Unabridged Books in Chicago is a place that allows me to feel calm and inspired at the same time. It is a beautiful store where I cannot help but get lost in its endless bookshelves.

This bookstore encourages questioning the status quo and challenging your beliefs, and it does so in a way that is approachable and welcoming. This is a place that does not judge. I am a lover of non-fiction so I am pleased that when I walk through the door the first sections is “new non-fiction”.

When I wonder a bit into the store and make a left, I find the sale section. This section is heaven to me every visit, I can count on picking up an Erik Larson title I have yet to read or a Studs Terkel find I want for under $10.

I then make my way to the Chicago, cooking, and memoir sections. Everywhere I look there are handwritten staff recommendations guiding me to what I am searching for and what I had no idea I needed. At this point, I will have typically already been in the store for an hour, and I make my way downstairs to the travel section.

The section encompasses the entire basement floor. It allows me to compare different styles of travel books and discover different approaches to travel. Unabridged is located in a neighborhood that has many restaurants, bars and shops so please make this a destination, I do not think you will be disappointed.