Somehow this place has the best atmosphere for reading or drawing solo, meeting up with friends for…read morea hang out, studying, a date night, or just grabbing a drink all in one awesome place. It is so cute and aesthetically pleasing, with a wonderful book section to browse, a bar (with outlets) and cozy couch or table seating. The refillable tea is a great play, and they are one of the only places in town with a solid Vietnamese iced coffee--and they are open late, with the bar and cafe running until midnight every day!

MATCHA -7.5/10 AMBIANCE/BADDIES -9/10…read moreSERVICE-8/10 I ordered an iced matcha latte with oatmilk as always and it was pretty good! Very solid! The energy of this place is great It used to be one of my fav doughnut places as a kid The workers are nice and the design and aesthetic was great!

Love, love & more love for this indie bookstore. The owner & staff are so much fun & really know…read moretheir stuff. The selection is huge for a smallish store & they also buy used books for fair prices. Journals, candles, socks & other cool swag like t-shirts for sale, too. And they are moving to a new location on Carroll St in July! Get thee downtown asap!

Lake City Books is the cutest little bookstore! Clean, pretty big, and even had a shop dog! I wish…read morethere was a bigger used book selection, but overall super cute!

Great selection of used books at very affordable prices. The quality is good, the space is well…read moreorganized with plenty of signage to help you find your way. And there is strategically-placed seating so you can easily plop down & take the time to consider potential purchases. A delightful book store.

Easily the best book store in Madison. No contest…read more The Book Deal is in an unassuming, sort of odd location, but it all adds to the character of the place. There is plenty of signage and the folks who run it will walk you around if you're a first time visitor. Extremely friendly people who really care about books and spreading the joy of reading to everyone. The collection and variety is pretty incredible. I go there with my fiancé at least once a month, usually twice, and we always leave with an incredible haul between the two of us. The majority of the stock is $3.99-4.99 and the books are in great condition! There's a range in price depending on what you're interested in (collectibles, new releases, etc.) but there's something for everyone. Dedicated rooms for different genres make it easy to find something you'll like. As much as I'd love to keep this gem to myself, the Book Deal deserves all the support that book lovers of Madison have to offer! Worth the trip out of downtown. See you next time!

Great independent bookstore, with an eclectic and inclusive selection, friendly staff, and a cute…read morechildren's section in the back. I liked the staff recommendations and display tables - made me want to read everything... and I would've brought them all home if money weren't an issue. Well worth a visit if you're in Madison!

LGBTQ+ friendly, women owned local bookshop! Walls and walls of books everywhere you turn!…read more They do require face masks and provide free ones at the entrance. Retail prices on books, but they offer book clubs, open mic nights and lots of other fun/free events!

Frugal Muse Books, Music, Video, Inc. was established in 1994 and has been locally owned and…read moreoperated since. DVDs, CDs, LPs, graphic novels, audio books, and real books means they have something for everyone. They donate books to systems that support people in need and at least one other local business! I learned through The Barrymore Theatre that Frugal Muse is a ticket outlet for it. It is super convenient having a neighborhood ticket outlet! I enjoy paying cash that goes directly to the theatre (the bookstore being supportive enough not to add a fee) and that I get a physical ticket! No scan a phone here. I got paper tickets and I love it! My friend that has been with me on each of my ticket procurement outings finds quality low cost dvds for her family at Frugal Muse. Yesterdays selection: "Toy Story 3" still in the shrink wrap. The store is clean, organized, quaint, quiet. It's what I imagine book stores "used to be like", I say having grown up only in national chains environments. There are always a half dozen or more other shoppers when I've been here. Join them! There are always a couple gentlemen working behind the counter and I suspect they would talk books and authors if you engage them. Key tip: Frugal Muse can order new books! Drop in here to order what you want - avoid the national chain! Support local.

We love coming here to see what else we can read or research! I love the selection of cookbooks and…read moremy husband likes they have an assortment of cds/records. They have a good teen section that's grown over the last few years and a new manga section. Prices are always reasonable and they have a good selection of $2 books. People behind the counter are always friendly and helpful.

This place is the best! Such a charming bookstore. They have a wide selection and have neat…read morestickers at the counter. I love visiting there, they are such lovely people!

I could spend a whole day in this book store, it truly is the town's best kept secret! I love the…read moreVillage Booksmith! The variety of genres, the ambiance, the friendly book shop owner everything was great.

As we all understand, Barnes & Noble is this great bookstore that spans numerous locations around…read morethe United States and beyond. This location is no different. It is a very large bookstore, offering all kinds of reading material, and other things. The one thing that I love about this location the most is that they have a very-very large used book section. This is located on the upper mezzanine level of the shop, near the back of the business. Walk up there, and you never know what you will find. It's a great experience. They, meaning Barnes & Noble describe the books in the used book section as being alphabetized by author. I don't know, as that's not really the case. It's all kind of a mess. This being said, that does not take away from the quest. Looking through there, you'll find a little bit of everything. Something for every reading taste. They even have a pretty nice selection of art books, featuring the works of various artists. Great place to shop for a book or a gift. Other than that, Barnes & Noble is a fully stocked bookstore. They have all of the modern, popular books. Plus, a whole lot of the everything else. Like most Barnes & Noble, they also have a café over to one side. This is where people gather, and talk, and read, and a little bit of all of that kind of stuff. One thing that is a bit unique to this Barnes & Noble, is that they have a very large toy section. This is a great place to get that unique gift for a child. Because, they have a whole lot of really unique and different items. This location also has a very nice manga section, if that's your flavor--if you're looking for Japanese anime art, and similar genres, you may well find it here. Overall, this Barnes & Noble is a great place to shop for books, and other items. You never know what you may find, or what may surprise you.

I typically go to Barnes & Noble in person because I want to buy a new book from authors that have…read morenew releases. In my last two trips, there have been zero copies of the books I wanted at the store and I could only order them online. They have a limited selection of newer books and it's been disappointing. The only reason I ever go in person is to leave with a book instead of purchasing online and waiting for it to get shipped. Other than that, they have a lot of classics and nice gifts. Plenty of parking in the lot and a very large store.

I haven't been here in years so it was good to go back. They have nice and updated displays right…read morewhen you walk in. The staff immediately greeted me when I walked in. Then they have great signage with all sections well marked. I was there looking at childrens books and the section was super cute. They had nice displays and even some stuffed animals. They have tons and tons of books, it's amazing and a little overwhelming. I was surprised some of the prices weren't better. One book I picked up was the same price online as it was at half priced but then other books were very discounted. Overall a good experience.

Nice used book store, great knowledgeable staff. A few more words to get my 85 characters.read more

Little bookstore within the library that sells library surplus books and CDs at very low prices…read more The selection is odd, you never know what you will find here. Because of the low prices it's hard to walk out of here empty handed.

Lots of great used books (including some new releases) for just $1-2. I'm always tempted to buy a…read moredozen when I volunteer. Because the store is volunteer-staffed, hours are limited and a bit irregular. The store is usually open 1-3.