Books

Books, they exist on paper and a book store exists with space to read and shelves and shelves of books you can browse and try and choose and truly interested employees who love to find books you are looking for and order them for you if they don’t have it in the store. I love this store.

A great bookstore in the heart of one of the oldest shopping centers in the area! I come in to buy gifts, and browse the sale racks for a new read for myself. There’s always new things to discover on their shelves. They also have a large section of toys, games, and puzzles for kids of all ages! Need a special book ordered? No problem!
Thanks Books Inc for being a part of my life for over 40 years!

According to husband, Books Inc has one of the best curated Sci Fi collections, two wall shelves of childhood classics and new favorites.
The hand-​written staff book reviews are a major highlight of the store.
It is not a big bookstore like Barnes. It is a bit dark inside but feels very homey and well-​organized. Its sister store in Mountain View is also very nice (it’s a small chain but retains that independent bookstore charm).
Since buying books from Amazon has hidden shipping cost ($ 7 shipping on a $ 4 used book, anyone?), it actually makes a lot of economical sense to support local bookstores. Yes, if you wheel your weekly salad out of the farmer’s market in those tribal hand-​woven bamboo shopping carts, you probably should also read locally for consistency’s sake. Just sayin’.

I rarely visit California and when I do, I end up staying at Palo Alto given the proximity to work and I cannot stop complaining about how boring this neighbourhood can get. Thankfully, this bookshop is such a saviour! They often have books on sale and it’s just so nice to walk in and mindlessly look through what they have for an hour (or two even).
The people that run the shop are extremely friendly and are super happy to assist you if you need any help at all.

After work Christmas shopping; calendars, 50% cheaper at Here than at Paper Source right next-​door… And Books Inc. will Holiday wrap free! Now that’s a good deal!

It reminds me why I like to support the local bookstores. Great selection and makes me want to grab a latte and sit all day in there.

My friend and I came here after getting some sweet treats from Tin Pot and we were both pleasantly surprised in tho little treasure!
It is a small hometown bookstore that is perfect for locals and keeping hard copy books around in this day and age!
The staff was very helpful, they took their time to take care of their customers and made sure each customer found exactly what they were looking to read. After roaming around, I found exactly what I was looking for. I liked that the store was smaller, it gave me a chance to actually pick one book instead of being repulsed to choose out of many books!
When I have more time, I definitely want to go back =)

With the disappearance of Borders, Barnes&Noble and so forth I was pleased to find this book store in Palo Alto. It’s decently sized and if you’re a fan of the aforementioned chains you won’t miss much here. Well sorted selection of books of all kind, large kids section, and lots of sale items. To be precise, Books Inc. is a chain itself but was able to maintain a couple of stores in the South Bay.
Books Inc. is located in the Town & Country Village strip mall and since every shop looks exactly the same you’ll have a hard time locating it at first. Hint: The store is facing Embarcadero St and is almost on the corner to El Camino.

This store is one of the reasons why I like to support (smaller) businesses, especially book stores. I worked in this shopping center for years and would often pop in here just to see what they had. I bought a lot from them over the years and the staff is unbelievably friendly and always willing to help find what you need of give a suggestion.
I love the layout of this store also, it’s organized really well and most things are easy to find. Lots on sale also!
I also love their rewards program– books are so expensive now that it’s nice to be rewarded.

I completely agree with Audrey L. It’s easy to forget about your local independent bookstore, when you’ve got Amazon available at your fingertips (guilty). But how refreshing to walk into a bricks and mortar shop, touch and smell real books, and spend a very lovely portion of your day browsing.
I love this particular location as it is larger than its Mountain View location and that there are actually a couple of chairs available where you can sit down. This location also has more than one copy of certain books, which the Mountain View location does not.
I came here yesterday especially after finding out on their web site that Books Inc. was located at Town & Country Village. It also happened to be my first time shopping at the center. Anyhow, I got the book that I wanted, which the Mountain View one did not have. Yes, I did look on their web site to see before coming here.
It is staffed by very friendly and knowledgeable folks. You certainly don’t get that at Barnes & Noble.
It is absolutely good to shop at an independent bookstore. And I am saying that after Borders went out of business about four years ago.
I suggest that folks come here. It’s vital to support your local bookstore.

My friend and I came to check this place out and we realized we weren’t missing out on anything great.
The entire store felt like a maze and hard to get around with the way things were arranged. This definitely isn’t your usual bookstore. They only had 1 or maybe 2 copies of most books and there’s about 3 chairs in the entire place. They have toys and nerd desk gadgets that were way over priced and so I had to pass on what I wanted to purchase.
The lines that day were crazy. Basically you if you want to avoid the small crowd, which can build up with just 4 people, it might be a good idea to call ahead of time and ask if they carry what your looking for. There isn’t even a whole lot of room to stand if you want to browse a book so don’t expect to do so.
I was in the store for about 20 minutes and couldn’t stand being there any longer. Another small downside is that some of the books I grabbed had a lot of shelf ware and so a discounted would be expected if I’m going to buy a book that is in less than mint condition… but that’s just me.
Anywho, this bookstore might be good for some folks but not for me. I’ll only recommend that you check it out on your own and decide for yourself see if it’s 4 star worthy.

Friendly staff and a nice collection of books. If they don’t have it, they can order it for you. I will be returning. :)

Great selection of children’s books here. Plenty of parking.
In an age where everything is bought online, The store gave me a renewed faith in shopping locally. I think their selection of gifts and books Will keep customers coming back.

I always seem to end up coming here when I’m about to go on a trip and need a guidebook. So far, they haven’t failed me! Lonely Planet Peru? Check! Rough Guide for London? Check! Tokyo city guide? Check! Admittedly, I’m not going to Zimbabwe (did not check for that guide), but they might have it. Also, when I’ve bought these guides, I’ve usually bought the last one on the shelf. I’m not sure if they have more in back or if they get shipments daily — but I could imagine that the person who came in right after me might be a little peeved (because I usually buy all the guides for whereever I’m going).
They also host readings (Kepplers in Menlo Park may have better authors, this is a matter of taste). I’ve also bought gifts here (think: Stuffed bunny for a toddler), so they have a pretty good selection of stuff.

A few last standing print shops exist in the areas nowadays. Somehow Books has 3 locales. Im still a fan of hand held print, especially photography and travel books. No matter how much tech im immersed in, id still want to hold a book when given a choice

One of the best non chain book stores around. I always try and support local businesses.
Great for presents, especially puzzles and children’s gifts.

I have come in here twice, for specific books each time. Both times I was successful.
The first time, I was tracking down a book that other bookstores didn’t have any more copies of. The employees here checked the inventory and said they had one copy. Somewhere. They spent a lot of time looking through a variety of places, and finally found that final copy for me. Win!
Recently I was looking for a particular book, and could never remember the author’s name. Luckily I didn’t need to, because it was on display on a front table.
Good selection, good organization, and friendly staff. Support independent bookstores!

I really like this location of Books, Inc. It’s super convenient as it’s just outside of campus, meaning I don’t have to go far to get my book fix. This particular one has a great magazine and cookbook selection.
Definitely spent way too much money on magazines there (I was going through an interior design phase and maybe went a little crazy on the foreign editions). Also spent too much money on books. And food. But that’s unrelated.

Books, Inc. is a great bookstore chain and one that I like to support as often as I can. This Books, Inc. It’s located in the Town & Country Village off El Camino.
I think this store is bigger than the one in Mountain View but not as big as the one in Berkeley. I may be wrong though. The store has a good selection of interesting books.
I like the local feeling of this bookstore and the friendliness you don’t get from a chain. I enjoy the large number of notes and staff picks around the store.
If you’re in the area, this is the place to go for a good book.

Came in here looking for some creative inspiration to browse and to buy… design magazines and design books … BUT… they hardly had anything. They didn’t even have the normal «Print» «How» and «Communication Arts» on their magazine racks. Their design book selection were non-​existent.
Probably the least helpful «Books» location I’ve been to…