I love bookstores: the smell, the colors, and the possibilities for adventure and escape. Where I…read morelive there aren't many left, so it's exciting to visit as wonderful as Unity Books. In Auckland there are quite a few places to go, but this one is independent and probably the best. Unity Books has its main store and children's book separate on the same street; both are fun to browse through. I came here both to browse and with a mission. I wanted to purchase the complete Lord of the Rings and Hobbit filming locations books. They're printed in New Zealand and cover places we visited, and others we'd love to return to. Their prices were what I expected; with the exchange rate, I was happy. The store was organized and they were easy to find, but one of the books' spine was broken. I asked a friendly clerk and they quickly went to the back and got another copy. It made buying them there easy. They had so many happy customers, it's easy to see they're doing well. I will definitely stop here on our next visit.

Service was fast and friendly, called to put a book on hold and showed up about 35 minutes later…read more They had it ready to go and were very nice.

This is Auckland's best (and probably biggest) second hand bookstore. It's musty in a good "old…read morebooks" kind of way, and sprawling and welcoming at the same time. Set over two floors of one of Onehunga's old buildings, it's like a house full of books. Most rooms have a comfy old chair or two for reading, and visitors are encouraged to sit and do just that. The subject range is huge and varied, and the prices are of course, excellent. The staff are knowledgeable and will point you in the right direction if you are after something in particular. Which is helpful because if you haven't been here before you could get lost and never come back out. Sadly Onehunga has been on the decline in the last few years despite there being a number of really great businesses here. I would recommend coming for lunch at Luscious, followed by a fossick at the Hard to Find and then checking out Look Sharp Discount Store. This historic Auckland suburb has suffered from mismanagement for too long now but as while these unique places cling on, it's still worth a visit - there is so much character and potential.

What do you buy for the person who has everything? Something fun, interesting or ridiculous;…read moresomething they've never seen before. Hard To Find Bookstore is the place to go for the person who has everything - spend enough time in amongst the weird little nooks and crannies and you're bound to find something for that awkward person who requires a gift. Ohe of my most lovely memories of Hard To Find Bookstore was a Christmas morning, when the small family of academics I was sharing breakfast with handed out presents. All three of them had bought each other gifts from Hard To Find, and all were so appreciative of their gifts. Some of the books still had their HTF price tags pencilled inside but nobody cared - gift-giving isn't always about how much it costs, but how much it means. And to these bookworms, the gifts were priceless.

I buy books online because they are cheaper but every so often when I am in Newmarket I will come…read moreand take a look at what Book Barn has because it is a book bargain bonanza! My mum goes through books like crazy and I she picks up paperbacks here for around only $5 each which is so good. They have cook books too and for those who like to cook from a book and have a picture you can pick up some cheap ones here. I got a couple of vegetarian cookbooks a while back and some baking books for my mum, hard covers and all under $15 each. Sure the range is not huge but like all stores like this you don't expect it to be like Whitcoulls or anything. There is still a good variety and with stock that changes frequently a store to check out every once and a while.

It's almost ludicrous the amount we pay in New Zealand for books. If you are anything like me, you…read morewill have 3 or 4 books in you arms within the first five minutes of walking into a bookstore and have to sort through your stack via process of elimination. Book Barn has rows of books, all seemingly on special tables to save you the heartbreak of having to discard chosen books. Fantasy, cooking, kids (sadly not all three together), a great classics section in the gorgeous Collins Classics covers and plenty of murder thrillers. The genres are diverse and the reduction in retail price makes it economical. Run by a friendly couple, The Book Barn maybe the single best place in Auckland for cheap and contemporary books.

It's no secret that I've got a thing for independent bookstores. They remind me of a time gone by…read more(which is strange because I am still in my 20's), when people weren't glued to their phones or the television every night but instead conversed or read books in happy solitude. Perhaps this is why I find it hard to go into a bookstore, like Timeout and not walk out with a book. Seriously, every time I find some excuse for buying a book. I also just love hearing the staff's recommendations. More often that not they lead to the discovery of a brilliant new author or reading a book you would've otherwise never picked up. Timeout seems to have more fiction than say, Novel in Herne Bay but they do also have a good number of design/architecture coffee table books as well. If you can't find what you're looking for, don't despair, although it's jam packed - floor to ceiling with books - the staff seem to miraculously know where everything is.

So first of all I'll confess that I am friends with the manager here. Her name is Jenna Todd and…read morewhen she's not in this very cool independent bookstore, she is being a very talented photographer and doing many other fabulous things. Really. Sometimes I want to BE her. Timeout though, even before Jenna, is its own legend. Battling in an industry where the littlies were mostly squashed a long time ago, this place is still here and I think that's so important. It is the antithesis of the big faceless corporate-owned bookstore; Timeout is small, perfectly formed, filled with personality and personalities. It has its own most awesomely cool cat Lucinda (I love you just the way I am) and the owner's dog often hangs out here too. Even the Facebook posts are actually funny and informative which is a real achievement when most social media is just CRAP (not Yelp of course, we're critics providing a service. Big difference.) These are no doubt just some of the reasons Timeout is constantly winning awards. The back room is given over entirely to children's books and the staff (all of them) are knowledgeable and can recommend something for every age group. I think that Timeout is one of Mt Eden village's key assets and one of the primary reasons the place actually feels like a village. It's bustling, buzzing and bursting with character and I find such a strange and profound pleasure in going in there and fondling the pile of brand new books stacked on the table. Does that make me weird?

No response no product no sale. Still trying to remove the hold on my credit card. It could be…read morethat the website was hacked and the sale was not legit but it would be nice if Jason's Books at least responded to my emails asking about it.

I Love everything about this place; probably because I'm addicted to books, but who isn't? Jason…read moreBooks has some really great old and new books, and most of them are fairly cheap. Most of the books are in good condition too. It's hard not to find a bargain here. Why pay a ridiculous amount for new books and textbooks? Don't do it I say! The location of the store is a bit out of the way, down a few side streets and a few wrong turns later you'll find it. Best to check a map first. I used to come here when I was studying as it had many books that I required for university, such as textbooks and other works you might need. Warning: You'll probably end up buying stuff you don't need/ can't really afford as well.

Without a doubt my favourite bookstore in Auckland. Dear Reader has a great selection of books,…read morestocking everything from the latest Nicholas Sparks tear jerker to Dennis Lehane's most recent thriller, kids picture books to sports biographies, magazines to do-it-yourself books - Dear Reader will have you covered. Located in Grey Lynn shops it is an independently owned company, so not only will you be pleased with your purchases but you can also feel good about supporting a locally owned business - something that's always a bonus! My favourite purchase from Dear Reader was a special edition copy of Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice. Printed on unevenly cut paper and with the cover art done by a Cuban artist, the book is beautiful and only cost marginally more than a 'normal' copy. Other classics such as The Scarlett Letter and Wuthering Heights have also been redone by this artist - so keep an eye out for the brilliant artwork, these books would make great presents and are only available at select bookstores!

Do not visit here if you have children!…read more I popped in to let my to boys pick a book each and felt the eyes on me as soon as we stepped in. My children were told that the books were special and not for touching and someone might want to buy them (uh...yeah...us?). I joined yelp just to warn other parents, this place will put your kids off books!

I'm of the opinion that you can never have too many good second hand bookstores in your repertoire…read more This one is so spacious and well designed you would be hard pressed to deduce that you were actually in a secondhand store, there are no dusty crammed shelves, that look like their about to collapse in on themselves in sight. It makes finding certain genres of books super easy as well, having everything so well set up. They also have nice little prints available for sale in the store as well, one which I bought for my office at home. Lastly I would just like to apologise to the cute sales assistant who I may have flashed, while going for a sneaky rearrange of my underwear behind a row of shelves that seemed to be private, UNTIL I saw the camera perched right above me. I hope I didn't scar you for life.

Evergreen has a great reputation in Auckland as a solid destination for second hand books…read more I always have a slight tinge of sadness that quite a lot of space seems to be taken up with popular fiction, and I really think the New Zealand fiction range needs work, but overall, it's a excellent place to spend more than you intended. The sci-fi range is particularly good and all the books are in really good condition, which makes a welcome change from finding a long-sought-after favourite only to discover that it's falling to pieces in your hands. Mucho disappointo. I've also had the welcome surprise at the till of having my order rounded down a couple of dollars, which is a really lovely way to reward customers who are buying a bundle. Overall, I would always come here for a browse when I'm in Devonport, but it's not really a go-to place if you have something specific in mind - in that case, I would head to Hard to Find books first.

You would be forgiven for thinking this place was merely a stationery shop but they have a very…read moregood selection of books too. I guess they know there are some literary types in Parnell who know good fiction from the dross you get at Whitcoulls. I think it was this store that got me into the writer Paul Auster as I bought 'Moon Palace' here a couple of years ago. They also have a good choice of hardback books for your coffee table and I often used to browse at these when I visited the shop. They have good diaries too and I considered buying one only that I figured with a smart phone I probably did not need it. I am surprised there is not more good bookstores in Parnell but they are not really economically viable these days anyway. If you are in this neighbourhood and have an interest in books, you should definitely pop in here and have a look.

Loved the magic air…read more You felt like each book was a little person waiting to be adopted. Some from years ago! Old maps. Old history books. The best is reading books about etiquette or maps. It's a bit hidden and has some unique store hours. It reminds me of the book version of "Olivander's Wand Shop" from Harry Potter. This was a wonderful visit!

St Kevin's Arcade holds a superb little book store, unobtrusively sitting between K Road and Myers…read morePark. The shelves are laden with second hand books and your eyes will be racing around the walls faster than your brain can process all the information. Personally, the fantasy/sci-fi and the horror sections just inside the door are my favourite. I can always find something to tickle my interest or some missing book for an incomplete trilogy I own. The staff will quietly let you browse but know their store remarkably well and can answer most, if not all, of your questions. There is also a fantastic comic book section and an AHEM adult section. Book lovers should have this cluttered little shop clearly on their radar.

I like this place a lot. I like that they have comics strung up in the window, and I like that…read morethey're terrible Marvel comics from the mid-nineties because that's when I started reading Marvel comics as a kid and so I will always have time for steroidal men with glowing eyes and too many shoulder pads. I also like that this place is tiny. There's something about small, cluttered bookshops that's just so appealing. And there are more comics inside and they're a cool mix of old ones and new ones, and they're all only a few dollars, and there are obscure books about old TV shows and I'm pretty sure they had a copy of the first Tintin book in there once plus there's even a dirty section behind a curtain and that's probably got comics in it too because that's just how awesome this place is ... I think I've only ever bought like two things from this place. But I just like that it's there.