Would you rather be reading a book above anything else? Do you decline going out on weekends just to spend time with a special book? Are you always having to convince your friends that the book is always better than the movie? Then you are definitely showing signs and symptoms of a bookworm.

Bookworms often like to stay in their homemade cocoon of blankets and a comfy couch and often feed on coffee, tea and sweet snacks. When they emerge from their habitat, usually sleep-deprived and in slight emotional turmoil from the book they managed to finish in record time, it is time to go on the look out and scout for more books.

Kerra Seay, a book enthusiast since as long as she could remember, used to ask her parents to read to her every night.

“Once I learned to read myself I never stopped. As a quiet kid, reading was my escape. I think that’s why, as an adult, bookstores are my happy place. Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed because there’s so much to read and I don’t have enough time,” Seay said.

A bookworm lives and breathes books, which is why having bookstores to go to and stock up on more is essential. London offers a variety of bookstores and libraries that should be a necessary part of a bookworms list.

City Lights Bookshop 356 Richmond Street

Known as “Canada’s most unusual bookstore since 1975”. It is a two-level store filled with mostly second hand books that are half of the original selling retail price. Collectors’ editions and the wide variety of genres and books make this bookstore an ideal place for a bookworm. The store also sells CDs, records, sheet music, posters and magazines, many of which now cannot be found in first-hand retail stores. The cozy atmosphere and the cultured and classic feel of the antique bookstore enhance a reader’s visit. Employee Eric Norwood described the bookstore as being unique in London for its variety, and compared searching for a book to going on a treasure hunt.

Attic Books 240 Dundas Street

An antique bookstore that carries books, prints and maps. Outside of the store during the warm weather are “loonie bins” that hold items that can be purchased for $1. Inside there are three floors where books are sectioned by genre. Second-hand books can be sold or donated by appointment, which makes it a great place to get rid of some oldies and replace your bookshelf with some new ones.

The Mystic Bookshop 612 Dundas Street

A unique bookstore that lives up to its name. The store has its own cat, a fortune teller machine and incense burning that adds to the mystical atmosphere of the store.

“The feel [of The Mystic Bookshop] is something that has been built into it over time,” explained employee Cory McCauley.

He explained the store as being different compared to other bookstores in London because it carries a little bit of everything. All of the items brought into the store are firsthand.

While bigger and mainstream bookstores such as Indigo are a great place to buy a selection of books, nothing compares to an antique and unique experience that is associated with small bookstores. Next time you choose to go out to buy a book, check out some of London’s local bookstores that are guaranteed to not disappoint.