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Despite its proximity to Columbia University, Book Culture (formerly called Labyrinth) is much more than a student bookstore. True, textbooks are the specialty—the shop handles orders from nearly half the school’s faculty—but there are also plenty of mainstream reads, too. Downstairs is a generous selection of magazines and journals, ranging from the major newsweeklies to the hard-to-find arts journal Esopus, along with new hardcovers and some comfy chairs. The upper floor—best avoided around the time classes are starting up, when it’s packed with boxes and students—is lined with tomes on everything from travel to cooking, in addition to a respectable children’s section. Scholarly authors regularly come in to do readings and signings. The store also buys all kinds of used books Mondays through Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Stephen Berg

Spring and winter sales: about 20 percent off remainders, bargain books, and new releases.