Horror Aficionados discussion

I love used bookstores, and I'm lucky enough to live very close to two in Jacksonville, FL: Chamblin's. Between the two locations, there is close to 60,000 sq. ft. of nothing but books. I never know what treasures I will find, like this I purchased today for only $6:



What are your favorites? The first thing I do when visiting a new city is look for used bookstores, and recommendations are welcome!

I live in a very small town (less than 4000 residents), but we have a huge used book store. Retold Tales. I go there are least twice a week.

https://www.retoldtales.net/

Sometimes I take for granted that the city I work in is home to one of the largest independent book stores in the US. In fact, I need to make a trip here very soon - The Book Loft. 32 rooms of books!! The link below (if it works) takes you to a page of photos showing why I love this store so much!! :)

https://www.bookloft.com/tour-store

TheresaW wrote: "Sometimes I take for granted that the city I work in is home to one of the largest independent book stores in the US. In fact, I need to make a trip here very soon - The Book Loft. 32 rooms of book..."

What a fantastic bookstore! Mine is quite minimalist compared to yours:









I err when I say they carry nothing but books. Like most, they carry audio CDs, DVD/Blu-Rays, etc. In fact, I picked up this little gem today too:

I wish I lived closer to it but the book around the corner is my dream bookstore, amazing curated horror books. I joined the monthly book club there recently.

Dana wrote: "TheresaW wrote: "Sometimes I take for granted that the city I work in is home to one of the largest independent book stores in the US. In fact, I need to make a trip here very soon - The Book Loft...."

But I REALLY scored when I found these for a grand total of $8:

Aimee wrote: "I wish I lived closer to it but the book around the corner is my dream bookstore, amazing curated horror books. I joined the monthly book club there recently."

A curated horror collection sounds amazing! I'd love a bookstore that did that! 💜

TheresaW wrote: "Sometimes I take for granted that the city I work in is home to one of the largest independent book stores in the US. In fact, I need to make a trip here very soon - The Book Loft. 32 rooms of book..."

That looks fantastic!

@Dana - great finds! Your hometown bookstore, while it may be minimalist compared to mine, still looks amazing! Just look at all of those books. Stacks and stacks of them. I could spend days in that store as well! Show me a stack of books - any genre, or mix of genres - and I'll show you an entire day of browsing, reading, sorting, and forgetting about the *real* world! :)

Kandice wrote: "That looks fantastic!"

It really is a little bit of heaven right here in Columbus! :)

I'm going here next week: https://bookmans.com/
It's a great place to trade in books that have been read and dig through the shelves to look for something different. I can spend hours there.

I'm loving all of these photos and links to favorite bookstores! I wish I could take a trip and spend a day in each of them with you all! Wouldn't that be a dream vacation?? The tour of the favorite bookstores of HA!

TheresaW wrote: "I'm loving all of these photos and links to favorite bookstores! I wish I could take a trip and spend a day in each of them with you all! Wouldn't that be a dream vacation?? The tour of the favorit..."

It's small, but my favorite bookstore, bar none, is Gerald Winters and Son in Bangor, Maine. My husband took me to Bangor for my 50th birthday and despite Gerald being closed due to Covid, he met us at the store and let me shop. It was a lifelong dream, and we still email to this day. He is the nicest man and a true collector!

For ordering online, Powell's https://www.powells.com/

While there are a couple of decent used books stores in my city, they both tend to sell newer, nicer copies so the books are still kinda expensive even at half off. However, two cities over is a great indie used bookstore that is getting ready to reopen after being forced to move last year. She has over 250k books and is a horror fan so there's actually a decent selection of horror in her stacks.
Jeannies Used Books - https://www.facebook.com/Pagesnotpixels

This is the only used bookstore close to me is one a couple of towns over:

http://www.anniesbookstopraynham.com/


I don't really go there anymore because their prices are kind of insane. They charge full cover prices for hard cover and new books and their used books aren't really any better. Nowadays, I use Thiftbooks: https://www.thriftbooks.com/

If I see a Half Priced Books, I'll stop in for sure.

Erin wrote: "This is the only used bookstore close to me is one a couple of towns over:

http://www.anniesbookstopraynham.com/


I don't really go there anymore because their prices are kind of insane. They cha..."

I buy from Thrift Books and Abe Books all the time! Most of what I order is free shipping, and they are always in the stated condition. As much as I love the local used book store, the prices are a bit steep. I shop there, but supplement with the less expensive. ;-)

Elliott Bay Bookstore in Seattle, WA, and Adventures Underground in Richland, WA.

Kandice wrote: "I buy from Thrift Books and Abe Books all the time! Most of what I order is free shipping, and they are always in the stated condition. As much as I love the local used book store, the prices are a bit steep. I shop there, but supplement with the less expensive. ;-)"

Same - I swear Thrift Books would have to realign their budget if I ever quit buying books from them! 🤣😂

Kandice wrote: "Erin wrote: "This is the only used bookstore close to me is one a couple of towns over:

http://www.anniesbookstopraynham.com/


I don't really go there anymore because their prices are kind of ins..."


I've never had issues with Thrift Books either when it comes to the condition of their books. I also like their points system where you can earn a free book.

I love my local Dymocks - it's in an arcade and there's an escalator down to it so as you head down the sea of books opens up around you. Such a beautiful, big bookstore!

I'm also a bit biased towards the one I work in lol. We do sci-fi, fantasy, horror, comics, graphic novels and manga. Surrounded by joy every day :D

Krystal wrote: "I love my local Dymocks - it's in an arcade and there's an escalator down to it so as you head down the sea of books opens up around you. Such a beautiful, big bookstore!

I'm also a bit biased tow..."

That reminds me a little of a bookstore chain called Borders. There used to be one store that was two levels so when you went up or down the escalator, all you would see was just books everywhere, it was great.

Charlotte, NC:

Bookbuyers
The Bookrack
2nd & Charles (Also in Chesepeake,VA)

Erin wrote: "I've never had issues with Thrift Books either when it comes to the condition of their books. I also like their points system where you can earn a free book."

I have to be careful with Thrift Books! Especially when they remind me of their "red tag sales." Buy more books, get a bigger discount! It's the perfect excuse for me to buy ALL the books! 😂 I also love an online used book store called Discover Books. They offer blind grab bundles. You have no idea what you're going to get, aside from the genre. I love a good surprise.

I don't have any experience with Thrift Books. I've been hesitant because (and I hate to admit it) Amazon has spoiled me with, more often than not, same-day delivery. Is shipping fast? I'm sure it depends on geography, but when I find a book I've been searching for, I can be impatient. I do have a growing wish list on Thrift Books. My bank account would take a big hit if I decided to start ordering. I know, I know; I could order a few at a time, but those books, oh my ~ sigh!

Better World Books is a good online resource and for every book you buy they donate one to a literacy program.

Also Charlotte area:

That's Novel Books
Julia's Cafe & Books (very small, but attached to HfH ReStore)

Kirsten wrote: "Better World Books is a good online resource and for every book you buy they donate one to a literacy program."

I love this! I haven't heard of them. I'm going to go check them out now. :) Thanks for sharing, Kirsten!

TheresaW wrote: "Erin wrote: "I've never had issues with Thrift Books either when it comes to the condition of their books. I also like their points system where you can earn a free book."

I have to be careful wit..."

Blind grab bundles sounds interesting! I like the idea of getting books and not knowing what they are in advance. I guess the only thing would be getting a book I already read.

Erin wrote: "Blind grab bundles sounds interesting! I like the idea of getting books and not knowing what they are in advance. I guess the only thing would be getting a book I already read."

Yeah, that was a concern of mine too. It only happened a couple of times - with Stephen King books, of course! I now have an extra copy of Insomnia and Needful Things, I believe. :)

I went to Bookman's yesterday with two big bags stuffed with books I longer wanted. They took about 3/4 of them and gave me $110 in store credit!
I looked around the shelves there and had no trouble at all picking out a little pile of books that I wanted. I ended up spending most of that credit. Easy come, easy go. :)

WendyB wrote: "I went to Bookman's yesterday with two big bags stuffed with books I longer wanted. They took about 3/4 of them and gave me $110 in store credit!
I looked around the shelves there and had no trou..."

That's awesome!