One of the things I enjoy the most is settling on a comfy couch with a book in hand. My love for reading has taken me to multiple bookshops in Nairobi, and I’d like to share some places where you’ll find your next favorite read.
Whether you prefer to go into the store, grab your copy and leave, or linger around and start reading right there, you’ll find something that works for you.
So let’s get straight into it.
Kilimani and Lavington
Bookstop
First on our list is Bookstop, a store located in Yaya Centre. The large, modern store has multiple book genres ranging from philosophy to fiction, agriculture, interior design, politics, and business. Its prices are higher than most bookstores in Nairobi, but it houses such a large variety that you will most likely find the title you are looking for.
Open Hours:10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
CheChe Bookshop
Cheche Bookshop is more than just a place to pick up your favorite books. You’ll be treated to a beautiful wall art display, comfy Ankara seats, and a cafe. They stock a curated selection of Pan-African and feminist books that are great for learning about African cultures and getting a taste of the African writers’ narrative styles.
Cheche Bookshop also has a beautiful garden with some seating space. Feel free to settle down with your newly bought read and a hot cup of coffee. And, if you stick around, you may even catch a live event like music, poetry performance, or a book launch.
The Bookshop is located just off Muthangari Road along Kauria Close next to Chekafe, one of the best Japanese restaurants in Nairobi.
Open Hours: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (closed on Mondays)
HalfPriced Books
HalfPriced Books is located on the first floor at Lavington Green Mall. But, it’s a bit hidden, so take care not to miss it. Once at the Lavington Mall, HalfPriced Books is at the building to the right of the main mall, next to Glory Driving School, one level upl.
They sell a mix of new and used books, and while there aren’t any labels on the bookshelves, you can seek help from the staff to find specifc books. They are knowledgeable about what’s available and willing to take you around, showing you where to look.
The book selection includes business, self-help, Christian, finance, children’s books, and a few African authors, all at really low prices.
Open Hours: 7:45 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Prestige Bookshop
Apart from plenty of fiction, you’ll also find a legal section with law books, a variety of self-help books, some African fiction, and numerous business and finance books at the Prestige Bookshop.
The store’s well-labeled bookshelves make it easy to find what you’re looking for, allowing you to explore on your own. But, if you can’t locate a book, you can speak to one of the friendly attendants to get help.
Prestige Bookshop is at Lavington Mall, but it’s not in the main building. You’ll find it behind the main mall, close to Chandarana Supermarket, one level up from the car park.
Open Hours: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Soma Nami
Soma Nami, Swahili for ‘read with me,’ started out as a book club that met monthly and had a book review website. The book club went on to open a physical store and started selling books alongside the monthly meeting.
Specializing in African titles, Soma Nami reflects a sense of Pan-Africanism with an inviting, colorful Ankara-themed seating area surrounded by bookshelves. The space makes you want to sit with your friends to discuss the books you find on the shelves. But, in case you went there alone, feel free to speak to the staff. You can get recommendations on what to buy or just learn about some African titles they have in stock.
PS: You can also get beautiful notebooks and tote bags to go with your books. Perfect gift idea if you’re in the market for one.
Open Hours: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Text Book Centre Junction
Text Book Centre is one of Nairobi’s largest, most popular bookshops and has multiple locations. It features well-stocked stores with a range of items like course books, stationery, notebooks, office supplies, board games, electronics and electronic accessories, art supplies, and a few toys.
Text Book Centre is especially popular among parents of school-going kids, as you can get almost everything listed on the shopping lists for back-to-school items. They’re often well-stocked with relevant course books for all levels including some college text books.
Apart from school books, Text Book Centre also has multiple bestsellers, making it ideal for people of all ages and with various interests. You’ll find children’s books, cookbooks, history, memoirs, and encyclopedias.
And, in case an item runs out at one store, you can get it from the other branches or have it delivered to your house. You can also browse through their website and order items online.
Text Book Centre’s Junction Mall branch is divided into two areas: one has books, while the other has stationery, office supplies, toys, and art supplies.
Open Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Westlands
Text Book Centre Sarit
The Sarit Centre branch of Text Book Centre is a huge bookstore with a large variety of school textbooks, multiple book genres, and whole sections of office supplies, toys, children’s backpacks, art supplies, and stationery.
Text Book Centre Sarit also occasionally hosts book signing events and a kids’ book club event. Keep a look out on their social media to be informed of any live book readings for children. They also post books for kids to read monthly, which you can get for your child and join in on the monthly group reads.
Open Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Nairobi CBD
Prestige Bookshop
Prestige Bookshop is located in a less crowded part of the Nairobi CBD, right along Mama Ngina Street, across from Java House. While it is a small space, it packs many books focusing on contemporary bestsellers, including self-help, autobiographies, and a few Swahili books. Its shelves are labeled in bright markings to help you easily find what you’re looking for.
Open Hours: 9a.m. – 5p.m.
Text Book Centre Kenyatta Ave.
Back-to-school shopping here will be easy! Just hand over your list of items to the staff, and before you know it, you’ll have a full basket of items ready for checkout. It also helps that they have both textbooks and stationery. You won’t have to go from shop to shop looking for different items
It gets really crowded with last-minute shoppers a day or two before a new term begins, so you may experience slower service from the attendants.
Apart from school items, Text Book Centre at Kenyatta Avenue also has bestsellers in the self-help, fiction, finance and theology niches, among multiple other genres. You’ll also find supplies for arts and crafts such as canvases, acrylic paints and paint brushes, making it a one stop shop for book lovers, people looking to learn something new and artists as well.
Open Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
HalfPriced Books
The HalfPriced Books at Nairobi CBD is a tiny hidden bookstore with surprisingly many books. It’s located at Bihi Towers, along Moi Avenue, on the second floor. Look for the stall numbers on top of each stall’s entrance to find stall five (5), where HalfPriced Books is.
They stock new and used books but have a larger used books collection. Because of the large used books collection, you’ll likely find some random reads from different genres, including psychology books, Christian titles, and children/young adult books. So even if you don’t find the book you wanted, you might just leave with something anyway.
HalfPriced Books’ used books are often in really good condition – almost new-looking. And their prices are some of the most competitive I’ve seen around! I’d recommend this particular branch of HalfPriced Books for when you are not too particular about the exact title you’d like, but are open to finding something random and surprising.
They also sell mugs and scented candles that you can buy for yourself or pair up with a book to gift someone.
Open Hours: 7:45 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Recommended Reading: For more secondhand goodies, check out our guide to thrift shopping in Nairobi.
Attic Books
If you’ve been looking for anime, manga, and comic books, Attic Books is one of the few places in Nairobi that stocks quite a variety of them. Apart from comic books, Attic Books also has an impressive list of biographies at the store, a small shelf of kids books, some fiction, business, creative writing and poetry as well.
Attic Books is a tiny store that is located next to Nation Centre, on the second floor of the Pioneer Kimathi Street building. Ignore the sign that says its on the first floor, since you’ll go up two flights of stairs to get to there.
PS: Check out their online bargain shop to get second-hand books at dirt-cheap prices.
Open Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Gigiri
HalfPriced Books
HalfPriced Books in Gigiri has new and used books and very helpful staff willing to show you around and give recommendations. If you don’t find a book you need at the Gigiri branch, the staff will always check with the other two branches and go above and beyond to get it for you. It’s also ideally located at Village Market, so you get ample parking and access to other activities aside from shopping for books.
Open Hours: 7:45 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Text Book Centre Village Market
While smaller than other Text Book Centre branches, the Village Market branch still packs a wide variety of books, notebooks, stationery, art supplies, toys, board games, and some office supplies. You won’t find a lot of electronics here, but you will find quite a variety of items, including multiple staplers, box files, pencils, and coloring books for kids and adults.
Open Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Karen and Langata
Text Book Centre The Hub
The Hub’s branch of Text Book Centre features a wide selection of books, including course books, popular titles such as Michelle Obama’s Becoming, and language books. You’ll also find school/office supplies and some art supplies. They have many items you might need in your office space or for schools, such as box cutters, name badges, envelopes, and desk organizers to store your pens and pencils in.
Open Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Text Book Centre Galleria
At Text Book Centre Galleria Mall, artists or people looking to find items for crafts will get multiple art supplies. Find a range of products such as acrylic paints, sketchbooks, markers, pens, and glitter powder.
You also have a books section that is especially focused on course books with a few motivational, fiction, and finance bestsellers, and a stationery section where you can get crayons, pencil sharpeners, and mathematical sets, among other things.
Open Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Online Bookshops
Sometimes you just want the convenience of searching for a book from home. So here are a few options of places other than Text Book Centre where you can get the book you’re looking for.
Rafubooks
Rafubooks has a pretty easy-to-use website where you can browse and order your books. Use the search function to find a specific author or search by genre to see what they have in stock.
Rafubooks includes leisure, personal growth and medical genres and a large list of topics by African writers. You will also find course books for the multiple education systems and levels in Kenya and some stationery for the office and school. Rafubooks also has board games and some gift items like chocolate, flowers, wine and whiskey, and a few other gift options that you can order and send directly to the person you’d like to gift.
Attic Books
Attic Books also has a website that can feel quite overwhelming when you first open it. But, once you filter by category, you will find it easy to use. You can also always simply directly search for the exact title you need. Deliveries are quick, taking as little as 24 hours or less, and they can deliver to you anywhere in Kenya.
PS: If you’re looking for a bargain, their Bargain Shop page has used books for as low as 100 KES.
Final Thoughts
Over to you. Time to explore Nairobi’s best bookshops and add to your collection. And while you’re at it, check out the best coffee shops and restaurants in Nairobi to find a place to read from next. Solo date plan, anyone?
Meanwhile, let me return to my latest read, Thursday by Jackson Biko.
