Montague Book Mill

If you could take just one photo: Old books and good beer in the boonies

Located on the back roads of western Massachusetts, the Montague Book Mill has 25,000 books jammed into a 175 year old building perched on the banks of the Sawmill River, a narrow creek filled with black stones smoothed by the cold water. Like most old mill buildings in the region, the revamped interior has retained most of it's character, with scuffed wooden floors, giant windows, and traces of the industrial nature it once had. The maze-like aisles and staircase make the book searching nearly as enjoyable as the book browsing: in every corner you’ll find an armchair, bench, or couch to take in the view over the fast moving river. Readers can be found in both the summer afternoon sun or cuddling up during a blizzard, reading about everything from astrology to African history to arachnids, to abstract art. Don't miss the adjoining café whose huge windows overlook the rushing waterfall. A hearty sandwich and pint of beer are perfect for enjoying an afternoon at this gem of a store in Western Massachusetts.

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With its slogan “books you don’t need in a place you can’t find,” the Montague Bookmill has secured its standing among the most delightful places in which to get lost. Grab one of the café’s sandwiches (like the brie with apricot jam and marinated apple), take a seat by a sunny window, and get carried away by the rushing Sawmill River. Traverse the creaky wooden floors and browse a selection of titles that marries classic and idiosyncratic (Edith Wharton and Virginia Woolf meets Marxist mistrals and old paddling guides). Even before you check out the bathroom, with its quirkily papered walls (news of Norman Mailer stabbing his wife in 1960, a poster of Frank Zappa For President, a Hungarian transportation map), you’ve fallen in love with this repurposed New England gristmill clinging to the riverbank. While there's no better place to read, the bookmill also hosts folk and bluegrass shows, film screenings, and other events.

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