Books Inc

Stumbled upon this lovely bookstore while strolling through Castro Street. They have a great selection of current books and stationary. I loved the bestsellers table.
And lovely café upstairs — for a quick bite. Loved the veggie bagel.

Small bookstore, but they sell unique stuff. There’s a café upstairs, and one unisex bathroom. They have sales on their greeting cards pretty often, and they are quite unique. Not a huge selection of books, but it’s a place to stop by for nonused books.

Stumbled upon this bookstore while I was walking in downtown Mountain View and decided to go in. Surprised because it was still open late at night.
Looked around and they seemed to have some great books on personal development which I liked. This store also had a second floor with a café. Very quaint.
Would love to come back here again.

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 feels very homey and well-​organized. Its sister store in Palo Alto is also very nice.
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’.

Great little bookstore in downtown MV. It has some of the lowest prices I’ve seen in awhile and an interesting, eclectic collection of books, toys and cards. The service at the upstairs coffee shop is friendly and welcoming. Check it out if you’re ever in downtown MV. This place is a real treat.

A cute independent bookstore in downtown MV with a coffee shop on the 2^nd floor. I love coming here and browsing through the books to see what new publications are in store. They curate their window displays regularly so it’s always fresh and current. They also sell cute stationaries (e.g. cards, pens, etc) and some toys so it’s definitely worth a trip inside.
I recently discovered that they also carried Johanna Basford’s coloring books: Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest! These coloring books have been sold out on Amazon for months! but thanks to this place, I finally got my hands on both of them (yay!)

Unless you’re a regular, don’t expect a warm welcome here. The small, indy bookstore vibe is great, but they don’t make even a small effort to compete with online prices and the unwelcoming staff makes me not want to pay the premium.

Great location, engaging set up, and friendly managers. I love picking up a book, walking upstairs to the café, and spending several hours reading or working while overlooking Castro Street. I’ve been ordering the coconut white mocha, which comes in a tall glass and is frothy, delicious, and well worth the cheap price. You can ask for the wifi code while paying, and there’s a bathroom downstairs.
The last time I went in to Books Inc they were sold out of the book I requested, but suggested the bookstore next door, looked up available copies in Palo Alto, and told me when the Mountain View location would be receiving more copies. The store’s layout is friendly and inviting with new and used book displays, book reviews, places to sit, and a variety of gift items and knick knacks. Worth a look around even if you don’t have a book in mind.

Small, independent, local bookshops that have been in the west since the Gold Rush?
An experience you can’t download.
I love Books Inc. I’ve visited their locations all over San Francisco proper and the Bay Area. They are in Anaheim, too. They consistently offer great book selections, intriguing book readings (like one for a dear family friend & her newest book on PNW lore, The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac), unique gifts, glossy magazines of all genres, clocks, vintage postage stamp bookmarks, newspapers, Emily McDowell canvas bags, anthologies, stationery, pocket-​sized books, postcards and all sorts of other treasures in the nooks and crannies. This Mountain View location is intimate, with a small café upstairs, and a substantial children’s section.
Books Inc.‘s history is quite intriguing and is the product of a gold rusher striking it rich in Shasta County. The first locations had moved, been burned down, revived, rebuilt, given different names, ended up nearly bankrupted in 1996 due to big box bookshops moving in. Like her state of birth, her smiling sunny ways belie an overwhelmingly multi-​layered, at times, puzzling, but always delicious, history!
Mountain View is always sunny when I’m there and it’s a great place to be on Castro Street. Keep going and keep reading!

I’ve been a regular of this bookstore. It’s not over crowded. Nice books selections with staff reviews on it. Free wifi from caffe romanzza. They have also books on sale and a new best sellers!

I really really love this bookstore. Its a quaint little store in the middle of downtown Mountain View. Its no Barnes and Noble for sure. Although it is a pretty small store there is a wide selection of fiction, nonfiction, young adult, religious, history, etc etc. There’s also quirky staff reviews scattered across the store for various books which I find quite charming and interesting to read. There’s also unique gifts and cards throughout the store. This is a great place to just chill and look at different books if you’re in the area.

For the size of the store they cover most genres of literature quite well. I find myself frequenting the sale racks mostly, but I have bought one or two of the staff picks before and have been very satisfied! The interesting array of toys and small gifts make this a great place to shop for friends, family, or yourself of course! The staff are all very knowledgeable and the store can special order a book for you if needed.
They have a coffee shop upstairs, book signings happen weekly or bi-​weekley. There’s always something going on to make it worth a visit. The fact that it’s not a chain store is even better!

I’ll admit I’ve actually never bought a book from here, but I’m here all the time. They’ve got all types of books here: adult, teen, self help, even a kids section! Great location right in downtown.
My favorite part has gotta be the comic books. They don’t have that many, but there’s a few awesome graphic novels they have on hand that I will shamelessly read for hours on end, finish, and not pay for. Big plus to these guys for not calling me out on it and kicking me out after all these years!
I’ve bought a couple novelty gifts from here as well. They have little board games and toys and such that you can buy if you need something quick and they’re always guaranteed to be a clever present for someone that you consider a good acquaintance but obviously not a real close friend because why the hell would you buy them something like this.
Another bonus is they have a café upstairs with wifi so you can study and work here as well! They serve coffees and snacks to keep your energy up for the long haul.
Keep an eye out for the Ernest Hemingway cardboard cutout. You’ll know you’re at the right place for books!

This is a real bookstore guys
If you wanna know what a real mom-​and-​pop bookstore looks like, look no further. This place has always been in the same location for ages, and probably will remain there for the foreseeable future. In my mind, this book store and downtown mountain view are one and the same – mountain view wouldn’t be mountain view without this bookstore
Inside, the books are up to date, but the vibe of the place feels somewhat retro, kind of like the bookstores I used to go to when I was little. There are a lot of gifts, postcards etc that most people probably won’t buy, and an upstairs coffee place, that also looks pretty old school.
In general, a warm, family bookstore. You can’t miss if as you walk up and down downtown mountain view. Definitely worth stopping by everything you see it, even if it’s just to browse around and take in the family vibe!

*~*Old fashioned book store with a coffee shop over looking the shelves*~*
Hands down my favorite book store. These are so rare now but I’m glad this is the one that is left.
Free wifi at the café (ask the person at the counter for the password) and have a seat in the loft coffee shop. Pastries, sandwiches and bagels are available here.
Highly recommend

People are friendly and inviting here. Book selection is nice and well organized.
I called ahead to see if they were dog-​friendly as I was dog-​sitting but really wanted to buy a book that day. The woman at the register said yes and that she’d even give my dog a treat! Dogs are not allowed in the café section on the second floor. I found what I needed and mire, then lingered a bit because I love the smell of books. My dog also loved the friendly patrons and store staff so it was a win-​win. Support this local book store!

Books Inc is the type of store that would have flourished 10 – 15 years ago.
Quirky, with unusual gifts and fun staff reviews, they remind my of my local Walnut Creek bookstore I grew up with.
Sadly however, It’s not 1996.
I love coming into this space for their gifts, but I almost wish they had an agreement with kindle. That the bookstore would receive a percentage of each electronic purchase in store. Because their reviews and the way the store is laid out make me want to buy something. Indeed, I have purchased books here… but again, then I own a new hard copy book.
That I paid money for.
That I won’t be able to unload until I practically pay someone else to take it.
People want to be turned on by books in person, but until this store figures out a way to connect e-​reading with in-​person purchasing, I’ll continue to have a hard time convincing myself to spend money here.
Even if everything about the store makes it incredibly tempting.

Been reading since the dawn of time, ain’t nothing changed,
don’t lose your soul, chasing riches and creams,
keepin’ that mental acuity, figures and dreams,
knowledge is gold, stayin’ shinin’ on them jewels,
books inc, each location different on its own,
but this is my go-​to, fiction and sci-​fi to set the tone,
hands-​down best Murakami selection, wild-​n-​out,
wannabe hipsters chasin’ the trill, just some pointer,
don’t ya know, colorless Tsukuru is under new hardcover,
fools searchin’ next to Chuck Palahnuik, had to chuckle,
don’t worry, this ain’t fight club,
buy 10 get 1 free, welcome to the book club

Thank you fellow patrons for keeping a real bookstore going! They have a lot of book options for the size of this place. The staff is pretty helpful, too. Okay, they aren’t SUPER smiley, but I really don’t need that. The café is nice, too. Check in to see if they are having an author talk.
I come here often to look for gifts. I find something good every time! Even as someone who uses an eReader (so sorry about that), I still shop here regularly.

Brightly-​lit, well-​curated, local indie book shop! There is a children’s book section, including toys and gifts, and the grown-​up section includes special staff selections as well as new releases and bestsellers. The staff is sweet and helpful. I’ve seen social dogs in here, and based on that, I think dogs are welcome.
The block, the cross-​block, and the street is populated with small businesses, restaurants, eclectic markets, and other positive shopping experiences.