Oblong Books & Music

Oblong has been Rhinebeck's bookstore for years. The literary fiction, nonfiction, and kids' sections are solid, and the curation is personal rather than algorithmic, chosen by people who actually read.

Vinyl and CDs run alongside the shelves, and there's a shelf of gifts that skew toward the odd and specific: seed packets, small craft kits, handmade goods that make better presents than another paperback. Handwritten recommendation cards from the staff throughout the shop steer you toward novels you wouldn't have picked up on your own.