Your favourite bookshops

Books & Books combines the classic comfort of a carefully curated bookshop with that unique vibrancy of Miami. With author events and live music just about every day of the year it's a swirl of energy and a calming oasis all at once. And there's even delicious food at the Cafe in the Courtyard Photograph: Jgoal55/Flickr

In Chicago, a fantastic non-profit bookstore where all of the profits from book sales fund literacy programs held in their classrooms and across Chicago. Open Books is a nonprofit social venture that operates an extraordinary bookstore, provides community programs, and mobilizes passionate volunteers to promote literacy in Chicago and beyond. Photograph: consumatron/Flickr

The Last Bookshop One of two sister bookshops in Oxford, both named The Last Bookshop. The name is a tongue-in-cheek rebuke to those who thought books would become obsolete with the rise of the internet -hence the logo- a book in flames. Its niche is good quality remainder books, each priced at £2. This one is at 107 St Aldate's; the other is in Walton Street Photograph: Anne Whitehouse/Flickr

Artist Helen Lee's exhibition at Wivenhoe Bookshop's Over the Sofa gallery which features new artists each month Photograph: K T Broomhall/Flickr

Aberfeldy Watermill Photograph: Geoff Johnson/Flickr

Artwords, Broadway Market Photograph: RachelH_/Flickr

Barrow Books and their signature apple boxes Photograph: RachelH_/Flickr

Bookseller Crow Photograph: RachelH_/Flickr

Broadway Bookshop: For some reason I'll never understand, I didn't get round to writing up Broadway Bookshop in Hackney. It has a fantastic selection of books and poetry all crammed into a tiny spaces (over three sort-of-half-floors). Came out with books by Virginia Woolf I didn't even know existed Photograph: RachelH_/Flickr

Daunt Books Photograph: RachelH_/Flickr

Dulwich Books Photograph: RachelH_/Flickr

Harbour Books, Whitstable Photograph: jpkaye/Flickr

Herne Hill Books: A brilliant little bookshop in Herne Hill, London. If they don't have the book you want, they can usually order it and have it for you the very next day. Great customer service! Photograph: thiskidgotmoxie/Flickr

John Sandoe Books Photograph: RachelH_/Flickr

Joseph's Bookstore and their cafe Photograph: RachelH_/Flickr

Leakey's Bookshop, Church Street, Inverness: Scotland's largest secondhand bookshop. Antiquarian and First editions kept up where the organ pipes of the old St Mary's Gaelic Church used to be. Old maps and prints, cafe/art gallery on the mezzanine, beautiful furnace fueled only by logs Photograph: Belacquashua/Flickr

Lion & Unicorn Bookshop, Richmond Photograph: RachelH_/Flickr

London Review bookshop Photograph: RachelH_/Flickr

Marchpane Photograph: RachelH_/Flickr

Number Eight Books, Wellington Photograph: stavros79/Flickr

Stephen Wycherley - Bookseller - Antiquarian and Secondhand bookshop. Bristol Road, Selly Oak Photograph: El Bingle/Flickr

Dulwich Books, packed with recommendations. They leave little notes like this all over the place, recommending different books. Wonderful. As seen on Londonist. Photograph: RachelH/Flickr

Housmans Photograph: Housmans/Flickr

The sign says J L Broom (John Broom was the librarian in Stromness when I was a child in the 80s) but it's known as Tam's. Along with my parents Tam is also responsible for fostering a love of books in me when I was small. He used to let me have his old publisher catalogues and I'd dream of all the books I wanted to have. Review on this page: www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/jul/01/bestbookshops Photograph: chatirygirl/Flickr

Downstairs, John Sandoe. As seen on Londonist Photograph: RachelH/Flickr

London Review Bookshop cafe Photograph: RachelH/Flickr

Paramount Books in Manchester Photograph: thecoverfactory/Flickr

Quinto & Francis Edwards Bookshop at 72 Charing Cross Road, London. They have a good range of stuff, from paperbacks to lovely older books. They completey change their basement stock once a month, so there's always something new to have a look at. Worth getting down there on the first Tuesday of a month after the re-stock - the queue of elderly antiquarian book enthusiasts who gather outside at opening time is a sight to behold Photograph: emilycleaver/Flickr

Ripping Yarns. As seen on Londonist Photograph: RachelH/Flickr

Tales on Moon Lane - window display. This Mad Hatter's tea party is typical of the excellent window displays - just the thing to fire a young person's imagination Photograph: richardlea/Flickr