Town House Books in bloom

View our photo album and see some familiar faces

About Town House Books
We are an independent bookstore for all ages, with a friendly knowledgeable staff located in historic Century Corners in downtown St. Charles, Illinois. The uniqueness and ambiance of the bookstore, which opened its doors in 1974, carry over into the Town House Café, featuring a menu of fresh-from-scratch soups and creative sandwiches. Our back courtyard is open for lunch every day, weather permitting! In addition we have tables set up outside in front of the bookstore that are available for self service... a perfect spot to sit and enjoy your morning paper with coffee or an afternoon iced tea & sandwich.

Meet Author Marnie O. Mamminga
Saturday July 22
11am-2pm

Return to Wake Robin author Marnie O. Mamminga revisits America's Heartland in a new, dazzling collection of essays about the common experiences that unite those of us who live, love, and work in the Midwest in On a Clear Night: Essays from the Heartland.

With insight and humor, Mamminga chronicles a wide range of small-but-significant moments, including the anxiety of taking a teenager out for driving lessons, the nostalgic pleasure of watching the Cubs at Wrigley Field, the heartache of moving an aging parent into a nursing home, and the quiet bliss of sitting on a cabin's porch under a starry North Woods sky.

Her sharply observed vignettes on the extraordinarily ordinary rhythms of Midwestern life chart our shared passages from childhood to adulthood, working life to retirement, parenthood to grandparenthood and everything in between. With compassion and humor, Mamminga proves that our most personal experiences can unite us and that the most ordinary aspects of our lives can also be the most beautiful.

For more information please call the bookstore at (630) 584-8600.

Personal Shopping Available
Books make the perfect gift and we can help you pick the right book for every age person. Let our knowledgeable staff do the work and, as always, we provide complimentary gift wrapping!

Town House Giving Tuesday
We will be continuing this program as "Town House Giving Tuesdays" throughout the year. On the first Tuesday of each month, Town House will donate 15% of all sales to a different local charity. Thank you in advance for helping us to give back! Our August donations will go to Anderson Animal Shelter.

40th Anniversary Tote Bags Available!
Town House Books tote bags are on sale for $16.95. A roomy canvas bag useful for all your shopping and they also make a great gift.

Connect with Us via Social Media
Follow these links to connect with us on your favorite social media sites. Like us, follow us, keep in touch with upcoming events and let us hear from you: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

When You Want Something Truly Unique

If you're looking for a truly unique book, Town House has limited edition, hand sewn letter press books available. The Least Little Thing is a beautiful collection of contemporary haiku by local author Mark Mitchell, arranged and printed by Larkspur Press. Each book is signed by the author. Hardcover editions are available for $28, paperback editions are $20. The poetry is sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, and always reveals some truthful experience. Here are two examples:

Waxwings in the elm—
their call notes about as faint
as intown starlight.

If time alone will
tell, why is everybody
else talking so much?

Read a review of this book and others.

In The Media

Come inside Town House through this video tour.

Listen to the Made in Chicago feature on WBBM with Julie Mann's interview of David Hunt:

Read the Chicago Tribune story, "Off The Chain," about independent bookstores.

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