So far, it’s been a gray, cold, wet February. With spring seemingly ages away, it’s prime season for hunkering down with a good, old-fashioned paper-based book and escaping to somewhere warmer or more exciting.

Thankfully, writes Patrick Rapa for Philadelphia magazine, Chester County has excellent bookstores in which readers can stock up.

Baldwin’s Book Barn is an amazing treasure trove for any true bibliophile. Room after room, floor after floor, an astounding selection of books in all types of genres await browsers. There are also many signed and first-print editions, as well as plenty of cheap, rare, and just-plain weird stuff (The Book of Storms by Eric Sloane anyone? … Anyone?).

This gem is located at 865 Lenape Road in West Chester.

Meanwhile, Wellington Square Bookshop is a charming and cozy shop and café that promises “lots of nooks and crannies where you can curl up, relax, and read.”

The store can be found at 549 Wellington Square in Exton.

Read more about the region’s best bookstores in Philadelphia magazine.