse I ended up spending over an hour just looking around. The downstairs area also has a used book area which I love because it makes them more affordable which helping someone explore an older book for the first time. Anytime I'm in the area I'll be popping in to see what's new (or used) and grab a few books. I highly recommend for anyone wanting to surf through hard copies of books to pick what's right for them. They also had a section of items you can gift as well!

The moment I walked in I was approached by a woman doing a petition. She asked me to sign after…read moreverbally giving me info. I told her I'd like to read about it before I sign and she kind of looked at me like I'm crazy and said "I like to be more informed before I make a decision." She told me no one else had to think about it and I told her I did. That was weird and uncomfortable, especially when she turned from me and asked my wife. She gave the same answer. Selection is pretty broad but the store is very political and it's obvious. They have a sign that said "everyone is welcome, except ICE.", Black Lives Matter, gay pride, and anything that is demeaning to republicans. It's honestly distracting and disappointing. Someone who may not have the same beliefs may not feel comfortable walking around with fascist stickers, and everything that is demeaning towards "the right". Value is good and as I said before the selection is quite broad. There were a lot of pro-gay books which you never really see anywhere else. There are also all kinds of self help books and everything else you might expect. Overall I do recommend this place, but I can see how a large majority of people would feel really out of place here. That aside, it's a really nice establishment with very friendly staff. Not so crazy about the woman in the front pressuring me to sign her petition. I'm sure she meant well though.

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Left Bank Books
Cutest book store ever
Cutest book store ever
Left Bank Books

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Old Book Barn

Old Book Barn

3.7
(15 reviews)
52.5 mi
$

My husband and I had read an adulatory article about the store and the many thousands of books…read morethere, so we traveled up from St. Louis to take a look. The thousands of books were there, all right, but in a building that smells overwhelmingly of mold. I don't know whether it's from a roof leak or a flood, or whether they have just bought a lot of smelly books, but my husband and I both stank of mold even after we left, and I was coughing. I didn't find much of a selection of unusual or uncommon books to tempt me, and the layout of the place is very strange. I couldn't find mystery books for over ten minutes. They were hidden away in a corner, and given far less prominence than romance or inspirational books. Even if I found out that the mold problem had been solved, it's not likely we would return.

Don't let any negative reviews steer you away from this place, it's great!!! I was in-town…read moreovernight, and specifically looking for guitar tablature books. While they didn't have much, I did find their music section, and got a great book on the old ACE Records label. However, the best part of the experience was Lori, the owner (I believe). She was SO HELPFUL!!! I asked about her usual stock, and she was totally willing to have an in-depth conversation with me about various subjects. Also, when I went to check out, and told her that I was in town for a concert, she reached into a drawer, and pulled out an information sheet recommending restaurants for dinner, breakfast and coffee places. She even gave me some of her own, and some advice on where else to look for good used books!! Other than the concert itself, it was the highlight of my trip there. Thank you Lori!!!

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Books On the Square - bookstores - Updated July 2026

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