A secondhand bookstore ought to be every booklovers paradise. Sure, it's nice to have your…read morebookshelf filled with a nice, neat and consistent assembly of Penguin Classics, but there's something charming about the motley assortment of books new and old, tall and short, and of different colour variation, all jigsawed in together. However. Sometimes we booklovers must remain wary. Let not the bliss cloud your senses, my friends. One must remember that there are two types of secondhand bookstores: cheap ones and expensive ones. I picked up a tiny volume expecting to exchange two or three dollars for it. Imagine my surprise when the man looked inside the cover (a general peruse I might've done myself before I strutted so confidently to the counter) and demanded I give him fourteen of my dollars. It's not an excessive sum, but I'm trying very hard to watch my money, and books are the main culprit - in my line of business - of bankruptcy. Suffice it to say, the expression my face took on at the announced price remained affixed to that place between forehead and chin for many minutes afterward. I was so shocked I gave the man all my money (having scarcely more than that on my person), and floated, as if in a dream, out of the store. You see, that fourteen dollars had been for my lunch that day. And as I looked mournfully down, filled with a consumer's remorse, at the volume, I considered the irony of my situation. Camus' 'The Myth of Sisyphus' is a philosophical text that discusses the topic of suicide. However, in the hands of a man faced with starvation, the novel attained new heights of uselessness.

This third generation family business feels like what a true secondhand bookshop should be. It is…read morecrammed with books and their wonderful smell, and never empty of people wading through its various sections. The strength of O'Connell's is in its literature. The owners have a nose and knowledge for all kinds of literature so its a great place to go looking for classics or academic books. That's not to say that they don't have a great range of fiction of all sorts, but it's definitely less a hobby bookstore and more a booky bookstore, if that makes sense to anyone... They're also reasonably priced, and really vary their pricings according to size and condition. They range from $4 to $12 for standard books, then more for rarer or older pieces. You never know what you'll come across in here, and I always have to drag myself out because I keep finding more hidden behind the piles. The owners are also happy to come to your house, if you have a reasonable collection of books you're wanting to sell. They were happy to visit us and our 70 or so books, though they only took the good stuff - as expected. And as evidenced by the amount of books in the store, they're only interested in good quality books they can sell. So go in and help them out!

I did not like the way the presented the food. The rice was overdone, the meat was borderline still…read morealive (thought i heard a moo x) and the potatoes were stale af. Never going back!

incredibly rude staff. older woman with black hair and glasses yelled at my daughter for reading a…read morebook instead of buying it. took our business right to QBD books. never had a problem there.

Now it is a shame that most people walk straight past this store when going walking down Twin…read moreStreet. I was a culprit for many years, but one day I was in search for something new to read. One of my good friends recommended that I go check out this store. This store is actually a lot bigger than I expected. There is also an amazing selection here in all different genres. It is almost like a mini library. What I was particularly impressed with was the collection of well-priced classics and rare books. My mum read to me a lot when I was little, it always excites me when I find the books that she had read to me. I generally end up buying those books and giving them to my friends with children. Like the Magic Faraway Tree and the Wishing Chair - you will find a lot of Enid Blyton books here. And the older versions too! Check out the glass cabinet display at the back, you will see some very rare books. Including a couple of very limited edition JRR Tolkien classics! Damn I wish I could afford those! I should also mention that the staff here are ever so friendly. I got into an amazing conversation about the books my mum used to read to me as a child with one of the storeowners. If you are looking for a gift or just something different to read, I really do recommend you have a look at some of the books in this store. You will be sure to find something. Also, if you cannot find what you are after, speak to the owner and they will try and help you source it. Now that is great customer services!

Mary and Colin love books, particularly antiquarian books, that's old books basically; and if you…read morelike books you'll love their store in the city. It's large, full of old books and easy to spend a great deal of time browsing down there. If you don't like stairs there is an elevator to take you down the one flight/floor so it is accessible for folk in a wheelchair and the aisles are wide enough to negotiate same. The range of books is extensive and they are mostly in very good condition. There really are some great books to look at as well; everything from old annuals that will set off memories for some and guffaws for others, through to history books that are written in a way that will make you cringe, and appreciate how the times were once a changing, and my aren't we glad they did! They are proudly linked in with The Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers Limited; so if you are looking for other booksellers who may have what you are searching for - they can offer you some insights and introductions. One thing to keep in mind is that they also buy out of print, second hand and rare books - so if you are dealing with a deceased estate and a lot of books it may be worth having a chat with them before you get rid of stuff that could be worth more than you realise - just a thought.

Small, cozy, bright and lovely. It's the small bookshop with a big heart! They immediately…read moreconnected with me, and I felt so invited to be there!!! Katherine is so engaging, warm and friendly - a Stella part of a fabulous team!! Buy a book - donate to a great fundraising cause! Donate your books for a much loved new home - and to help a grey fundraising cause! Get a Bagel next door at the Biegelry... And then bring it with your BN&B coffee and support a great cause!

One of the things that I love about coming back to the town where I grew up is to see what is new,…read moreand this is definitely one of those places. I was wandering through Topham Mall one lunch time and I suddenly spied this place, so I decided to go and check it out, and I have to say that I was impressed - really impressed. Okay, book shops have had coffee shops in them for ages, but this is a coffee shop with books for sale, which adds character. Actually, it isn't just a second-hand bookshop, but it is a bookshop that donates all of its sales to charity, which is even better. Basically you make an honesty payment, and the money goes to funding micro-loans in developing countries. This is a concept that I can really get behind.

Koorong is just the perfect Christian bookshop destination - there is just about every bible and…read morebible study book you can imagine, all sorts of theological offerings, Christian novels and dvd's, a huge range of kids bibles and books, vege tales dvd's, jewelery and gifts, bookmarks, wall plagues, mugs, everything you can imagine with christian scripture and thoughts printed on them. Parking is a little limited, the top end of Waymouth can be hard to find a decent park on, and Koorong's off street parking, on the other side of the road, is both quite tight and often full to the brim. There's an inexpensive cafe offering excellent coffee, a range of cakes and sandwiches, hot chips and sausage rolls - parents can while away some time here as the kids have a rampage in the play area, too - or, cleverly, browse in the childrens area if they're older, as the only way in or out is past the cafe. As a celebration when I was baptised, we picked up some beautiful leather bible covers here, and had them engraved. It really is a top spot if you're looking for inspired gifts for a Christian friend or family member.

This bookstore is beautiful and has so many options. The options and types of books are endless…read more The store itself is very comforting and the staff is a huge help for anything you need. I'm so thankful for how this store has served my life and served my Christian journey. I bought my Bible from there over a year ago, and it's still in perfect condition. Well worth the price. Everyone should choose Koorong Books when looking for Christian resources.

There is one word that describes this place - classy, which always baffles me as to why it is…read morelocated in the heart of Hindley Street. It isn't as if all of the classy people regularly wander down Hindley Street, even during the day. However while it may be located in a rather unusual location, it is one of those bookshops that sells books that generally are not found in your average, run of the mill, corporate bookshop. In fact don't expect to see the latest fads or best sellers here, but rather books that are actually quite useful, whether they have a practical purpose, or simply stimulate the imagination. Personally I haven't been here all that much, but if you like good books, then it is definitely a place that is worth checking out. I have to admit that I was pretty impressed. I was particularly impressed with its collection of plays and their poetry section.

Imprints wins me over every time I visit. I think I have to say it's my favourite Adelaide…read morebookshop. Big call, I know, and it has some serious competition from just down the road. I'm always impressed by the range of books kept. In my to pet areas, Theatre and Philosophy, they have a far larger and higher quality range than in any other bookstores. They also work hard to keep many new books, so I'm always finding something exciting (Like A.C.Grayling's REWRITING of the bible; sounds pretentious when you say that, but he's done it really well, calling it the Secular Bible and breaking it down to it's maxims, proverbs and lamentations.) I promise myself that this time I won't spend money but oh, then I see Jeanette Winterson's newest book and I am lost. The section that really gets me excited is the whole bookcase devoted to playscripts. It's always been difficult to find modern scripts, so it's great to know where a good collection is hiding. Add to that the neat and sophisticated layout of the show (lovely wooden structures covered in shiny new books) and the classical or jazz music playing quietly, and you have yourself a wonderful place. Now all I can ask for is a couch in the corner for testing. Though they've probably tried that and gotten sick of prying people like me out of it.

This place has slightly odd opening hours - but it's understandable as it's run by volunteers. The…read morealtruistic reasons to shop here are quite obvious - the proceeds go to Oxfam's projects and you're reducing waste by buying second-hand copies of books instead of new editions. The practical reasons are fairly self-explanatory too: you get a much larger and weird range of books to browse at a second-hand store, and they are cheaper! I do feel the store might do a little better if it was within a shopping strip of some kind, but it isn't entirely out of the way. The books here are well-sorted and there is a wide variety of new and old. Some secondhand bookshops lie on the pricey side, but this one is very reasonable. I would rate this as one of the best second-hand bookstores in Adelaide.

They sell VHS tapes here! And cassettes: that's where my Roxette tape got to! They have CD'S for…read more$1.50 and a whole shelf devoted to Australian Literature. There's even a separate section for new Australian Literature: at two bucks a pop who wouldn't? Oxfam have an extensive memoir and biography section with creepy titles such as 'How I survived Being Left to Die in a Closet' and 'Letters from a Christian Citizen.' Fun browsing to be had. Considering how cheap everything is, the store is impressively organised with very specific sections of Non-Fiction and everything in Author A-Z. The short story section is one of the biggest in Adelaide and the kids and classics areas have seats so you can sit next to the wall of books and crane your neck all afternoon. I walked out of here with nine books at the price of fourteen dollars. Oxfam makes me so happy I want to sing.

As you have probably worked out by now, I absolutely love these shops. I was wandering through…read moreAdelaide with some friends, seeking out some of the pubs that I had yet to visit, and as we were wandering along Pultney Street all of a sudden we come across the book shop that none of us had ever heard of before. So, not surprisingly, we suddenly changed our entire plans and wandered in here to have a look around. Well, as it turns out the owner was incredibly friendly, and my friends immediately struck up a conversation with him while I spent my time exploring its nooks and crannies. Not surprisingly, I discovered a number of books that I had been looking for, and had given up in frustration and paying top dollar for. However, there was enough here to keep my attention for quite a while, and I eventually wandered out of here with more additions to my collection.

Southern Cross Newsagency is situated in the Southern Cross Arcade near the entrance from James…read morePlace. It is quite a large newsagency with a broad range of magazines, stationary and other do dads. The selection of cards is quite good and out the front there always seem to be a squillion of those cheesy themed calendars (dogs, cats, elephants etc) if you are looking for a present for your grandma. In terms of art supplies they have sketchpads, pencils etc but nothing too grand. Occasionally they will have those generic Mont Marte paint kits and small canvasses and canvass boards. There is a little counter in at the front centre of the shop which is usually packed full of employees, so although it is busy, generally you will be served quite quickly.

if it's time for a meal or coffee o'clock, and if I'm in city, I tend to go to the food court where…read morethis news agency is. i knew this news agency has been around in this place for many many years, so one day, while i was in the food court, i was curious to find out how big the magazine collection was in there. I love magazines, majority of my fave ones are not mainstream type, i specially look for the ones with personal stories of all kinds, home art/craft, street fashion, interview kinda conversations, plus heaps of photos, without being invaded by loads of high fashion ad and stuff...Anyway, this news agency is definitely a good place to try out if you're hunting something special to read. Once, I bought Muff, another time, i bought Space by Frankie Magazine....there was a bit of funny story about Muff purchase, which makes me burst into laughter whenever i think about it...Well, lemme not get distracted by that. Back to the news agency topic, the service is good also, staff were nice and friendly.