JimmyD's has just had a makeover and is looking shiny and just a little bit glam. With a new coat…read moreof paint and some extra styling, this great local bookshop is coming into its own. Stocking a range of secondhand books covering all the bases including an unusually large crime section, balanced by an unusually small children's one, JimmyD's offers fantastic service and an ever increasing range of eco-gifts. You can pick up a couple of envirosax (stylish shopping bags you can keep in your handbag to avoid ever having to use plastic ones), keep cups (reusable takeaway coffecups) water bottles and funky stationery. The staff are friendly and love their books, and they offer a loyalty program with a free book up to $20 after 8 book purchases over $8. They've got a quirky collector's corner too and I've had a lovely time swapping recommendations with other customers and discussing odd book titles with the staff. 'Contemplating Adultery' anyone? It's a 19th social history book not a howto manual, I swear...

There are a few second-hand bookshops in Springwood, and they're all great. Alas, Jimmy D's ain't…read morecheap; we're talking ~$15 for most of the newer popular titles. But how can you not love a bookshop that's warm, cozy and friendly in the cold cold Blue Mountains? Ya can't.

Happen to be driving through the Blue Mountains on Easter Sunday and found the shop was open. For…read moresuch a small shop it is packed with books. I also was amazed when the nice shop keeper was able to help me find a hard to find book in their large Sci-Fi / Fantasy section. They had it and I was impressed. They also had Fighting Fantasy game books and a few how-to draw books, which I've not seen anywhere else in Australia. Will be going back here again.

Cream of the crop…read more Blue Dragon Books only opened three years ago but has become, in my humble, one of the best secondhand bookshops in the local area. Small, but perfectly formed, the Dragon (as I think I now dub it) seems to go for quality rather than quanitity of mindless trash you can pick up elsewhere. Not that mindless trash doesn't have its place. Just not here. They've a well-organised and clear layout, making it possible to instantly lay your hand on something you were looking for, or stumble across something unexpected. Diane, the owner, is a delight, and knows her stock well, chatting knowledgably about a wide range of books, and stocking an extensive selection of children's books, I think the largest sci-fi fantasy range in the Blue Mountains, a big crime section, as well as general Lit and the other usual suspects. They run a generous store credit system, not paying a pittance for books in cash as most secondhand bookstores do, but offering a larger chunk of change in credit you can use at the time, or record for later. Not that I've ever had the slightest difficulty in finding something to blow the credit on. And did I mention their prices are some of the most reasonable around? This week I dropped off 4 books, and came out with some classic spinster crime, a history book about Queen Caroline, wronged wife of the Prince Regent, a Russian murder mystery and a novel about art theft and mysticism. Am happy.

Like visiting an old friend, walking in to the Turning Page greets you with a warm smile, on a good…read moreday, maybe even a hug. I haven't quite got used to their new, bigger, shiny premises (they've flitted up and down Macquarie Road over the years). Not yet. With well ordered shelves, and a lot of room in the kid's section out the back, they've come a long way from the tiny space I first visited as a child. Now I think of it, my very first new book buying experience was in the Turning Page. Wow. I remember now, a special treat (or perhaps bribery to get through a doctor's appointment) I clutched no doubt sticky coins and for the first time got to choose a book all of my own. These are serious moments in a woman's life. Terribly serious. While my budget (and voracious reading habits) leave me scouring secondhand bookstores most often, coming here for a newbie is still a special treat. Staff are fantastic, and there's a loyalty scheme too. I know they say bricks and mortar bookstores are a dying breed, but these guys moved to bigger premises last year. In little old Springwood. Don't discount the good, rock of the community bookstore just yet.

I have just had two books that had the spine and pages come loose rebound by Greg. He went to the…read moretrouble of putting brand new spines and covers on both books, including putting the front cover picture on the new front cover of both books. He then embossed the spine of both books with the title and authors name. They look fantastic, and based on previous books that I have had rebound by Greg, will never have any pages fall out. I can wholeheartedly recommend him of you ever need a book of any shape or size rebound.