So, I've moved, and within a couple of miles of me are two bookstores. One's a Barnes & Noble, which isn't bad, but it's not one of the BIG, better B&Ns and B&Ns tend to only have newer stuff, or at least stuff that stays in print.
The other bookstore near me is a Half-Price Books. Yep, this is a chain store, but I've never lived near one until now. And I'm in LOVE!
Yes, Half-Price's books are used, but most of them are in pretty good condition, and a good number of books seem nearly new. And yes, the author won't directly make any money from my purchases, but I'm sorry ... tell publishers to stop chargin' thirty or more friggin' dollars for a hardback (and seven or eight dollars for a paperback) and I'll stop buying cheap, used books.
But what really made me fall in love with this store is the OLD books. They have much more on their shelves than just the latest top sellers, and even more than just the "popular" authors. I picked up a first-edition Ed McBain paperback for only one dollar! I also picked up a science fiction paperback from the early 70s that was written by Don Pendleton, who didn't write a lot of sci-fi and is better known for his men's adventure books, especially the Executioner (Mack Bolan) series. So, I got two great books by authors I love; it only cost me two dollars and tax, and the books look almost brand spankin' new! And the books are even slid into plastic sheets, as if they're collector's items (which I guess they are, in a way).
What's even better? They have TONS and TONS of these old paperbacks. Novels long forgotten, and authors long forgotten, are once again available to me without having to spend hours and hours searching on eBay or traveling from library to library. There are hundreds of old westerns, fantasy books, sci-fic books, adventure stories and more, even a few older romance novels. PLUS all the newer books.
And that's just the fiction stuff I'm talking about. Half-price also has plenty of non-fiction books, as well as video games, albums (yes, vinyl), CDs, DVDs, posters and other odds and ends.
Heck, the way I'm raving, you'd almost think I got a job with them.
Hmm ... there's an idea. Have to look into that.
Welcome to the dilemmas of life! If I had known that was all I needed to entice you to Milwaukee I could have told you about the one here by me. I almost cannot even drive near that street without . . . going . . . that . . . direction. . . must . . . go. . . now . . .
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