Curious Book Shop — Local services in East Lansing

Since moving to the area in 2014, I've been on the hunt for bookshops of any kind. Sure, your booksellers that get all the latest titles and whatnot are good, but having a bookshop that has books you're not going to find anywhere else (due to being out of print and times having changed for certain types of literature) is what I was really wanting.

When I discovered Curious Book Shop, I was hooked! I love the building, the organization, everything about it! The smell of the books is something I enjoy immensely as well as browsing in some of my favorite categories in the hopes of finding an obscure title.

I probably have spent several hundred dollars there already and will be more than happy to continue to patronage the shop. I've been able to find numerous titles to add to my book collection and to also continue reading some of my favorite authors and series due to the fact some publishers no longer print certain books of some authors, including popular/well known authors like Robert Heinlein.

One of my other favorite things about the shop is the fact they have a section of movie novelizations. As a fan of the genre, being able to track down hard-to-find and long-lost titles has been a treat.

My kids enjoy going to the shop as well. When I showed them the children's section, they get excited and always pick out a few books when they visit the shop with me. It's turned into a bit of a thing I do with my kids from time to time.

I can't say enough good things about this shop. If you're a bibliophile, you must visit them! Or if you're a fan of a particular author, series, genre you have to visit them. I'm sure you'll find something unique or that you've been seeking for...

Over the moon about this place. Found my dream book here today, and I wish I had had time to check out the top floor. 🥲

The service I received from the employee there today was wonderful. Extremely friendly, and patient with me lol.

You WILL find something you want buy here. Great pulp selection, vintage magazines, old cookbooks, craft, art books, technical books, birding, etc. Decent organization, some subjects needs a little digging as things seem to get misplaced by other customers. You end up discovering more books that way though. They even have unsorted banker boxes of books on the floor, also worth looking through!!

Unfortunately the only drawback is that they are not wheelchair handicap accessible. They have three floors and are cramped with books. I imagine that the employees there will help you for something specific, but it just doesn’t make for good browsing.

They also seem to have a sister store, called...

One of my favorite places in EL. I've been going here since my freshman year (2013). There are very many books so you definitely can't just go in 'to look around'. You should know what you're looking for before you go in so that you don't get overwhelmed. Newer and popular books are obviously going to be priced higher than the older books here (as they have a small collection of new books at the front of the store). The owner is great and has given me a lot of information on local book shops and symposiums. I've been looking for a particular children's book for years and he patiently listened to what I had to say even though he did not have it. Some of the other people who work there haven't been my favorite but the owner is very kind and dedicated to books and book...