Why I Love Used Bookstores

Why I Love Used Book Stores

Books are it. I recommend them 1000%.

It’s a story.

 It’s a journey.

 It’s a way to visit more places than you could ever imagine.

Even before my autoimmune disease progressed, I loved to read. The hours melted away while I was engrossed in a story that took me places and taught me things I couldn’t have learned in the small town where I grew up.

As I grew up, the more I read, the more these stories fueled who I became because they gave me a way to learn about different cultures, perspectives, and ways of life.

In my purse, at any age in my life, you could always find my wallet, brush, makeup, and a book.

Now that I’m in my 40s, that’s changed just a bit. Now you’ll find my wallet, brush, painkiller...

But there will always be a book.

In a homemade protective sleeve, no doubt.

Funny thing is, I protect every book whether it is brand new or used. Why? Because as long as the pages are in order, it tells a story worth reading. There is always a chance that somewhere in those pages lies a plot that might change the life of someone who needs to read what has been written.

Which brings me to the beauty of book shopping.

This is not sponsored, but I’d gladly represent these companies if asked. 😂 Two companies I will always go to first for book shopping: ThriftBooks and Book Outlet.

I share this information with my fellow book lovers and book collectors. Don’t read this as an ad, but rather as a well-kept secret.

I love Book Outlet because I can get new titles at overstock prices. Worst-case scenario, the book has a dot or a Sharpie swipe on the pages.

But ThriftBooks!

This gem of a site can give you some real gems.

They have such a wonderful collection of used books that come with not only a story, but sometimes a history. I have received signed books, one-of-a-kind books, and even books with romantic inscriptions telling the story of a couple or a friendship...

Or a friendship turned romantic.

Whatever the case, I love being able to find books that otherwise are sold out, no longer in print, or—my personal favorite—ex-library copies!

Ex-library copies come with the plastic book cover, professional library stickers, AND the official library smell.

Not only that, these books come with sounds!

Don’t read that like you don’t know what I mean!

The moment you crack a library book open, you smell the rows of books form around you. You hear the spine stretch, and for a brief second, it really feels like you are in a library.

There is something about holding a book with a past.

Just like humans, books can tell a story of the people who have passed them on through the inscriptions and notes left inside. Then you read the actual story through the eyes of someone you will never meet.

Imagine struggling with something in life and reaching for a book you just picked up at a used bookstore, only to find an inscription inside that reaches you at exactly the time you need it most.

Or maybe the story itself, although not recent, still applies to today's world.

The beauty of books is that their words can still be relevant in a world light-years beyond the one in which they were published. Whether it is a story of what to do—or what not to do—the history carried by these books is meaningful.

And! I have been able to find books I couldn’t find anywhere else.

Once, I was looking for a family memoir about the Osbournes, and ThriftBooks was the only place I could find a copy in my price range.

AND!

I can afford a whole series at once rather than buying one book at a time. I’m an impatient reader when it comes to series. If it ends in a cliffhanger, man, I gotta have the next one in the chamber!

Now for the gem that made me fall in love with used books.

I believe I mentioned in my introduction that I am a WWII history buff. I watch documentaries, read WWII books, and visit museums whenever I can.

One time, I wanted to order In Harm’s Way by Doug Stanton. It is a book about the USS Indianapolis, the ship that carried components of the atomic bomb while traveling without an escort, under radio silence and with a top-secret mission.

Anything that could have gone wrong did.

The ship sank, and the survivors spent days in the ocean being beaten down by the elements and facing sharks. The book goes through the many facets of their experiences, struggles, and eventual rescue.

It is an amazing read, albeit an emotional one.

When I opened my copy, I noticed an inscription written by a man to a friend of his.

I looked up the names.

And that's when this ordinary used book became something completely different.

It turned out the man who had written the inscription was one of the men who actually survived the sinking of the USS Indianapolis.

He had signed and gifted someone a book about his own experience.

Not only that—he was included in the book.

Literally, part of the story written by Mr. Stanton was his story.

I can’t tell you how many times I read through the research and smiled with absolute glee over the piece of history I had somehow bought.

I loved it so much that I ordered another copy just to read so I could keep the original in good shape.

I have thought about researching his family to see if the book was ever meant to be resold. But at this point, it is a very prestigious and very loved book in my collection. In time, that might change, but one thing is for certain:

I will cherish that book forever.

And with that, I’ll close with this:

Never count out a used book, because you could miss out on so much.

A story.

 New emotions.

 A new perspective.

 A reader’s story.

 A bond between two people.

 A piece of history.

The ultimate gift of keeping the stories of the past—and the people who lived them—alive in the future.