Shelf Life Books gets top marks for featuring, and carrying, local authors and poets, a decent amount of Canadian content and hosting monthly readings, poetry sessions and book clubs.
A perfectly musty-book smelling place with creaky stairs and knowledgeable staff, Shelf Life Books wins at loving everything about words and reading.
Hard-to-find authors are the norm in this store but what really takes the cake are the above-mentioned readings and book clubs.
If you have a new book coming out, want to host a poetry reading or have a book you're keen to discuss with others interested in reading, Shelf Life can accommodate. I have been to a handful of readings at this store and they are always intimate, interesting and include snacks!
With most small, local bookstores going the way of the dodo, Shelf Life Books has managed to find a niche in it's reading events that keeps it a beacon for local talent in Calgary.
T.