The Book Bin is my go to for interesting books and games. They offer books for all tastes, and…read morealways help me out when I'm looking for something hard to find. They make enjoying fiction or true tales affordable.

They have a decent selection and helpful staff. It's a local treasure. Three cheers for local,…read moreindependent book stores.

I've tried to read Kindle books for years and it never took. I've gone back to physical books and…read moreit has motivated me to read more in this screen-infested society. I don't live very close to Barbara's Bookstore, so I do a lot of my browsing online. When, in the past, I would have ordered a book on Amazon, I now mostly order from Barbara's. If the book isn't on their shelves, they order it for me and let me know when it's ready. They can also just ship it directly to me, but since my wife works nearby, she can usually pick it up and I don't pay shipping. It's worth the wait for me to support a local business. The customer service is top notch. Once I place an order, Cory replies very quickly and keeps me updated. Employees in store are nice too. Finally, anyone can join their free club, "Barb Wire", and get 10% off. As a teacher, I get 15% off. This is great because Barnes and Noble discontinued their teacher discount and usually charge for their membership. Finally, when I do have a book shipped by Barbara's, they are packaged well so there's no damage to the book. Even if I liked Amazon, they stopped packaging books well years ago. Now they throw it in a loose box or bag and it often arrives damaged. I've returned many damaged books to Amazon due to careless packaging.

I love bookstores. This is a very large space but I was surprised by how empty it seemed. There…read moredoesn't appear to be a lot of inventory, and the back area is set up with a lot of chairs as if for a reading or lecture and there are a few alcoves being used as storage space. Is this a temporary situation? There are other Barbara's locations throughout Chicagoland.

Such a cute bookstore in the heart of Lake Forest. Located right next to Starbucks if anyone is…read morehaving a hard time finding it! When you walk in, it looks small but it carries tons of incredible titles. To the left you find all the shelves with trinkets, and fun gifts along with toys and children's/young adult books. Our little guy loved looking and exploring the toys. On the main side of the store you'll find best sellers, bookseller recommendations, even a section for Chicago Themed goodies. I love support indie bookstores whenever I can, the staff were so friendly and the shelves were super organized. They even had hand written notes of book recommendations which actually helped me pick out the book I purchased. Overall a great experience and I look forward to visiting when I'm in the area again soon!

This is a small shop with a great selection of books, cards, gifts packed into the space. I stopped…read morein to see what might be available for the neighbors and there was a plethora of items in all price ranges. I loved their seasonal Halloween offerings and the kids section was the best! When I have more time, I'll gladly peruse the titles of this independent book shop. Conveniently located close to the square and train station. Lots of available street parking. Friendly staff.

This is one of the coolest shops around. If you're a book lover or looking for a kitschy gift this…read moreis the place to stop by. It's one of those places you could spend hours in. It's cute, quaint, and quiet. The staff is friendly and the space itself is very clean.

Quaint, cute coffee shop bookstore. Independent. Some unique sweets, cute stuffed groundhogs, good…read morerecommendations for reading. Nice card selection too. I don't like that they have n only disposable cups for coffee even if you sit down here.

I visited this store because I didn't want to wait for Amazon to deliver the book I wanted…read more I was surprised at the variety of books they carried. They are bit more expensive than Amazon but I love the Starbucks coffee shop inside that offers quiet space to work & sip. The Starbucks coffee does not accept Starbucks gift cards or rewards. The books are wonderfully organized and they offer unique and beautiful gift options. They also have board games, Puzzles and leather bound journals. I will definitely be returning when I need a place I can go to focus.

Enjoyed this location a lot. From the outside looking in, it looks huge-like it has multiple…read morelevels. It's only one big floor but it's spacious with a café. Not many B&Ns left so it was nice to visit this one. They are very clean and well organized and their books are all neatly "faced." The price of hardcover books has gone up exponentially so we didn't end up purchasing any actual books but were able to find cute cards and journals. It was nice to look around all of their sections and what they have to offer ! It makes sense since physical books are a dying art and have to markup prices since sales are lower these days.

I've had nothing but great experiences at Roscoe Books! There are many lovely local bookstores in…read moreChicago, but this one has become my home base. I pretty much always have a book on order from them at any given time and they're always speedy and communicative. Every time I've placed an order for a book I've gotten a response within an hour that it was on its way and a time frame in which to expect it. (And I'm not talking an automated response, but an actual typed response from a human being!) There have been times when my book has somehow miraculously arrived within 24-48 hours of ordering! The only time a book has ever taken longer than expected to arrive and when I called to ask why they informed me that it had arrived damaged and they opted to order in a fresh copy for me. As a lifelong comic book collector, I've been conditioned to be a condition freak when it comes to my books and I'm so glad to know that instead of being put in an awkward position of coming in to pick up an order and seeing it's not in good condition and being anxious about saying anything that they went this route instead. Amazon could NEVER. If I ever move to a different neighborhood for whatever reason, I'd be happy to go out of my way to continue supporting Roscoe Books after so many stress-free, friendly experiences there.

Popped in here over the weekend. They have a large fiction and children's selection. I wasn't a…read morehuge fan of the fiction but if you're a Colleen Hoover fan this place might be for you. I did find a book of short stories that I'm looking forward to. It was pretty busy and you can tell they have a lot of regulars. You can register to receive points that get you discounts which is always appreciated. Price points are pretty standard for a bookstore.

Love it. I want to visit again and again. I've been twice already. Gotten a handful of books for…read moremyself and some for others

I love this bookstore! Great selection of books at great prices. customer service is wonderful too.read more

It was a nice surprise that the bookstore was still open after our post-dinner treat. It's always…read morefun to browse, and the store is very attractively laid out, with book covers gleaming and beckoning like inviting gems. I found a new book from my to-read list, coveted a cute display of Studio Ghibli merch, smiled at the witty cards, and soon my companions and I amassed a stockpile of items to purchase and so they gave us a nice tote. Maybe next time we'll skip dessert and head straight here (must check hours to see when the bar is open).

This bookstore does not support local authors. A local bookstore should. They are very rude and…read morepompous as well. We don't need that behavior in Evanston.

B&N is now in Algonquin Commons! Located next door to Trader Joe's…read more Today was their Grand Opening with ribbon cutting by two Chicago authors. This new location is huge and spacious with exposed ceilings. Head to the very back left corner for the Starbucks Cafe and tables area. Friendly employees are there to help you find what you need. Check out is at the left front of the store. No signage but it's there.

After losing our Crystal Lake Barnes and Nobles and Borders decades ago, I sorely missed having a…read moreclose place to run to when I wanted to browse for books. While the opening of this store coincided with the closing of the Spring Hill Mall location, I gotta say-- I'm so happy to have a close bookstore again! Barnes and Noble has been slowly moving away from the stores of yesteryear and most sport a new redesign. The stores are (or at least look) smaller and have a more sterile feel to them. They've very streamlined. The big customer service desk is gone, as is the music department, which for years have laid pretty dormant at most Barnes and Nobles, truth be told. The inventory of CD's and DVD's is much, much smaller than before, so if that's why you visited Barnes and Noble, you'll be disappointed. The same goes for if you shopped their for magazines, which have been severely cut as well. The Children's area has lost a bit of charm, as well, losing the fun storytime tree/nook and cute wall decorations.The children's area is less enclosed than in the older stores. The cafe is present and had a lot of seating, which is nice. It is not as separate from the actual store as in many Barnes and Nobles. As far as books, I feel like there is less of a selection because of the new direction. That being said, there's still plenty to browse and while corporate redesign has changed a bit of the vibe of the stores, it's still a good place to go and relax or to wander about when you just need something to do. I'm happy to see a new BN near by and know I'll frequent it often.