Our ultimate list of independently-owned bookstores in Chicago.

These Black-owned Chicago bookstores celebrate writing by people of color and provide inclusive spaces for all readers.

From Chicago Public Library’s crown jewel to dive bars, here are the Chicago bookish community’s list of coziest places to read in Chicago this winter.

Our 2025 Chicago book picks.

There are countless books set in Chicago that teach us the food, history, and culture of the city we love. Here’s our Holiday Gift Guide for the Chicagoans in your life.

Read & Run Chicago's Running Tour of Jane is inspired by the work of the pre-Roe V. Wade abortion counseling service. Guide Kaylee Tock rounds up the books and documentaries worth watching to learn more.

Ever heard of Queer Pulp? This genre wasn’t taken seriously for years—but it was where many Queer people found representation, community, and belonging. Jen Dentel of Gerber/Hart Library & Archives gives us an explanation and a reading list to keep understanding.

Read & Run Chicago guide Quinn Sluzenski rounded up some of the best books and resources to learn more about the pre-Stonewall era in Chicago!

Join Read & Run Chicago founder Allison Yates this summer for a series of three-mile, easy-paced runs inspired by books set in Chicago featuring or about our natural landscape. After the route, discuss the book back at the library branch.

Ready to celebrate Pride Month? Use movement and stories to honor the LGBTQ community—and explore Chicago along the way!

Our Summer 2025 Chicago book picks and why we loved them.

Book recommendations for Women’s History Month.

Read & Run Chicago volunteer Leslie Hiquiana rounds up some of the best Filipino restaurants and cafes in Chicago—and which Mia P. Manansala mystery to read while your’e there.

Here’s every book that inspired a 2024 Read & Run Chicago event.

Here are the books that inspired our events in 2023.

There are countless books set in Chicago that will teach us about the food, history, and culture of the city we love. Here’s our 2023 Holiday Gift Guide for the Chicagoan in your life.

Here are the books that inspired our events in 2022.

Here are the books that inspired our events in 2021.