Porter Square Books

This was my first time visiting Porter Square Books and the hype is worth it. I loved the cafe partnership. The staff picks were diverse across genres. The staff was offering recommendations for Indie Bookstore Day partnered with a discount if you chose the book. It's a pretty big store I was pleasantly surprised

I hope I’m putting this in the correct place. As an avid writer and reader I will admit that I was disheartened to see that Porter Square Books wasn’t in its dependable location, but it was a pleasant surprise to see the new store, which seems so much spacious than the space before. The new owner took over the space and now sells everything from authentic one of a kind of clothing to items that you would find while traveling or on a treasure hunt. I felt her passion for this new business that will fit in perfectly in Cambridge. I am looking forward to going back and searching through everything. It’s set up in such an organized way but makes you feel like you’re going through an upscale but affordable flea market without the pier table owners. The new owner was such a pleasant woman, and although I was only there for about a half hour at the most she had to explain to more than a handful of people about the transition. She did this gracefully. I am sure she would drain by the end of the day with the repetitiveness. I Suggested that she get a shirt that says no more Porter square books and she took this corny joke in good humor. I will be More than happy to spend my money here for the amazing items and for the down to earth owner who seemed like she would really appreciate the flow she’s gonna be getting in.

Love the new space for Porter Square Books! It’s bright and engaging with so many titles to choose from, great staff picks and lots of fun tzotchkes. The Page & Leaf cafe is an awesome addition here with delicious drinks and lots of seating for reading and working. Bathrooms super clean too.

Coffee is pretty good and it’s a good spot to do some study and shop some book and enjoy the evening!

This has been my go-to bookstore for years! Great selection of books, good layout, and a bonus cafe inside. I'm so glad they moved to a bigger space so the store has a bit more breathing room, but if you're driving here wait for the weekend to park for free.

I consider this to be my neighborhood bookstore. I love the new location, just like the old. I've bought many books for myself and many a gift for others over the years.

Lovely bookstore, good selection, the staff is very helpful and friendly. They also have a little coffee shop inside, Love the smell of coffee. They have a cute kids corner.

This place is one of my favorite bookstores (and I've been to a plethora). They have very knowledgeable and friendly staff, and they highlight local authors. The events hosted are wonderful as well, not too overwhelming or crowded. The staff picks, which are frequently amazing, are 20% off and change monthly. They have a pretty good cafe, too, that sell locally baked goods. Plus, there's a YA book club (for young adults and those young at heart) every month.

This is my favorite general bookstore. With the new location, there's even free parking behind the building, making going there even easier and more pleasant than before. Twice lately I've learned about brand new books and they had them in stock--they have their fingers on the pulse of their readers. The booksellers are always helpful, especially Hannah recently! It's an oasis for book lovers.

The move has probably brought new customers, and lost the old. I still find it disastrous to move around. It is not good for people with physical challenges. I am less interested in the NYT top 20 than I am in the classics shared from people's personal libraries. This is an update of my previous review. My ideas about bookstores have changed. The "cute cafe" was never owned by PSB. Zing has developed into a treasure of community and informality, at least till the building owners mess it up with something corporate.

This is my favorite independent book store of all time. They have a variety of books that include niche and top picks. In addition, they host really cool events. One time, they brought the author of "Girl, Interrupted," which was so neat! They also have a cute little cafe, selling all sorts of pastries as well as Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, which I highly recommend. Surprisingly, they include peanut sauce with the rolls, which not many restaurants offer. Please stop by and get yourself a nice cup of coffee, read a good book, and support your local small business!

The new Porter Square Books is a delight! Newly renovated and relocated into the Lesley University building, they have a much larger floor space and with more space means greater selection and more books. The aisles are placed in a way to invite browsing and discovery; not too regular aisle patterns as you'd find in a Barnes and Noble or a library. Staff was helpful as always, and it's nice that they open a bit later for the Christmas season.

I just went 1x. Disappointed. I love local bookstores and I wouldn't discourage anyone from going here, but it's a schlep for me and I likely won't go back. I didn't love the store layout. They were out of nearly all food offerings. They have a small seating area in the cafe, but otherwise, not anywhere to sit if you want to browse a book and don't want to take up space in the cafe. On the plus side, the location is great - right next to the T - and they have parking in the back (free some times). That's a huge improvement over being in the strip mall where parking is a nightmare. They have a large kids section. Although I thought their old location had a more fun kids area. They offer some gift items. They're independent - and I understand partly owned by former(?) employees. I hope they do well in their new space. Apparently they have more space - it just didn't feel like that to me.

First, I have to say that I am a big fan of Porter Square Books. It's my choice of independent bookstores for direct purchasing and online ordering. But...I am so disappointed in the new space. It's really tight and very hard to navigate. The shelves are placed in a way that makes me feel like I'm in a maze, and there's not a lot of space for movement in between them. The cafe is lovely, but, again, the circulation is poor. The children's section is not welcoming to children. There's no space for a kid to just sit down on the floor (or even a table) to read a book, or for a caregiver to read to them. The two chairs placed in this section seem to always be occupied by adults who do not have a child with them, but seem to just need a break. And the chairs are placed right up against the bookshelves where someone might want to look for a book! I'm saddened by the loss of the outdoor space - which felt like a really welcoming part of the community, and the parking. Paying for parking to go to a bookstore just doesn't make any sense to me. And 45 minutes free isn't enough time for anyone who really wants to spend some time perusing (and purchasing). whereas I might just drop into Porter Square Books after a trip to the gym or on my way home to look around and usually purchase something, I am sorry to say that I am reluctant to go there these days.

For a small, indie bookstore, they carry a large and varied assortment of books without making the aisles impossible to traverse. Upon entering, you can tell this is a store that doesn't cater ONLY to the bestsellers. The display books were all new and diverse selections along with a middle grade/YA graphic novel section that my son loved. I noticed quite a few signed editions of books as well, so if you are looking for signed copies, this is a place to check. Inside, they also have a small cafe with a few tables outside where you could enjoy a pastry and a cup of tea. They have a few gift items and stickers as well, but this is a store that is mostly about the books.

This is a cool little bookstore located right in Porter Square. I was initially surprised I never noticed it before. I always wanted to hang out in a bookstore in Cambridge so this place made my day. The staff greeted me as I entered and helped when needed. There is a good choice of books present. I spent a good hour or so walking around and picking out which books to purchase. There is a small cafe located inside the store as well. It was early in the morning so I picked up a quick scone and coffee while reading. What surprised me was the Vietnamese spring rolls they offered. You don't see that every day in a cafe. Porter Square Books is located right next to a Dunkin, Panera Bread, and Starbucks which is a lot of competition. However, it seemed that most people go out of the way to come here to support local vendors. This was my first time vising Porter Square Books and I was pleasantly surprised. I love this addition to the Porter Square area. You can pick up groceries, read a book, have a nice meal all at once. I do visit Cambridge often so I plan to come by here again.

Not that friendly to me. Got a little creeped out after using restroom and man standing at the door staring at me.

Why did it take me so long to find you, Porter Square Books?! In all my years of school in Boston plus countless productions and auditions in the Cambridge area, I never stumbled upon this cute little bookstore / cafe hybrid until embarrassingly recently! However, I'm sure glad that I did! Porter Square Books is tucked inside of a strip mall easily accessible by Red Line MBTA, so it's a snap to get here and get your inner nerd on! The book selection is impressive for a diminutive shop, and it always feels better to shop small (no shade to Barnes & Noble, but I'd rather patronize a cool little bookstore when I can). In addition to the great selection of books, novels, and gift items, they are also invested in the community, and host author meet n' greets and lectures every week. Check their website for details! What makes Porter Square Books truly awesome is the fact that it has its own cafe inside the shop that's also independently run - no Starbucks or Dunkin' franchise setting up in here. In addition to the usual coffee and tea menu suspects, they also carry Vietnamese Summer Rolls, which are the perfect light and refreshing companion as you venture into a world of bibliophilic bliss! It's a unique detail like this that makes this shop really memorable. The baristas are also very nice and make drinks promptly and accurately. If you're there around closing, they may even give you a summer roll for free! I can't believe I went this long without knowing about Porter Square Books, but it's now a Boston/Cambridge favorite, and I look forward to shopping here again and again.

Everyone at Porter Square Books was super helpful and very clear about their directions for shopping in-person during the pandemic. The greeter let my partner and I know when there was room for both of us to go in together, at the same time, and had my curbside pickup waiting for when I left. Shopping was easy and exciting, and even though we were asked to keep our trip short due to health concerns of the pandemic, as everyone was, we had no trouble doing so. Staff members were quick to direct us to the location of books, and 'checking out' was easy and very smooth. Everyone was kind and understanding. This is a seriously tough time, but PSB made it easy to stay safe and healthy while still offering a one of a kind shopping location and fun experience. I look forward to coming back.

Delightful bookstore with friendly staff, a nice selection of books and convenient cafe.

So this isn't just a bookstore, they also have this café that has baked goods & various kinds of beverages. They also sell a bunch of different gift or tchotchke items so sometimes while you're browsing you find something that suits you. It's good to support local businesses cause screw A.z.n. Mind you this place isn't cheap so don't expect to find bargain deals, not gonna happen. You are in a predominantly white area which means prices are higher.

I love this bookstore! I prefer to walk here instead of order online from a larger retailer. The cafe inside makes good coffee and tea as well. They typically have the books I'm looking for, and on the occasion they don't have on hand what I'm seeking they've offered to order it for me.

Poorly run business. My wife and I love visiting independent booksellers. We recently planned a trip from Vermont to Maine that included several independent booksellers on our route. We love the Toadstool bookstores in New Hampshire. Porter Square recently ran a promotion for Joe Hill and Stephen King, but didn't plan for high traffic on the website. And, if you try to contact them, they hang up the phone. Similarly, they will block you on social media sites for sharing your dismay at their lack of preparedness. Hey, a book is a book. I could buy books here or go to another independent booksellers or even go to Barnes and Noble. Their poor customer service and their lack of empathy towards their confused and upset customers has helped me make the decision to avoid Porter Square Bookstore. The only reason I am posting this on Yelp is because they refuse to speak about this on the phone and they have been blocking customers who have been sharing their negative experiences from their poor planning on social media.

Nice book store. This place isn't extremely huge, but more along a cozy feel, which I prefer. The front has a little café style area, with some seats and a place to grab something to drink. Their set up is easy to find things and if you can't find a certain book, the people at the counter are very nice and helpful. Worth a visit, if you're in the area!

What an amazing place! Handled some really awful comments and negative, petulant, entitled individuals mad because of something the store tried hard to fix. This is a wonderful place to shop, a nice little indie place to explore and meet up with people. The staff are great and the location is amazing and prime space! Amazing people. Amazing place. Please read the one-star reviews with a grain of salt and remember a place is not to be judged by a mistake they have worked to fix. I love this place!

Absolutely wonderful cultural oasis in the heart of busy Porter Square. They have a sweet coffee bar up front with all types of coffee and tea selections plus bakery goods, sandwiches and a Banh Mi-like Vietnamese roll. Huge selection of books and a cart of "Hurt" or damaged books. Grab a coffee, grab a seat, and enjoy the people watching parade.

Funny enough, even though this bookstore exists in an urban strip mall, it is probably the coziest feeling bookstore in Boston and Cambridge. It has that bright community feel. It seems well stocked, the cafe adds some life and they have a good selection of gift items too. Customer service is kind of don't-bother-me ish. I always found it really funny, like the first 10 times I bought things there, they would always ask "are you part of our frequent buyers program" and I would be like, "no I don't believe so" and then they would just ring me up. Ummm, isn't the next natural question, "would you like join the program?" Although I suppose some customer get annoyed by that. But that never made sense to me. Anyhoo.

Such a precious book store! Unfortunately, like most books stores these days, it is half "gift shop" since Amazon and libraries and Kindles exist, and the store needs to make money somehow. It's small so there isn't much space to sit down and read (shares the space with a cafe), but has a warm atmosphere. It's definitely packed on the weekends, so if you really want to take your time and browse, go another time. The employees are fantastic! During the winter holidays, I asked for book recommendations to give as a gift to young adult readers. I specifically asked for books that were not all heteronormative with a white cast of characters. The person who helped me was amazing - she pulled out and gave me a synopsis of at least a dozen books that perfectly fit what I was looking for. I ended up buying 6 of them. They will special order for you if the book you want isn't in stock, and these come relatively quickly. They also have a good rewards program that is better than other chain booksellers. They host a lot of author events too.

If you're trying to be supportive of local vendors they do make it really frustrating during the holiday season, particularly when this is an opportunity to make some $$$. First, the hours are only 2-6..... seriously? Curbside pickup takes 3 days- I can order food in Jess than an hour, this is simply a matter of pulling something off the shelves and processing an order. No one answers the phone. I'd be very happy to part with my money here, but sadly it makes a strong argument for big box stores, and even Amazon can get it faster.

As the son a small business owner, I'm trying to support local small businesses who are struggling during the pandemic. Porter Square Books is making it as hard as possible to do so. Site says they're open for up to 10 people at a time, at the top of the site and under their COVID policies. Arriving at the store, I'm informed they're closed, which is obviously a bit frustrating. But as a few others have pointed out, they're way overboard on the precautions (I got yelled at for being three inches beyond an unmarked imaginary line outside the store?) and the staff are pretentious and demeaning. Had the staff not behaved this way, I wouldn't be irritated or writing this review. Alas.

I love this small local bookstore. It reminds me of the one in the town I grew up- but better! The two front tables where they have local authors' books and staff picks are awesome. There are always such interesting finds. Whether it's a children's sticker Haggadah, vegetarian cuisine encyclopedia on sale, a prep book, or an intriguing novel- you're bound to be pleasantly surprised. It doesn't hurt that you can meet a friend, do work, and grab a latte and spring roll inside, at Zing cafe too.

Fellow Yelp Enthusiasts, Some days you just want to curl up by the fire with a good book and a cup of warm goat milk. Need help finding a book? Porter Square Books is there for you. I've only been here once or twice - I have all of the books I need, thank you very much... but whenever I happen to need one, I come here. The place is just plain awesome. And the vegetarian spring rolls are the only dish in my diet that isn't at least 80% meat. Some suggestions for management: 1) More extensive section on the history of powerful farming families in Dutch Pennsylvania 2) Opportunity to preorder the 75th Anniversary Edition of Charlotte's Web (official date unannounced, presumably 2019) Sincerely, Dwight K. Schrute Assistant Regional Manager Dunder Mifflin Paper Products, Scranton Branch

New fan here. I work nearby but have only ever dipped in quickly. This time, I'd used indiebound.com to have a copy of a book (Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation, for what it is worth) sent here. I did a little wandering around before picking it up, noticed that their science/math section was actually, hey, kinda good, then turned around ... ... and spotted a copy of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet on their periodical shelf. Now, I don't honestly know _how_ obscure that publication is these days, but ... wow! You don't have that experience online. Nor do you have the experience of the nice cashier who discusses your purchase with you (and the movie based on it) and signs you up for their customer program. So, yeah, I'm impressed -- great place! Plus they have a whole coffee shop in there. :)

During graduate school vacations and weekends, I used to fly into Boston and "live" in the Avon Hill neighborhood which is between Porter and Harvard Square. I went to Porter Square Books yesterday after a deplorable dining experience; one can always fix a bad meal or suboptimal afternoon with a great book store visit. It should be noted that my infrequent Cambridge visits often include the beloved Coop and Harvard Book Store. It's rare for me to schlep all of the way to this book store. It took a significant period of time to secure parking. I was happy to visit, though. It made me nostalgic for this once oft visited neighborhood. (Imperative aside: Visitors, tourists, and new residents would be surprised to learn that I live just across the river in Boston. This language employed in this review makes it sound like I live out of state. Who uses the word nostalgic for the same metro area? The area is strange in the sense that one needs a very compelling reason to cross the river. It has to be the lunar new year, close friends, or love.) Anyway, I am back to the review. One judges a bookstore by face outs and displays. Porter Square Books did not disappoint me. Their fiction collection was solid; their displays added to my ever growing to read list. Who knew that there was a Nelly Dean take on Wuthering Heights. That's not even mentioned in my favorite, local bookstore. Bottom line: The curation of the displays revealed someone well-read and witty. Sometimes, the independent bookstores fail to deliver on the latter. Sometimes, the employees are too intent on proving that they are literate. Crazy, right? We get it; you read books. This great selection coupled with an in-house coffee shop makes it a superb venue. I'd go more often if it wasn't such a trek. O.o

I am a huge proponent of independent bookstores, which makes me so sad to write a poor review. Unfortunately, the way that the store handled the recent opportunity to purchase tickets to an event with Stephen King and Joe Hill was highly unprofessional and reflects poorly on bookstores generally. First off, let me say that I completely understand that the ticketing process online was likely to fail, and that is was even more likely that I wouldn't get tickets to such a popular event. However, what really sets this episode apart is: (i) I was able to purchase a ticket, but later told that tickets were "oversold" and had my ticket revoked; (ii) it has been nearly 24 hours and I have not received a refund; and (iii) when I called the store during the site crashing, I was told that I could proceed with the purchase and "not to bother" buying tickets through another vendor (which eventually sold out). To go almost 24 hours without a refund and to have so many issues with the ticketing process reflects poorly upon this business. Other bookstores - Harvard; Politics and Prose in DC; and many others - successfully handle tickets to high-demand author events. Even when I have not been able to purchase tickets because of tech snafus, the staff of those stores have reached out and refunded immediately. This has not occurred with PSB. I'm sure the staff was overwhelmed and tried their best, but there is no excuse for rude answers and lack of refunds in such instances. I do not mind being unable to get a ticket to a high-demand event (that is bound to happen by statistics), but to be rude and offer such poor customer service in light of a problem like this is inexcusable. I would recommend other nearby bookstores for bibliophiles. Independent bookstores should pride themselves on great customer service not offered through big-box stores and Amazon. PSB unfortunately did not deliver anything close to that, and disappointed this lover of books and book-related events.

I hope the owner reads this. I have been a customer since the bookstore opened. And welcomed the new owners. Saturday August 7 at 4 pm my husband went to pick up a hard back book that I had ordered. The female salesperson tried to give him a paperback version already in a paper bag. I called today, Monday 1:21 pm to see if the book was in. I was told the hard back was in. I asked why I did not get a call? I was told it was my fault. I did not get a call!!! I then asked for the male sales person name. He hung up on me. Customer service is the heart of a bookstore!!! Loss that and how many customers will you or have you lost??? I LOVE INDEPENDENT bookstores however RUDE, DISCOuRTOUES SERVICE is unneccessary!!!

Porter Square books is located just a few hundred feet away from the subway stop, right in the midst of the strip-like mall that is within Porter Square. With hundreds of parking spots available as well, this store is located between Tags hardware and a bunch of other businesses. The store itself is rather small and modest but still features plenty of books and is very well organized. They also have a small cafe at the front which serves up all kinds of hot and cold drinks along with some pastries and possibly even some sandwiches but please don't quote me on that as I'm not 100% sure. To be honest, I've never stopped to get a drink there, choosing to browse the books instead. I've also had to order a few of them although they were not able to order this Anthony Bourdain book for me for some reason and gave me a call back a few days later to let me know about it. Overall this is a solid book store, especially considering the lack of competition that they have in the area, it is great to see it strive. The atmosphere is great, clean and it also seems like a neat place to hangout with your computer, a drink and a book to get some work done. The staff is very helpful and friendly as well, which is a big plus.

This place is awesome. Kind people, great selection for the space. Haters gonna hate. If you've never been to this store and gave them a bad review because a web site crashed and now you can't see Stephen King, give the bad review to their server host and IT company, not an awesome community spot in a community you've never been to.

I haven't reviewed Porter Square Books yet? WHAT?! Um, this place is amazing. The books are great, the people are great. Zing Coffee is wonderful. The limited seating is perfect--if you hover for 5-10 minutes, something always pops up. The service here is excellent. They have constant author events. This is the kind of place that gives local businesses their great reputation. I truly prefer PSqBooks (as I think of it) to any other bookstore. Stop buying your books elsewhere. This is the place to go.

Glad to have found a good local bookstore after moving to Cambridge. Having just moved from Denver and greatly missing Tattered Cover Book Store I was happy to see this similar bookshop with a nice selection of fiction books, author events and other miscellaneous non book things. The one thing that is missing for me is a selection of used books. Since local shops always have to be pricier to survive it is great when they have a used section for those of us that will go broke if we paid full price for every single book we read.

So, this is the first negative review I have ever written about a bookstore. I have been there like 15+ times, the last ten of them more out of convenience from where I work and really just need a vacant space to write sometimes. But every time I leave, I feel bad about myself? I have had some pretty gnarly interactions with the staff, 2/10 they are super nice, 8/10 they are unpleasant, sometimes outright rude. Book stores are known for snobbery but they take it to another level. Also, like at this point with the mask thing, whatever you feel safe doing, okay, but I have literally had one of their staff physically run away from me because I didn't have a mask on. The cafe staff repeatedly judges you before you speak a word on your appearance, including masks. Today was my last time ever going there. It just seeps with entitlement, and given the area it makes sense, but it would be cool if they hired chill people that have had other kinds of jobs in their lives and take the whole thing a little less seriously.

1. Falsely states they have a book in stock, which they actually don't. 2. No contact or communication with customers when they realize the book is not in stock and they have to order it. I tried to support a local bookstore, but it doesn't seem like they want my business. I ordered two books for curbside pickup that were "in stock" - the confirmation email said it was "processing" and a later email would notify me to pick up..... No email ever came. I called 4 days later to ask if I could pick up but they told me they had to order the books because they were out of stock. No apology. Nothing. So they just lied to me that the books were in stock to make a sale on something they don't have. Just like Amazon, Walmart, etc. It's Fraud. I was hoping a local bookstore would have better business practices. That was my first and last attempt at buying a book from Porter Square.

Poorly run, terrible customer service..Supposedly takes pride in customer service but actually does anything but. Don't waste your time with this place.

I have no idea why there aren't more coffee shop/bookstore combos in the Boston/Cambridge area. A friend who was visiting wanted to go to one to catch up and asked me if I knew of any. I didn't, so did a quick search on yelp/google and stumbled upon an article that listed 5. I sent it to my friend and told him to choose one. He ended up choosing this one and I'm so glad he did. Love that there's a parking lot here which is super rare in the Cambridge area; it took me a few laps to find a spot but I finally found one and it's free. 2-hour limit though. There aren't many seats to sit down with your cup of coffee/latte/tea so you may have to wander around the aisles or stalk the limited seats until someone sits. The drink selection was great, there are many different varieties of teas, lattes, etc. Even though it was busy, we still managed to feel like we had privacy and people weren't on top of each other when browsing books and sitting in the cafe area. Definitely think that if you're looking for somewhere to have a book/coffee date, consider coming here!

Wow, guys. I don't go to book stores much anymore. I'm an efficient technophile. Dammit be to Amazon, but they satiate my efficiency needs. That can never fulfill the deep recesses of my underbelly that absolutely crave and adore the smell of a book store. And it isn't even just the books. Sure, all that inked up and bound paper is a crafty metaphor for little old me. But there's so much else that fills in the gaps. I love that there's a little cafe inside while there's a Starbucks right across the way. (Take that!) They invite you in where you reminisce with a long-forgotten fetal warmth that only physical books can provide. I lingered for a good bit of time. An hour, maybe? Book stores could easily be my financial ruin. I haven't read every book I've ever purchased. I dream to do so one day as they fill a massive library in my future estate home. (Ha...) But I don't give a shit, I still love them. So I linger and stare and peruse and browse. I pick up this and that. Make exchanges before the final transaction. I love that I found some gift items for my best friend and sister. I love that I found some books for me. Oh, and one of my old favorite reasons to visit a book store: flyers, flyers everywhere! I found several events to which I now look forward to attending. Thank you, friendly neighborhood bookstore!

I really enjoy coming here, and plan to attend some of the events with authors in future. The bookstore is small but what a cosy place! They never wonder if I spend a lot of time just looking. The personnel working at the bookstore is always polite. Mostly I browse since I love reading and always look for novelties. The front display always looks nice. Last month it was all about feminist movement, I think. And that caught my eye too. Got a few of greeting cards, a unique selection.

I love this place! Everyone is so friendly and eager to help and they have the cutest seating arrangements, with nooks and crannies to hide in. Great WiFi and honestly an excellent spot to hang out, get some work done or study. Highly recommend picking up a snack from their bakery; i love their chai and scones! Perfect afternoon snack.

Might be a great bookstore but they are completely lost and clueless in dealing with customers. Tickets for an evening with Stephen King and Joe Hill being sold by the bookstore were not only impossible to get due to constant server crashes and malfunctions, but when you did get a ticket in your cart, the server would crash and not allow you to complete your purchase. Add to this, they oversold the event and now will not honor the tickets initially purchased causing even more anger. Get your act together.

I love the selection of books at this store. I am a teacher, and was able to spend hours going through all the children's books! Great selection of books for adults, and random fun gifts as well. There's a little cafe at the front of the store too, but I didn't try anything.

Porter Square Books is bad. Even the outside makes me gag. When inside it's just sad. Everything about it is just a drag. It feels like it's 1995 there. It gives nostalgia a bad name. I'm trying to not swear. It's just so lame.

Great independent bookstore in porter square! The location is very convenient! It's hard for aa bookstore to compete with amazon, but Porter Square Books has great ambiance and helpful staff. My only complaints are that it is usually very crowded with people who are just passing time rather than actually shopping, and their online inventory is very unreliable. They often say they have things in stock that neither I nor the staff can find on the shelves.

Stopped in over the weekend, they really have a lovely children's selection with a nice selection of multicultural books/authors/reading levels. Saw a sign saying ask at the counter if you were looking for F. Scott Fitzgerald, so I asked when I got to cashier/to check out--what that was all about. Apparently, Fitzgerald is one (1) the top four (4) stolen authors from this store, and so these books are kept behind the counter. So a little factoid there and I'm wondering if all bookstores have top stolen authors list?

20% off for pre-ordering Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!? Thanks guys! Plus it took me all of 5 minutes waiting in line Sunday morning to pick it up. Speedy and friendly staff! I don't typically buy books (I'm a big Kindle library borrowing girl), but I love having a bookstore in the neighborhood for that must-read book or a last minute gift. I'll still buy hard copies of books that are favorites (ie. anything HP related), and I prefer to do so from a local business. The little cafe looked great, but all the seating was full so I didn't buy anything. I opted to go to Panera next door where I could relax and dive into HP.

I had no issue with the layout of the store. It actually looks similar to the B&N in Burlington. What I had an issue with was the angry woman working there. I asked if they were hiring and she dealt me this patronizing 'only on my dead body would I let you work here' look, like someone had tossed me out with their trash. Besides that, this fine place caters to the top-50-most-popular-book readers. Also, the older gentleman (I believe the owner?) is extremely kind and is more than willing to help you find your perfect story. I found Cafe Zing very good! Last time I went, they had scones and Vietnamese spring rolls with housin sauce. For tea, I must always have my Ooolong with soymilk. Delicious! Plus, the staff there are plenty pleasant and chill.

I love almost all the bookstores in Boston, but this one just doesn't excite me. The cafe is pretty good, but the stacks just seem so generic. As someone else said, it manages to feel like a chain bookstore without being one. Something about the lighting and layout make it very resistant to browsing and lingering. I guess it's nice to have a bookstore in Porter Square, but I'd really much rather walk down to Harvard and go to the Harvard Book Store, Raven or the Coop.

Great book stores don't have to be huge. They don't have to stock every book you could ever want, or have the classic unique look/store cat/big comfy chairs. All of these things can be well and good, but what I really value in a bookstore is the books they recommend. How is it that I can wander into this tiny space and spend literally hours scanning pages? Great displays. Amazing employee picks. Hardcover, softcover, nonfiction -- they know me so well. All of these books look amazing. And the magazine section in the back features local small press literary magazines! How else could I have discovered "Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet" or "Tuesday, An Art Project"? Sure, they look like a smaller version of a chain bookstore inside, and sure, they actually prioritize *walking room* over squeezing as many shelves as possible into their space, and sure, they put in a cafe, where again, they could have squeezed yet more books. But hey. If it was pure quantity of books I was looking for, I'd jump online. Bonus: friendly, eager-to-help staff, and about a million author appearances a month. Thanks to Porter Square Books, I have shook Nicholson Baker's hand, and my life is now complete.

Some days this Porter Square shopping area is a complete dead zone. Did something nuclear happen while I was on the T? Am I the lone survivor of an alien invasion? No. All of the people in the neighborhood have not been annihilated. They are crammed into Porter Square Books. It's packed with kids, strollers, grannies, coffee drinkers and lap top users. They are spread all over the store, recessed into every corner, under every table, perched on every seat. There's a lot of conversation and laughter in here, with the small coffee shop on the left contributing seriously to the noise level. There's a chaotic energy to this section of the store, despite some lap top loungers who seem to be parked there every day surfing the web in solitude. The books are all around you, and it is a bit claustrophobic, but they are books, not crazy T-riders at rush hour, so the feeling of being surrounded with no escape is not as bad as one might imagine. You'll find all of the most recent releases and best sellers here but not some of the more elusive literary titles. They have fantastic story hours for kids and some visiting authors come by for book talks. A lot of the books are signed copies, which is a pleasant discovery. The kids seem to feel really comfortable sprawled out on the floor reading, which is cool because they have their own section in the back. This is a place worth stopping in next time you are in Porter Square, especially if you like coffee while you look at your best sellers.