The Shop Around the Corner: Our International Friends & Other Quebec Curios

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Have you already exhausted the big chain French bookstores? Or perhaps you’re looking for a more specialised foreign language bookstore. We have our picks here!

Bouquinerie Le Plateau
799 avenue Mont-Royal Est (Le Plateau)
A used bookstore, La Bouquinerie has all your bookish needs and more. In the area since the late 1980s, this primarily Québec/international store also has a dedicated CD and DVD section. La Bouquinerie also has a service where they bring the books to you! With 30 000 books and counting, they are sure to have something that spikes your interest, whether your tastes gravitate towards cartoonist Hergé or literary author Michel Folco. Open every day from 10 am to 10 pm.

Las Américas
2075 boulevard St. Laurent (Quartier des Spectacles)
With a multicultural society such as Montreal, it’s natural to find a Spanish bookstore on the Island. In business since 1972, Las Américas is a place to go whether you are starting out learning Spanish or you’re looking for some general interest Spanish books to brush up on the language. You can also search for and order a book on their delightfully trilingual (English/French/Spanish) website; shipping is free in Quebec and Ontario. Open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm, and on Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm.

Librairie Henri Julien
4800 avenue Henri-Julien (Le Plateau)
A rare and out-of-print bookstore, this seller of fine books’ cramped but crammed space offers many English and French books, including, of course, the great classics of French literature. While they do not have much of an online presence, they are ready and willing to answer any questions by phone and email, as well as take orders from your want list. Open Tuesday and Wednesday from 12 to 6 pm, Thursday and Friday from 12 pm to 8 pm, Saturday from 12 pm to 6 pm, and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm.

Librairie Michel Fortin
3714 rue Saint-Denis (Mont-Royal)
This French bookstore specialises in language study books not only in English and French, but German, Italian, and Spanish too! If you study a second language, or are curious about picking up a third or even fourth language, they have all the books, CDs, DVDs, and even electronic dictionaries to help you guide you. Friendly staff members fluent in several languages will also help during your learning journey and help you identify a learning method and instruction manuals that will work for you. Open Monday through Wednesday from 9 am to 6 pm, Thursday and Friday from 9 am to 9 pm, Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm.