6 bookish homes for readers

Healdsburg, Calif.

This 1988 Mediterranean-style home in Sonoma County has a C-shaped library with a windowed reading nook. The main four-bedroom features a double-height foyer, hardwood floors, coffered ceilings, an all-white kitchen, a curved staircase, and a dining room with arch-topped French doors.

The 10-plus-acre lot also has a detached studio, a vineyard and gardens, and an entertainment area with a pergola, kitchen, fireplace, pool, and sports courts. $7,950,000. Lisa Albertson, Vanguard Properties/Luxury Portfolio International, (415) 450-7768

Matinecock, N.Y.

Accessed by a spiral staircase, the library in this 1968 modernist home on Long Island’s North Shore has leafy views and is tucked under the curved roofline. The four-bedroom’s great room includes 19-foot wood ceilings, stone floors, and glass walls.

On the property’s 5 acres, the botanist owner has grown specimen plants, trees, and a meadow garden, complemented by an outdoor sculpture, walking paths, and a Native American geological landmark. $3,875,000. Paul Mateyunas, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, (516) 816-0301

Waterville Valley, N.H.

Located on Snow’s Mountain in the White Mountain National Forest, this 1995 four-bedroom Gothic-revival home is owned by Robin Cook, the author of Coma and other best-selling novels, and features the private, glass-walled cupola office where he worked.

The home also includes a living room with a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, a dining room with dramatic wallpaper, and a green marble primary bath. The wooded 1-acre lot is minutes from town and a ski resort. $1,999,000. Mike Aronson, Waterville Valley Realty, (603) 236-8333 ext. 18

Scituate, Mass.

Near the coast about an hour from Boston, this four-bedroom 1893 Tudor was once the Pierce Memorial Library. A cherrywood-clad office includes built-ins, paneling, coffered ceilings, and a bourbon bar, while the home’s living room has 20-foot ceilings, a limestone fireplace, and split stairs to a loft den with a pool table.

On the nearly 1-acre lot are mature trees and a flat backyard with a stone fireplace, patio, and fountain. $1,799,000. Julie McCarthy, Compass, (774) 249-2172

London

Built for a painter, then owned by a pianist, this three-bedroom, Arts and Crafts–style townhouse in the affluent Chelsea neighborhood is several doors from A.A. Milne’s house of 20 years, where he wrote the Winnie-the-Pooh books.

The updated three-story home has wood floors, a modern kitchen, a library with built-ins, and two offices with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Outside is a terrace; multiple famed bookstores are nearby. $8,466,540. Stacy Sims, Knightsbridge—United Kingdom Sotheby’s International Realty, +44 2046 130200

Portland, Ore.

In the Pearl District, this 2004 one-bedroom condo is across the street from Powell’s City of Books—known as the largest bookstore in the world. The contemporary home includes high ceilings, hardwood floors, a kitchen with stone counters, a bedroom with a walk-in closet, and in-unit laundry.

A covered terrace has city and mountain views. Dining, shopping, and a park are all within walking distance. $469,000. Chad Estes, Coldwell Banker Bain, (503) 867-6388