Several indie bookstores made this year's list of the "top 10 places to read and write in Chicago," as chosen by the Chicago Review of Books, which noted: "One of the first articles we published at the Chicago Review of Books was a list of Chicago's best places to read and write. A lot has changed since then, including new bookstores and literary institutions, so I figured it was time for an update."
Among the booksellers mentioned were Volumes Bookcafe ("it's become one of Chicago's literary epicenters), Curbside Books & Records (plenty of tables and chairs for reading and writing") and the Book Cellar ("one of the most popular places for authors and fans to gather").