I admit it with no shame: I am a bibliophile and am constantly running out of things to read while traveling. I find many travelers in the same boat, especially business travelers. This chain of four books stores (so far) has the best merchandising of books in Costa Rica, which at times exceeds the style of Barnes and Noble in the USA. Other locations are: San Pedro, (300m. west of Taco Bell, Barrio Dent tel 506 253 9553), Multiplaza (tel. 506 288 1138) and Rohrmoser (by El Fogoncito restaurant in Bulevar Rohrmoser 100 m. west and 25 m. south, tel. 506 220 3015).
I mention them because I found no where to buy books (in any language in the San Jose airport, but at these four Librerias Internacional, you can find books in English, Spanish and German. The selection has a heavy emphasis on design and cooking, but you can find many classic novels, bestsellers and works of philosophy and bilingual dictionaries as well. Their prices are outstanding, sometimes less than in the USA.