Kelley O.
Yelp
People will often say that used bookstores are great for people who love books. I don't really buy into this, though I love to read and even do love many books themselves. But I don't love those gigantic hardcover versions of Danielle Steele or John Grisham novels; in fact, I don't even like paperback versions of those, and these shops often have plenty of both. In most used bookstores, you see a lot of books that were once best-sellers, and every once in a while, if you're lucky, you might find a copy of something by Freud or Aristotle--but it'll smell funny, and it won't be out of print, so it's probably not worth dealing with the smell if you're actually going to read it. Maybe a good place for people who love books (and are willing to bear--or even love--the musty odor), but not necessarily for people who love to read.
That's not the case at Angel City; in fact, looking at the Philosophy, Literature, Psychology, and French Literature sections, there was far more I'd be interested in reading than I could find at most regular bookstores, and the bestsellers were few and far between, which was a welcome change. And yet, despite how I may come across in this review, the store is not at all pretentious, and the range extends far beyond the sections that particularly interested me. I don't know how the owners choose what books they buy, but by the selection I'd say they've got to be interesting people.
I was going to give it four stars, because I'd prefer to reserve the fifth star for a used book store that sells only classics. But I don't know if one exists at all, let alone in LA, and I gave Gene de Chene Books 4 stars...so there you have it. This really is a gem of a store, and a surprising find in a city that often seems more taken by artifice than art.
