In-Store Shopping
We are an independent bookstore for all ages, with a friendly knowledgeable staff located in historic downtown St. Charles, Illinois since 1974 (see hours).
The uniqueness and ambiance of the bookstore carry over into Town House Café, featuring a menu of fresh-from-scratch soups and creative sandwiches. Visit the Café website: townhousecafe.com.
Online Shopping
You can also shop online 24/7 through our store at Bookshop.org. We carefully create lists of recommendations under topics such as:
“I have a more or less irresistible passion for books and I have a need continually to educate myself, to study, if you like, precisely as I need to eat my bread.”
-Vincent Van Gogh
Popular Staff-Curated Lists
(Click on any book below to purchase or learn more. To see full lists, visit our online store.)
Town House Books Recommends
FICTION
WINNER OF THE 2021 BOOKER PRIZE… it’s a complex, ambitious and brilliant work—one that provides Galgut’s fullest exploration yet of the poisonous legacy of apartheid. –The Irish Times Read more/purchase
For more great fiction, check out these lists we’ve created just for you!
- Latest In Fiction: Books hot off the press from Isabel Allende, Ken Follett, Lily King, Sequoia Nagamatsu, Kerri Maher and many others.
- Books for Shorter Attention Spans: Short fiction for tight schedules. A wide range of the classics—Tillie Olsen, Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, and Alice Munro—to newer writers such as Sabrina Orah Mark, Emma Cline, Allie Brosh and others.
- Timeless Town House Favorites: Our personal favorites that have stood the test of time.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
A great book about prejudice and being open to new neighbors, friends, and experiences. After fleeing his home, Fox arrives in a new forest. Tired and looking for a friend, Fox knocks on the first door he sees. Will Fox make a new friend? Read more/purchase
For more great books for kids, check out these lists curated by our staff.
- Exciting New Books for Kids: New titles by Paul McCartney and Mo Willems as well as many other great bedtime and animal books that kids will love. Something for every interest.
- New Books for Middle Readers – Ages 8-12: Sharon Creech, J. K. Rowling, Naomi Shihab Nye, along with dozens of your favorite authors will help keep your kid’s reading.
- Young Adult Reader: Check out the latest from Alison McGhee, Samantha Mabry, Neil Gaiman, Ashley Poston, Nicola Yoon, and others. Some truly wonderful new books.
COOKBOOKS
This collection of more than 60 recipes celebrates the traditions of classic Italian cooking with room for you to make it personal and fresh. From pasta and pizza to antipasto, sides and sweets, these special recipes invite you to cherish memories in the kitchen and rediscover the incredible flavors of authentic Italian food. Read more/purchase
For more wonderful cookbooks, shop our online lists including the latest as well as the classics.
- Exciting New Cookbooks: All the hot out of the oven new titles from Nigella Lawson, Martha Stewart, America’s Test Kitchen, Ina Garten, Gordon Ramsay, Thomas Keller, and many others.
- The Love Of Food & Drink: Want to explore cooking and food more deeply? Here’s a wide selection of books covering all varieties of dining and food, tea, wine, cocktails, as well as behind the scenes with some of your favorite chefs and authors.
- Cookbooks For All: Browse our online shelves full to the brim with the classics covering every possible genre, craving, sensibility and diet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many customers have asked which is the best way to support us, through shopping in the store or at our online store. The answer is that we benefit from both. We want you to choose whichever is best for you and we appreciate your business either way!
Gift certificates are purchased in our St. Charles store and can be used only in the bookstore and café. The gift card is purchased and used exclusively at our online store at bookshop.org.
Bookshop.org began early in 2020 to give independent bookstores a way to set up their own online bookstores to compete by giving us a national unified presence. Bookshop.org also offers discounted pricing and other specials. If you see our logo and name in the upper left hand corner, you’ll know you’re shopping our store on Bookshop.org.
Book Store Hours:
Monday – Saturday
9:00am – 4:00pm
Closed Sunday
Book Store Holiday Closures:
New Year’s Day
January 2nd for Inventory
Easter Sunday
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas Eve, early closing (please call for hours)
Town House Books & Café
105 North 2nd Avenue
St. Charles, Illinois 60174
Bookstore: (630) 584-8600
Café: (630) 584-8603
E-mail: thb105@gmail.com
Map & Directions
Some customers have expressed concern that Town House Books and not some other store is getting credit when they buy from our online store at bookshop.org. Make sure you see our logo and name in the upper left hand corner of the pages as you’re shopping and checking out. If not, click on “Find a bookstore” in the upper right of the page, and choose Town House from the search results.
