If you enjoy reading it can be difficult to decide what book to pick up next. Or Perhaps you’re trying to get into reading and don’t know where to start. Maybe you’re like me and nothing in the mountain of books on your shelf is quite appealing. Whatever the reason for your reading rut, you may find what you didn’t know you’re looking for at a used bookstore.
It is no secret, that new books have become expensive. Even ones that haven’t received much success can still run you a pretty penny. On average in the United States, a book can cost anywhere from $13 – $18, and very often even more than that. Which can be a lot of money to spend on something that is essentially a gamble. There is no guarantee you will enjoy a book, no matter how good the reviews are or who recommended it to you.
However, at a used bookstore, you can purchase multiple books for a fraction of the price of one. The beauty in this is that it can push you outside of your comfort zone when it comes to what you try. You can choose a book solely based on the cover or the title, with no additional research into the author a plot. While this may stress some people out, for those looking for a mindless reading choice the low cost of this risk could be appealing.
As well, aside from the idea of choosing your reading randomly, shopping for second-hand books is great for the environment as well as your local economy. Most used bookstores are independently owned, and there is a certain beauty in giving life to a novel someone else may have enjoyed in the past. If you’re lucky, someone will have written a note on the cover or underlined their favorite parts. It is this charm, and mysterious look into the mind of someone you’ll never know, that is in my opinion the most precious aspect of used books.
