An in-store author appearance & reading is what finally got me down to Changing Hands. I've been meaning to check it out for eons, but it's not in the most convenient part of Tempe, especially when you're in central Phoenix, and are trying to get there midweek in evening rush hour.
Anyway, granted, the author I went to see is actually a friend of mine, but that's besides the point. Changing Hands is a great change of pace from B&N/Borders/Bookstar-ville. Every staff member I talked to seemed like an avid fan of books and not just working there "because it's a job." Definitely a place where I'd trust their recommendations.
A great array of books that I'll have to survey in more detail next time (along with checking out Wildflower next door), but they had some really great stuff on the sci-fi, travel and political front.
I just wish it didn't have to be in a suburban strip mall but you can't have everything. Maybe they'll open an "annex" in downtown Phoenix down the road?
In any case, it's definitely a joint worth the effort driving to and spending a few hours in (maybe not during evening rush hour, but spending full Saturday afternoons in July there when it's 113 degrees outside sounds like an awesome idea).