seems to be mostly CDs and paperbacks, but I did score some decent art books - not as productive as vintage or half price books

First off I just want to say that I love Book Nook really I do but tonight....man oh man. So everything started off great, my friends and I got there probably an 1 1/2 before closing, we were greeted with a friendly warm smile as we entered. My friends and I went our separate ways looking around. 15 minutes before closing one of the employees walked around letting us know that they would be closing soon. Ok no worries. So I walked up to the front with 17 blu-rays, smile on my face wallet ready. As I'm handing my movies to the guy employee the girl employee with a slight attitude asked me if I'm getting all of these movies because it will take a long time for them to put them back and process them. This threw me off. Umm yeah I'm getting them because I'm handing them to you. But I stepped back and said to myself, " maybe people bring up merchandise and only get half or none" So ok I understand where she's coming from. Not going to get mad. I put my purse on the counter then I step off to the side of the table as they are getting the disk for my movies, I'm still in eye sight of them. When they finish I hear her say "just void it" Umm hello?! I'm right here. Seriously? What is up with this attitude? My friend's and I weren't loud, we weren't rude, and we didn't make a mess so I'm not sure what's up with this girl. My friends and I probably shop there maybe 3-4 a months and I'm sure there's people who shop there more but I've NEVER had such attitude before. I love this place and I will continue to shop there but that girl really needs to check her attitude. 2 stars for her attitude 5 stars for the overall Book Nook because they really do have an awesome collection of books, movies, comics and toys (collectibles) read more

You can spend an entire day going through this place. I spend an hour in just the movie section. They have hard to find DVD's at reasonable prices. The staff usually seems more interested in their own conversations than in helping you, but they are helpful when asked. read more

I had to run out for a last min book run for my daughter. Called up this place and they pulled the book aside for me to pick it up. I went in the shop and saw all kinds of great things there. I almost forgot why I went in. A lot of records, old school games, comics and much much more. Hoping to come back to go through the vinyl records to add to my collection. read more

I love this place for comics. Always find something at a great price. I will say they could stand to be a little more friendly to customers upon entering the door. You'll get a hi, welcome about 1 out of 4 times, lol. Anyways, you could spend days here looking at stuff. read more

I've been going to Book Nook for over ten years (since I was a kid and it was located in Chamblee). I've stayed loyal over the years mostly because the location is convenient and they allow you to use book credit towards half your purchase, which makes the final cash price quite reasonable. Recently, though, my loyalty is beginning to waver. Despite the literally hundreds of times I've been there, not a single employee has learned my name or even acknowledges my regular visits. They don't know what kind of books I'm looking for, and they don't seem to care. It's extremely disappointing to such a long-term customer. The selection is excellent, though it's not all that well-organized. Books are in categories, but within the categories they are not alphabetized (with the exception of fiction titles). Their strong points are film, music, comics, and paperback fiction. Vintage and rare books, not so much (try Atlanta Vintage Books for that). UPDATE: There's now a guy who works there who is the hipster/book-store equivalent of Comic Book Guy on the Simpson's. He's been rude to me repeatedly, and acts like he's better than the customers. read more

The shelves are not well organized, both as a whole and within individual shelves. You really have to dig to find something you want. If you do find something, it will probably be pretty cheap, which is the only plus about this place. As for their claim that they "buy" books, they'll offer you THREE TO TEN CENTS per book. I came in with two bags of books, and would have maybe gotten $3. I was able to go to A Cappella Books in L5P and get $20 cash (or $45 store credit). If you actually want to get some money for your books, don't go here. read more

Book Nook has an impressive, sometimes overwhelming collection of books, dvds, and comics. The staff are super helpful with assisting you in navigating the somewhat discombobulating store layout. I always find the newest edition of the specific comics I need. If I can't find something, the staff are always willing to order it special for me. The prices of the used books and graphic novels are particularly great. I really love this location. read more

Emory/outside Decatur hangout. Book Nook has disorganized bookshelves. Quirky and friendly enough staff members, who won't usually walk you back to help you find the title you're looking for, but who won't bust you for spending practically a whole afternoon reading in the stacks, either. Staff talk behind the counter tends to be politically conservative of all things. I have better luck with used music, vintage vinyl, and cds, which are, comparatively, much better organized. A winner. read more

Book Nook IS quite possibly the best thing atlanta has going for it when it comes to buying B movies. The VHS section makes me as giddy as a school girl. If I am too poor to afford the fines that I know I'll get at Videodrome, this is where I go. you cant beat 4.99 for a Blacksploitation flick. My only problem with book nook is everyone else's problem... their trade policy. It seems that in order to understand the math involved in selling and buying a couple paperback books, you need to be a CPA. If I had a degree in accounting; I would definitely frequent book nook for more than just VHSes and the occasional bargain book, but I havent gotten it yet and book nook's trade policy (yes the one that takes up an entire poster board next to the register) still persists in confusing me. read more

A book lover will undoubtedly find something to love on the stacks. However, it may take them an hour and a half to sort through everything to find it. Pros: Trade-in credit is generous. Selection in all areas is broad. Prices on individual used DVDs are low. Nice used vinyl selection. Cons: Comic back issues are spread into arbitrary pricing bins, making finding things hard. Books are, as everyone else has noted, jumbled. Used DVD box sets are ridiculously overpriced. The staff would rather complain to each other (loudly) about "libruls" than help a customer. read more

While The Nook does have a good selection and also array of types of media, overall they seem to be under the impression they are in the business of selling new items, judging by their prices. read more

This is a browsing bookstore. It's not organized, and the staff is not helpful, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Every time I come, I inevitably spend at least 45 minutes wandering the stacks and picking up interesting-looking books. This isn't Borders, don't expect it to be. Book Nook is a nice quirky shop with a quirky staff. The trade-in credit helps cut your bill almost in half, at least down to a reasonable amount. I think some of the books are a little overpriced, but I recognize that it's probably hard to break even, much less make a profit, in this business, and I appreciate the service they provide. read more

I love independent book stores -- I only wish there was an easy way to scale them so that they can more easily make profit on economies of scale. But because they don't typically have loads of "popular" titles, you actually have to go to a good independent with time on your hands... that way, you can really browse and savour the hidden gems that abound in places like this. And that's exactly the kind of place it is. So, instead of shopping at a mall, or watching a bad B movie, entertain yourself for a couple hours looking through every aisle and shelf. The pleasure in reading books from here is at least partially in the search. read more

The Book Nook is a secondhand business with three locations in Atlanta (Decatur, Lilburn, & Marietta). Collectively, the stores offer a huge inventory of books, music, movies, and comics. This review is for the books at the Decatur location. After visiting the Marietta location, which is fantastic, I was really disappointed by this location. My main issue with this store is the layout. It is a confusing hodgepodge of rooms and felt like walking through a maze. Some people like a cozy bookstore, but I felt claustrophobic among the narrow aisles. The store needs to relocate to a bigger location or thin out its inventory. (hint: get rid of the books in really poor condition, super duplicates, and harlequin romances. It was ridiculous how I kept seeing ten copies of the same book.) Organization was another issue. Most of the books are randomly stacked in piles or crammed out of order on the shelves. My two companions and I gave up after thirty minutes of browsing and walked out empty handed. We just didn't have the patience to dig deep. Considering how much I liked the Marietta location and the huge inventory, I think this location has the potential to be great. read more

Very good experience at this location. Seemed like family owned and operated. Got a really good deal on some used CD's. And the best service ever. I now know where to go when I want to purchase quality items. They have books, DVDs classic old school comics ! I was like a kid in a candy store. Would like to revisit the next opportunity and unravel the hidden treasures in every nook and cranny. read more

This place is amazing and is easily my favorite bookstore. It is classified as a used bookstore, but does not only carry used books. It has new books, comic books, music CD's, and even movie DVD's but the primary money maker here is their extensive repository of used books. The used books are typically organized by topic and then by author and for the most part are well organized. The pro is that there are few books you will not find here and the price is almost always a good bargain. The one con is the sometimes hapless stacks of books. A few book sections are in no particular order, though this is usually limited to the less frequently shopped-for book sections. However, if your interest just happens to be that very area, you might find yourself having to search through endless stacks and stacks of books to find what you're looking for. The bargain price might just be worth it to you though, in the end; it is for me. Additionally they are not computerized, so you are unable to ask if they have a particular book available, which is unfortunate to an extent. On the plus side it is helpful consumer-wise because this prevents them from selling their bargain stock as online sellers through seller programs such as Amazon.com, Half.com or eBay.com, so we still get to shop there without having to compete with the world. Finally, they are open late (usually open until about 10:00 p.m.), which is always a plus. Personally, I shop there all the time and am always pleased when I leave. I've been introduced to a number of books, and authors, that I probably would not have normally read, had I been forced to pay full price. As of this writing, the current address above is incorrect and I've requested an update. It is located on the SE corner of North Druid Hills and Clairmont Roads next to the gas station, in Decatur. If you map it, you'll see the SE corner easily. :) read more

A great place to give a used book new life. Buy a dozen classic books for less than $50. Great selection of new and old. Extensive COOK BOOK section! Some used books are in mint condition! Helpful, geeky staff, ready with recommendations. Decent organization, once you get the hang of it. read more

Overall a decent used book /movie/music store. Really good selection with great prices. I went in looking for comic books as this store kept popping up on comic book stores in Atlanta searches. Very disappointing. They had about 20 long boxes of 50cent comics. None of them bagged this everytime they are looked at they get damaged. some gold to be found if you are up to the search. Nothing is organized in the boxes. They had a few more boxes at the front of the store that are 50 cent and a couple priced as marked. Some of these they actually tagged directly on the cover making the book worthless. Don't bother going to this store if you are looking for comic books. There really was no service. 3 people behind the counter the whole time we were there. We were never greeted even at check out. The staff really couldn't be bothered if you were there or not. read more

This is one of my favorite book stores in Atlanta. Although sometimes it's a little unorganized, it's everything you want in a place like this: winding rows of old books, random collections of movies, comics old and new. I'll keep coming back here for a while. read more

I buy books here. Yeah, the shelves are disorganized, but sometimes that's what it takes for me to find something I wasn't really looking for but am happy I came across. The book buying system must have changed because now they offer a pretty good store credit but you can only use the credit for 50% of any single future purchase. Oh, and I love the T-shirts. I bought my husband one for Christmas. read more

Although they are picky about books to sell, if you bring in DVDs or CDs, they take all of it for great prices. The shelves are somewhat disorganized, depending on the section. Plus, I've sat around for half the afternoon just because, and no one bugged me about it. read more

Book Nook is my favorite bookstore in the Atlanta metro area. They always have titles I am looking for, and I usually find ones I didn't know I wanted. The staff is helpful especially when you don't know exactly which section contains a given book. It's surprising to me that they can cater so effectively to my eclectic tastes. This is a great place to browse -- they have so many sections, so much selection, and their inventory turns over enough that it is practically new every time you go. Their regular prices are good, and occasionally you can find really excellent bargains on more unusual titles. I've also found a number of obscure movies and CDs here over the years, at reasonable prices. If I have a complaint, it's that I rarely have enough time to thoroughly browse the place. read more

Book Nook is a giant used book store that is also loaded with vinyl and comics. It's a really cool place and if you come there without a list of stuff to find, you'll come out with some great deals and a smile on your face. The biggest problems are how over-priced their DVD selection is (you could probably buy 4/5 titles new cheaper on Amazon or DeepDiscountDVD) and how most of their older comics are sorted (or should I say, aren't). read more

Looks can be deceiving with this store. It's looks a small from the outside but it's pretty big once you get inside. They have a huge selection of comic books. They have so many I was sitting on the floor looking thru cases but I still didn't get a chance to see them all. They also have a pretty decent size book assortment too. The only downfall I had was that the employee didn't seem to know much about the stock but I did overhear that he was new so I can't fault him for that. read more

I went into the Book Nook soley to purchase comic books but left having discovered my new favorite media store. For the past year I've been going to Oxford Comics in Buckhead, which was inconvenient for an Emory student like me. One problem with Oxford Comics was that traffic hits hard in that area no matter what time you go. Also, no discounts are given. For me in particular, the location of the Book Nook is perfect for anyone that lives relatively near it. Oxford Comics may have more back issues of recent comics, but the Book Nook has all the same comics released that week if that's what you're looking for. I was also amazed by the amount of older issues they had. I looked for issues of GL: Rebirth, Zero Hour, Crisis on Infinite Earths - all of the books were there. There's also a 10% discount on new comics if you spend $10 and 15% on new comics if you spend $15 (does not include the old issues or collections / TPBs) The staff was also much friendlier than those of Oxford Comics, which I really appreciated. If you live in the Emory area and need the comics of the week, there's no other place to go than the Book Nook. read more

The Book Nook is a great geek browse. They've got tons of books (at OK prices), comics, old pen and paper gaming stuff, music, and collectible nerdy things. I like to come here from time to time to check out old books. Selling stuff here is pretty much a hassle and the whole store credit thing is a little shady to say the least. Staff would be your typical uber nerd/hipster kids mentored by older uber nerd/hipster dudes. Think Wax n Facts in L5P with less music. If you like banter about obscure things, you just hit the jackpot. Good place though and worth a trip. read more

I have been wanting to visit this bookstore for a long time. I finally got the time to visit it today and I'm completely in love with it. Since Borders closed I have found myself with a huge craving for browsing books (not only online) and loosing myself for hours in a bookstore. I think I have found a good substitute (and cheaper also). This bookstore has a great selection (although a litte disorganized) on anything you can think of, Specially, SF- and fantasy books!! Which are usually hard to find. I'm definetively going back for more!! read more

Three cheers for the Book Nook! This place has been in the AtL for so many years that it could be considered an institution. I used to visit their first location on Clairmont back in the day when there was a head shop around the corner and more vinyl records to dig through (good assortment of vinyl now tho). They have a wide variety of comic books and do a great job of passing out the wares on the annual "Free Comic Book Day." Book Nook is always worth a visit if you are in the area and are a fan of pop culture items. read more

We love the book nook! You could literally spend hours looking through the extensive shelves of movies, comics, books, and toys. Definitely a fun place to visit, especially if you enjoy used books and nerd culture. My husband loves searching through marvel comics, and I love looking at fiction and how-to books and DVDs. You can also sell and trade, and the staff is super nice and informed about their stock. read more

This place is pretty awesome. I thoroughly enjoy the classics section. I bought Gone with the Wind last time for only $4. The only thing that bothers me is I find the categorization a little sketch. Sometimes it's hard to find a specific genre. Other than that, they have a great selection of used books and usually have several copies of each. read more

Favorite book store ever! I frequent this place to unwind after stressful days at work. While it may not be the most organized (no computer stored inventory) it's a great place to walk around and explore. There are signs on each shelf to categorize the books (Note: this includes everything, EVERYTHING - folks, there is a paranormal romance section. Nuff said). I most often find myself wandering the shelfs and happening upon books/topics I hadn't thought of or never bought in their bestseller list heyday. I'm not a comic book gal, but there are tons of these, magazines, DVDs, and collectibles. There are also BEAUTIFUL first editions/rare/signed books toward the front. If you're a reader/collector/ or just need to decompress - check this place out. Oh - and it's beside a Papa John's so you can order a pizza and roam the store while you wait - just a thought ;) read more

When you walk in a store and not one of the 4 people behind the counter say hello or acknowledge you ... that's the first clue you should turn around and walk out. The place is in utter disarray. Not that wow this is cool let me go treasure hunting sense but just plain dirty and unkept. Now if you can look past that and the lack of customer service, you might find some neat items. But beware, most are overpriced and or in bad condition for what they are asking. There are some fairly interesting items that but unfortunately they have been left hanging in the same spots for eons and the packaging is so sun bleached that it's not worth the price. It also shows how utter lazy the people are working here that they can't even merchandise their own store. I give it a "meh". read more

Want to get lost in a cool bookstore? Nope. Sadly, no more. They are so afraid of late night browsing, they "literally" turn off the lights at 9:58 and physically shove you to the door. Best to go to Half Price bookstore. read more

Have only recently discovered Book Nook and now it is my rotation of vinyl and CD stores. The CD's take some work to look through but it is well worth it. Very good inventory. Used CD and Vinyl along with used Books. You can spend some very worthwhile browsing time in Book Nook and I bet you will come across some excellent finds! read more

This place makes no sense. The staff is cliquey and quiet. The store is not organized at all. You look for a particular item and you never find it. You find something else that seems sort of cool; you look it up online on your phone and find it cheaper new from a big retailer than the used, dusty, damaged version in your hands. You look around and wonder how in the world such a place stays in business. read more

really 2.5 stars but i'll be nice. wow. what a disappointment . when i first entered i was excited. it was rather large, old school used bookstore: replete with dark corners, unkempt and disorganized shelves, seemingly disembodied stacks of books and an improvised checkout consisting of those tables churches set up in the gym for big potlucks. to my left was a huge selection of CD's and VHS tapes. rad. but the further in i went the less impressed with their selection i became. the sci-fi was rather dull...although there was a lot of it. their romance section was enormous. Too enormous for any self respecting bookstore. the history section was ok but the religion section was pretty small compared to the size of the inventory. all of this really is subjective and i won't base my review on them not having the books that i want. what i will gripe about is the pricing structure. it's a rip off. it's something like 60% of the original cover price. and the condition of most these books don't warrant anything over 40%. kind of a rip off, book nook. but i bought a couple of books anyway because i want to support these kinds of stores. just wish you got a little more for you $$ here. also, didn't really dig the disaffected staff behind the counter. i'm down with that up here in Brooklyn (it's expected) but relax buddy, you work at book nook. read more

Totally dig this place. Whether you are a habitual bargain hunter or looking to unload some previously loved media in your stash, I think this is an excellent place to start. MUSIC (buying): This is our go-to place for used music in ATL. Though you might not find what you are looking for if you have a specific release in mind, we have yet to find a better place to do some serious treasure-hunting. CDs are priced by letter, and there are charts posted to explain what price each letter corresponds to. Prices get as low as $0.25 based on what I have seen. BOOKS (buying): the book section(s) of the store can be a bit labyrinthine, but make sure you don't miss the AISLE OF SALE, where double stickered books are half price. For example: you may have a book that has 2 $2.99 stickers on them. This book would in fact be 1.50. In terms of selection, in the "aisle of sale" you will find a lot of Nora Roberts stuff, hardcover thrillers, old recipe books, political books, test prep, etc. In terms of ambiance, this is also the part of the store where you can hear Papa Johns workers gossiping, and making sawing noises(??). Even aside from the Aisle of Sale, though, there are plenty of great deals to be had. While Book Nook certainly does carry some new books, there are many, many books that LOOK new, and in fact, bear nary a wrinkle nor a smudge (aside from the Book Nook stamp) and yet are half price because someone did in fact own it before its current home on the store's shelves. SELLING MUSIC: A few months ago we got 40 bucks back for 30 CDs (out of closer to 50 candidates). In general, they offer good buyback prices for used CDs ($1-3 per, assuming they decide to buy the CD); I haven't had much previous experience with selling used CDs in GA but the boyfriend had a simply awful experience in TX at a Half Price Books ($80 or so bucks for seriously hundreds of CDs plus books and DVDs). Note that you should probably get as much dust off the discs as you can in advance to increase your chances that they will accept the CD. SELLING BOOKS: The books they accept need to be in pretty darn good condition, or at least that was my impression. The only books that were accepted it out of the ones we optioned were pristine; as in, I bought them new, and then wastefully read no more than a dozen pages from each. But we didn't have as many books as CDs that we were trying to get rid of, so I admit my assumption is severely limited by the sample size. Regarding payment, I think we were given the option for $10 in credit towards books (except it's more of a 50% off coupon for said amount of books), or some really small sum. $1 in cash, while a paltry offer, seems correct to my recollection. (But I think my feelings around this figure are tinged, again, by my guilt for having never really used these perfectly good books) We took the credit rather than the cash--the sane thing to do if you visit this store as much as we do! There are also quite a lot of comics, DVDs, and even some board games and collectibles, and so I would really venture to guess that there is something here for everyone. Unless you totally hate music, movies, books, games, and saving money, in which case-- don't come here. read more

Decent collection of books, just not well organized at all which I don't mind except that the staff were unfriendly and extremely unhelpful. The person at the counter barely greeted me back and grudgingly answered my questions but was all too happy to later make a lame racist joke to another customer. Disappointing service - would not go back there. read more

I've worked at my fair share of independent bookstores, and some of us book lovers, well... we're just snobs. Just how it is. Thus, I never get my feelings hurt about service at any bookstore. The experience for me is a lot about the lone browsing, the wandering of terribly unorganized books. It is the thrill of the hunt, the gem in the stack. So yes, the staff has been a bit "introverted" at times, but I always leave with finds that make me extremely happy. I love sending postcards, and this location has many to browse through. Records as well. Tons of movies. Laserdiscs for the uber-nerd ;) And let us not forget the books. read more