6. WORD (126 Franklin Street):

If you’re in Greenpoint and you don’t want to dig around at The Thing all day, WORD’s got you covered. A seriously kick-ass community bookstore with the best YA book events in the city (that’s Young Adult for all you non-lit nerds out there; think The  Hunger Games  or–yes, okay–The Twilight Series, and you’re on the right track), WORD is one of the best bookstores I’ve ever set foot in. It is community-oriented, but globally-minded, eccentric, helpful, and reliable, accessible to hardcore word nerds but still inviting to dabblers in the art of reading. It is fun to hang out there, and their selection celebrates both well-known authors and first-time crafters of fiction and nonfiction. Plus, they truly love Greenpoint, and will tell you all about their favorite hangouts if you let them. Essentially, WORD is the kind of local bookstore that doesn’t just inhabit its community, but enhances the personality of the neighborhood and strives to promote its welfare. And if all this somehow fails to convince you to make the trip, WORD’s website also gives its own reason to stop by: “Because books are the repository of all that is good in this world, and we love them, and we love you.” We love you, too, WORD. Quite a bit.