I’m back from my trip! Since the itinerary was largely up to us (my partner and I) and we did not drive, we opted for loosely made plans, no ‘proper’ tourist spots (e.g. outlet malls, crowded historical buildings), and lots of walking in nature. Honestly it was not easy having a baby (toddler?) to look out for 24/7 so I wouldn’t say that it was relaxing or restorative, but I think we all grew from the experience. We mostly just picked one place that was easily accessible via public transport and walked around the area until the sun set and my cousin clocked out so we could go have dinner together.
In total, we hit up 20 book-related places. I’ve listed them below based on geographical location, followed by my personal order of preference. At the end, I also talk about the two libraries that we visited. There were many factors that I took into consideration when ranking these bookstores including but not limited to:
Organisation — if I wanted to look for a specific book/author/genre, will I have an easy time? Do I have to duck walk down the aisles to read the titles?
Relevance — classics by dead white men are fine and all but are there any recent books, e.g., litfic, women’s writing, translated books that are NOT by Haruki Murakami/Yukio Mishima, Black authors, something published in the last five years that is not by a man?
Social Justice — are there shelves dedicated to indigenous voices, Palestine, LGBTQ+, labour, women’s rights, abolition, etc?
Niche — does the store have one and does it add to its charm?
Novelty/ Diversity — is there a high chance that I will encounter a book that I have not seen on BookTok/Bookstagram, which I am unable to buy in Singapore, or which I can’t even find a pirated copy of because it’s too esoteric? Alternatively, does the store stock books written by Singaporean/Malaysian writers?
Bookish merch — stickers, magnets, socks, cards, etc; basically small items that I can get as souvenirs for friends back home.
Accessibility — I know space concerns are often out of anyone’s control but for me, it made a difference if I could park my baby’s stroller inside the store instead of leaving it out and stressing about whether it will still be there. Whether stores are stroller/wheelchair-friendly aside, it also matters if people can comfortably walk down aisles or browse books with the use of a walking aid. Additionally, is there a restroom that members of the public can use? Is the space homeless-friendly? Is the space child-friendly?
VANCOUVER
Spartacus Books
This bookstore states very clearly on its storefront and online profiles that it is a nonprofit, volunteer-run bookstore and resource centre specialising in politically controversial books/ zines and events. Just look at that banner! I liked everything about this store. We spent a long time here browsing, eventually leaving with a pile of books that we struggled to fit into our bags, and all that was made possible because there was a small children’s play area with chairs and a restroom where we could change the baby’s diaper. No other bookstore has been so accommodating.
I know I say this a lot but being parents of a young child (or children) is something that makes ordinary activities five times harder and it is so hard to have a life and go out and enjoy being in social settings with a child attached to you. It’s easier to just stay at home and give up all your desires of going for events or even shopping in a store. Even if you muster up the energy to bundle up your child and just go, the child’s constant needs really put a damper on your enjoyment. Want to have an uninterrupted intellectual conversation with another adult? Not happening. Want to read a book’s blurb? Better read it in five seconds max or your child may break something behind your back. And it’s not that I don’t want to have my child with me—I really do, which is why I had one in the first place. It’s just that most places are designed specifically for either adults or children, rarely both at once.
While inside Spartacus Books, my partner and I took turns to stay with our baby in the play area while the other browsed. It wasn’t even boring in the play area because there was a table with dozens of books on Palestine lined up on it, and the wall had posters sharing the same message. I don’t know if it’s because of a lack of space, but the store did not seem to lack space so I choose to believe that the Palestine display was placed there on purpose. Many of the others books in the store were those that I had never seen anyone talk about online, and the shelves were very organised, very up-to-date, and the prices were affordable. Truly a gem of a bookstore.
Upstart & Crow
This bookstore is a short walk away from the market square at Granville Island. It’s not very large but the selection is good. Majority of the books were up against one wall and the ladder is very fun to climb. The store tried to include a variety of books so there were shelves labelled ‘Banned Books’, ‘Dystopian’, ‘Translated works’, and the like. It was also here that I found Dinner on Monster Island by Tania De Rozario—what a pleasant surprise to see lesser known Singapore literature here; other bookstores mostly only had Amanda Lee Koe’s Sister Snake and nothing else. I bought two books here.
Nooroongji Books
Another bookstore on Granville Island but right next to the market, in the smaller market for crafts and art. This bookstore’s niche is “multicultural curation” and I think it does live up to its mission. Lots of books I had never heard of, a little corner for indie artist merch, a whole table on Palestine right next to the window facing the public seating area, many graphic novels including Sonny Liew’s The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye. I also bought two books here and one is for my baby.
Pulpfiction Books
This bookstore’s size is about as expected, and I think the main appeal was how it stocked all the hot and trending books, not just romantasy or romance but litfic and translated works as well. It’s a pretty great selection if you want to read something a little buzzy and which others are currently discussing online. It had a little children’s section near the counter and lots and lots of SF paperbacks inside. There’s also a shelf for secondhand books at discounted prices. Definitely something for everyone.
People’s Co-Op Bookstore
The draw of this bookstore is that it’s supposedly the oldest in the area and it puts its discounted books outside near the sidewalk. Lots of posters about events and organising, plus they want to display your poster for you. The newer, trendier books are all in front (e.g., Pornography: Men Possessing Women by Andrea Dworkin and Saou Ichikawa’s Hunchback) but inside, the majority of the books are older and a little outdated. There was a shelf for non-fiction books on Gender and Sexuality that looked like a good place to get textbooks.
MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver Gift Shop
This one’s not so much a store as a shelf in a gift shop but I felt that it deserved a mention because if you’re looking specifically for indigenous literature, it’s a convenient and accessible starting point. Braiding Sweetgrass is being sold everywhere but we decided to get our copy here so the money goes to the museum (which was great for the whole family! I strongly recommend the museum).
The Paper Hound Bookshop
This bookstore looks nice on the inside and is very photogenic for sure. There’s a Tin Tin corner, a poetry dispenser, and cute little alcoves. In terms of its fiction selection, there are many books but it’s quite limited—nothing recent, no litfic, a few copies of translated works (very old), and nothing that indicates support for Palestine or even LGBTQ+ folks (which is the exception in this city).
Canterbury Tales Bookstore
The selection here is so-so but what really left an impression is how aggressively they stuck signs all over the place for a thief who stole tarot cards and books. There is a sign on the front door, then when you walk in there’s another sign, every time you turn a corner you see yet another sign—just everywhere. And the signs said things like “SILLY THIEF, YOU ‘BORROWED’ THIS RIGHT IN FRONT OF A SECURITY CAMERA, WE HAVE SUBMITTED YOUR DETAILS TO THE POLICE!!!!!” Obviously I do not condone theft but there was something very sinister and incongruous about the tone of the signages and it made the space within bristle with hostility. If you call the cops on a customer, that’s between you and the customer, so why all the announcing? I suspected it was meant to act as a deterrent to future thieves, kind of like they’re saying ‘we reported someone before and we will do it again so watch yourself’. But honestly, the books here aren’t so fantastic and valuable as to warrant such a reaction. Compared to Spartacus Books’ very clear anti-cop stance, this place left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.
Village Books & Coffee House
This little bookstore and cafe is located far away from Downtown Vancouver in a little town by the sea. We went there on a weekday and it was quiet everywhere. The few customers that wandered in were geriatric, which accurately reflected the demographics of this place on a weekday afternoon, I guess. New and trendy books were placed right in front, older books organised in alphabetical order on the inner shelves, and the cookbook section was very prominent. I’d say that other than the space near the entrance, the rest of the store is a little squeezy and poorly lit. Not a great selection of books but the cafe had vegan and gluten-free soup.
Steveston Bookstore
Located near Village Books and Coffee House, this is the only other bookstore the town has to offer. The selection is greater and more varied but it was difficult to understand how the books were organised saved loosely by genre. Majority of the books were pulp novels and there were many, many romance novels featuring shirtless bufflords on the cover. Stacks and stacks. I got the feeling that the main readership of this store was retired housewives.
McLeod’s Books
I saw this bookstore on a list somewhere online but TBH IMO it was a little overrated unless you’re very into old books written by dead white men. There was a fiction section, largely outdated, some shelves with some attempt at organising according to topic or genre, but the rest of the store was so disorganised that it had to be on purpose. I wish I were exaggerating but try to picture this: piles of dusty yellowed books haphazardly gathered in a bonfire pile, narrow aisles blocked by books stacked precariously on threadbare carpeting that does not look like it has been washed once since bought due to its nondescript brown mush colour, dust everywhere, and you just know that if the weather was a little warmer or a little more humid, the entire unit would be shut down for mould poisoning. I don’t think any cleaning is done, like at all. And in fact, I don’t see how any cleaning can be done even if some kind soul decided to give it a try, because every surface was covered by books, just not in a very hygienic way. It was raining a little and people were coming in with muddy shoes and walking all over the unwashed carpet where books were placed directly on. I really don’t think I’m a clean freak by any measure but this bookstore tested my resolve. But if you’re looking for old books to collect or to give your bookshelf a vintage old-timey look (and you have the budget for it), then sure I guess this would be good.
Another thing about this bookstore was all the signage forbidding photography unless you asked for permission. I asked for permission to take a photo of some of the large leather-bound books that made up the payment counter, and I was instructed to take photos only of those books but nothing above it. I was curious about why but I didn’t want to risk making anyone angry, and it seemed like that sort of place, given how aggressive the signages were. I didn’t really get it because the place wasn’t particularly well-lit so all the books were the same colour (brownish and yellowing) so I don’t think a phone camera can capture much, let alone in high quality. My partner and I joked about how the no-photos rule was probably so that the fire safety department can’t be alerted to the hazards.
On an unrelated note, while we were inside the store, a unit next door was undergoing a police raid. It looked like an unoccupied unit from the outside but there were at least six cop cars parked outside making noise and there was a general wary restlessness on the streets because the homeless people that did not get caught up in it were trying to get away from the scene. They moved quickly and kept turning back as if something was going to chase them. It was a cold day. It was a Monday. Was a raid necessary? I don’t understand why it is so hard for some people to just let others live.
Bookmark: The Library Store
This was a more of a gift shop inside Vancouver Public Library (see below) that sold only secondhand books. I did not recognise any of the titles, but I did appreciate how the books were organised alphabetically even though there were only a few of them. The rest of the store sold very cute things like tote bags or bookish tshirts but I managed to abstain because I cannot justify a $40 t-shirt.
Indigo
We dropped by this bookstore after visiting a farm because it was right next to a sushi place we had lunch at. And it’s a huge bookstore, great selection, nice discount corner, BUT my friend alerted me to the fact that the founders are pro-Israel and there is an ongoing boycott. I did notice there was no Palestine section but there were LGBTQ+ and diversity shelves so it just goes to show how neatly some people can compartmentalise what is actually intersectional. Very ironic.
Closed for the day: E. C. Rare Books
This was right below a coffeeshop that young trendy-looking people were taking photos outside.
VICTORIA
Munro’s Books of Victoria
This bookstore was the whole point of going to Victoria Island for me. Our hotel was nearby so we walked over every day. It was great. The selection was fantastic. I wish I could spend more days just browsing the books here until every title is imprinted in my brain. Maybe it’s because of where I grew up but the fact that such a huge and gorgeous building exists solely for books is in itself magical to me; only government buildings or colonial memorials get that kind of privilege here. Needless to say, any and every book I could think of could be found in this store. The shelves were organised alphabetically but the latest and most trendy releases were spotlighted by having their covers displayed. There was also a small section for discounted titles and some really good books were being sold for less than $10. My one regret is not buying more books from here because I mistakenly believed I could find the same titles elsewhere.
Books & Shenanigans
This store looked small from the outside but it was surprisingly big on the inside. It’s not near downtown but definitely walkable if the weather is good. At the front were newer releases for adults, very up-to-date, strong focus on indigenous voices. The secondhand section had its own room and the selection was quite good. There was also a children’s section at the back with a YA shelf spotlighting local authors, lots of toys, learning games for babies, tote bags, and funny merchandise (like socks). It was here that I found a book that I had problems acquiring in Singapore and that my local library would not bring in, like I can’t even pirate it if I wanted to because it’s just not available.
Russell Books
This bookstore does not look like much when you walk past the storefront but inside it is HUGE. It’s not just one storey and there are escalators. I thought I had wandered into a Kinokuniya from the past before it downsized. Right at the entrance there was a display for Trans Day of Visibility—can you imagine Kinokuniya doing that in Singapore? Haha. The shelves are floor-to-ceiling and I’m almost certain you can find anything here. Are you thinking of learning more about witchcraft? There’s a whole shelf for that. One entire section was classics with newfangled covers; I thought they were YA romantasy until I took a closer look and realised it was Great Expectations. Another section was selling vintage books in great condition for lower prices, organised according to colour of the leather covers: red on one side, blue and green on the other. I was so reluctant to leave this store.
Bastion Books
This bookstore shared the name of the street it was on but they were having a closing down sale so I don’t know if they will still use the same name if they move to another street. The books were generally older, some variety but nothing recent, so I guess it’d be a good place to get textbooks if you’re majoring in Literature and your professor insists on everyone having physical copies of Shakespeare or Middlemarch or whatever.
Closed: Sorenson Books
We walked a long way but sadly, it was only opening on the weekend. The inside looked cool, though, based on what I could see from the shop windows.
LIBRARIES
Vancouver Public Library
This library has nine storeys (so it’s like Singapore’s central library except all the floors are accessible to the public) and a rooftop garden. The garden was temporarily closed because some geese had settled there to lay eggs and the library was waiting for animal control to remove them safely before they could open it back up. Another really nice thing about this library is that it had a little indoor market square right outside with glass ceilings so people could hide from the wind or get a coffee and rest. My baby had a grand time running about.
At the library entrance there was a sticker stating very clearly that everyone is welcome regardless of sexuality or gender orientation and the toilets had ‘Trans People Welcome’ signs on them. I know that my emotional response is a reaction to my own stifled environment but I felt very touched. It’s just a sticker, literally just a piece of plastic, but such a thing is incomprehensible in Singapore—no business would seriously dare to stick something like that on their shop windows or display a huge rainbow flag anywhere for fear of attracting the ire of the christofascists. And this is a public library! A government entity! Funded by taxpayer money! Nobody is standing outside protesting the inclusion of LGBTQ+ books because they are ‘corrupting the youth’ or ‘eroding family values’; conversely, we saw many families with small children enjoying the shared space. To the locals, it’s just another day and nothing momentous because practically every store has the same sticker out front, but to me, this meant a lot. No country is perfect for sure, but I hope that someday queer kids in Singapore can enter a public library and have access to books that speak to their experience to guide them into adulthood.
Out on the Shelves
We stumbled upon this place at Granville Island when walking around. It’s tucked away in a corner near the market and didn’t have a big sign outside so we did not know that it was a library until we got closer to read the A4 paper stuck on the door. This library is dedicated to LGBTQ+ literature, including but not limited to: theory, adult fiction, guides, YA fiction, and manga, and it also doubles as a resource and education centre. The library collection was very impressive and all I could think of was how much work and time and money was put into making this library happen. Someone had to research the titles, procure them, arrange for payment and delivery, register them in a system, label them, maybe even wrap them to protect the covers—it speaks to a lot of labour behind the scenes.
Out on the shelves library was started by UBC iSchool students and used to be housed in UBC's The Nest!