If you love books, Washington D.C. is your town. It has some terrific bookstores, from the serious to the quirky.

A Likely Story Children's Books www.alikelystorybooks.com

Child magazine called this store the best children's bookstore in the country. It's well stocked and has a regular series of readings and character presentations. Call or see the Web site for programs. You can get to the bookstore via the Metro; get off at King Street (Yellow or Blue Line) and walk two blocks east. Open Monday to Saturday, 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.; Sunday, 1 P.M. to 5 P.M. It has extended summer hours.

Chapters: A Literary Bookstore www.chaptersliterary.com

This is a national monument to the importance of reading books and a dying breed. Chapters is a very literary bookstore (literary meaning fiction, poetry, belles lettres, foreign language) where authors frequently come to give free readings — check with the bookstore or the Web site about the schedule. Every July, Chapters holds a birthday party for Proust, and on Fridays there are free cookies, tea, and sherry.

Idle Time Books www.abebook.com/home/idletime

Located in Adams Morgan, here are three floors containing 50,000 quality used paperback and hardcover books of every description, including children's. You can get former bestsellers for a few dollars. You'll have to hunt, but it's worth your time (and fun, too).

Kramerbooks and Afterwords Café & Grill www.kramers.com

This has been a Washington institution since 1976. Some people spend the better part of their day at this cyber café, bookstore, and restaurant in Dupont Circle. The food's good and moderately priced; the people-watching is the best; the books, of course, are wonderful. A caution is that the ambiance (the menus and promo posters) tend to be a bit risqué — you should check the Web site before visting. It serves daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late supper; there's brunch on the weekends. Open daily 7:30 A.M. to 1 A.M.; open twenty-four hours on Friday and Saturday nights.

Lantern Bryn Mawr Bookshop www.his.com/~lantern

This Georgetown used bookstore is a favorite for local university students, because you can purchase slightly worn hardcovers for as little as $3 and paperbacks for $1. Old records (lots of '70s rock) and used CDs are also available. Open weekdays, 11 A.M. to 4 P.M.; Saturday to 5 P.M.; Sunday, noon to 4 P.M.

Politics and Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse www.politics-prose.com

Another Dupont Circle institution, even D.C. politicians come here to shop for books on history, political theory, and scandal. The store daily, and sometimes twice daily, features heavy-duty political speakers and heated discussions, so call or check the Web site for events and scheduling. Also see the site's children's page. Open Monday to Thursday, 9 A.M. to 10 P.M.; Friday and Saturday to 1 P.M.; Sunday, 10 A.M. to 8 P.M. Take the Red Line to Van Ness, walk one mile (fifteen minutes) north, or take the L1 or L2 bus from the Metro.