Bookstores in Sacramento
Bookstores reward the browsers. Sacramento, CA has 24 mapped right now. That's 24 bookshops mapped around Sacramento, each with its own shelves and specialties. The used sections are where the real bargains hide.
This guide covers every bookstore we could verify in and around Sacramento (within about 40 km), built from OpenStreetMap's community-maintained data. Names you'll run into include UC Davis Bookstore and Underground Books, plus The Avid Reader. If a bookshop's missing from Sacramento's list, it probably just hasn't been mapped yet.
The Sacramento bookstore lineup
24 mapped within about 40 km:
UC Davis Bookstore
Bookstore
UC Davis Bookstore is Bookstore.
Underground Books
Bookstore
Underground Books — Bookstore on 2184 35th Street.
2184 35th Street, 95817
The Avid Reader
Bookstore
The Avid Reader is Bookstore. The Avid Reader also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 10:00-20:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-20:00
Phone: +1-530-758-4040
Barnes & Noble
Bookstore
Barnes & Noble — Bookstore.
Big Brother Comics
Bookstore
Big Brother Comics — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about Big Brother Comics: the map lists its hours as Mo-Th 11:00-20:00;Fr 11:00-22:00;Sa 11:00-20:00;Su 11:00-18:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
Hours: Mo-Th 11:00-20:00;Fr 11:00-22:00;Sa 11:00-20:00;Su 11:00-18:00
Phone: +1 916-441-6461
ABC A Russian Book Store
Bookstore
ABC A Russian Book Store is Bookstore on 5111-C College Oak Drive, Sacramento.
5111-C College Oak Drive, Sacramento, 95841
Barnes & Noble
Bookstore
Barnes & Noble — Bookstore, found on 1725 Arden Way in Sacramento.
1725 Arden Way, Sacramento, 95815
Half Price Books
Bookstore
Half Price Books — Bookstore, found on 7975 Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights.
7975 Greenback Lane, Citrus Heights, 95610
Barnes & Noble
Bookstore
Barnes & Noble — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about Barnes & Noble: the map lists its hours as Su-Th 09:00-22:00, Fr,Sa 09:00-23:00.
Hours: Su-Th 09:00-22:00, Fr,Sa 09:00-23:00
Avid Reader
Bookstore
Avid Reader — Bookstore, found on 1943 20th Street in Sacramento.
1943 20th Street, Sacramento, 95818
J Crawford Books
Bookstore
J Crawford Books — Bookstore, found on 5301 Freeport Boulevard in Sacramento.
5301 Freeport Boulevard, Sacramento, 95822
Family Books & Gifts
BookstoreRun by Family Community Church
Family Books & Gifts is Bookstore run by Family Community Church on 6349 Watt Avenue, North Highlands.
6349 Watt Avenue, North Highlands, 95660
A Seat at the Table Books
Bookstore
A Seat at the Table Books — Bookstore, found on 9257 Laguna Springs Drive in Elk Grove. Also worth knowing about A Seat at the Table Books: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 10:00-19:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
9257 Laguna Springs Drive, Elk Grove, 95758
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-19:00
Phone: +1 916-538-3482
Capital Books
Bookstore
Capital Books is Bookstore on 1011 K Street, Sacramento. Capital Books also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 11:00-18:00; Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 11:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
1011 K Street, Sacramento, 95814
Hours: Mo-Fr 11:00-18:00; Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 11:00-17:00
Phone: +1-916-492-6657
Time Tested Books
Bookstore
Time Tested Books — Bookstore.
Bloodstone Books
Bookstore
Bloodstone Books is Bookstore on 3214 Riverside Boulevard. Bloodstone Books also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as We-Sa 11:00-19:00; Su 11:00-16:00; it has a website with more detail.
3214 Riverside Boulevard, 95818
Hours: We-Sa 11:00-19:00; Su 11:00-16:00
Big Brother Comics
Bookstore
Big Brother Comics — Bookstore on 920 20th Street. Also worth knowing about Big Brother Comics: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
920 20th Street, 95811
Phone: +1-916-441-6461
Old Haunts Bookshop
Bookstore
Old Haunts Bookshop is Bookstore on 8789 Auburn Folsom Road. Old Haunts Bookshop also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Tu-Sa 10:00-18:00; Su 00:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
8789 Auburn Folsom Road, 95746
Hours: Tu-Sa 10:00-18:00; Su 00:00-17:00
Phone: +1-279-259-6877
The Book Cellar
Bookstore
The Book Cellar is Bookstore. The Book Cellar also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Tu-Sa 10:00-16:00; Su-Mo off.
Hours: Tu-Sa 10:00-16:00; Su-Mo off
East Village Bookshop
Bookstore
East Village Bookshop — Bookstore on 3604 McKinley Boulevard. Also worth knowing about East Village Bookshop: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
3604 McKinley Boulevard, 95816
Phone: +1-279-202-9018
Beers Books
Bookstore
Beers Books — Bookstore.
Barnes & Noble
Bookstore
Barnes & Noble — Bookstore, found on 1456 Galleria Boulevard in Roseville. Also worth knowing about Barnes & Noble: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 10:00-21:00; Su 10:00-20:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
1456 Galleria Boulevard, Roseville, 95678
Hours: Mo-Sa 10:00-21:00; Su 10:00-20:00
Phone: +1-916-788-4320
Amatoria Fine Art Books
Bookstore
Amatoria Fine Art Books is Bookstore on 1831 F Street, Sacramento. Amatoria Fine Art Books also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as We-Sa 10:00-18:00; Su 10:00-16:00; Mo-Tu off; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
1831 F Street, Sacramento, 95811
Hours: We-Sa 10:00-18:00; Su 10:00-16:00; Mo-Tu off
Phone: +1-916-822-4909
Book Den
Bookstore
Book Den — Bookstore on 8250 Belvedere Avenue. Also worth knowing about Book Den: the map lists its hours as We,Fr-Sa 09:00-15:00; PH closed; it has a website with more detail.
8250 Belvedere Avenue
Hours: We,Fr-Sa 09:00-15:00; PH closed
What the map tells us about bookstores in Sacramento
11 of the 24 list their opening hours on the map, which is genuinely useful — bookshops keep civilised hours, so the listed ones are usually reliable.
10 have websites listed. Worth a look for events — readings and signings get announced there first.
The Sacramento bookstore crawl
Making a day of it in Sacramento? Work this order: UC Davis Bookstore, Underground Books on 2184 35th Street, The Avid Reader, Barnes & Noble, Big Brother Comics, ABC A Russian Book Store on 5111-C College Oak Drive, Barnes & Noble on 1725 Arden Way, and Half Price Books on 7975 Greenback Lane. That's the bookstore crawl in one sensible loop, no backtracking. 16 more are listed below.
Bookstore tips for Sacramento
The regulars' playbook for Sacramento's bookshops:
- Don't judge by the window display at UC Davis Bookstore. The front table is marketing. The back shelves are the shop's real taste. Walk the whole floor.
- Ask for the out-of-print hunters at Underground Books. Some used shops will hunt down out-of-print titles for you. It takes patience, but the find is worth it.
- Support the shop's own publishing. Some independents publish local authors or print their own anthologies. Buying them funds the ecosystem directly.
- Read the first page in the shop. The first-page test never lies. If it doesn't grab you standing there, it won't grab you at home.
Good to know
We searched about 40 km around Sacramento — that covers the town itself plus the surrounding communities you'd reasonably drive to. Listings come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by local volunteers, so a brand-new bookstore in Sacramento can take a while to appear. If you spot one of the 24 that's closed, or a great bookstore we missed, the fix is to update the map itself — that's where this guide reads from.
We don't list prices — they change constantly and vary by edition. What we list is the where: real shops, verified by real mappers, in alphabetical order with no favourites.
If you run one of the 24 listed here and something's wrong — a closure, a move, new hours — the fix is the same: update the shop on OpenStreetMap and the correction flows through to this page on the next daily refresh.
Bookstore listings for Sacramento: 24 mapped from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos from Wikimedia Commons contributors; individual photo credits appear in captions. Listing data was last refreshed automatically — verify hours before visiting.