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.

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.

Old and new book smell, love it! I used to think that this place was kind of crappy, but I now have…read morea renewed appreciation for this very old bookstore in Papakura's Selwyn Arcade. The store is not huge and really quite badly organised, but if you spend at least five minutes here you should find something that you're interested in. Apart from the fact that there are way too many old school Mills and Boon type romance novels, the other sections contain some great bargains. I found a beautiful and rare second hand book which was basically in brand new condition. To be honest I would've walked away with a handful of books if I had the money to spend. The staff member (owner?) was very kind and extremely helpful, directing me around the poorly organised shelves to a few books that I might have been interested in.

Gone West is quite small for a second hand bookshop, which I guess can be a good thing because then…read morethe thought of where to start browsing is a bit less overwhelming. They have a lot of quite old books, and even had a stack of magazines all from the 1960's to 80's which were pretty interesting to have a nosey through. Most of the smaller books go for around 15 dollars if they aren't damaged, and the larger ones for a bit more. There is also a lot of New Zealand orientated reading material on offer, particularly some new books about the local area, such as 'West' and 'Colin McCahon the Titirangi Years'. The owner, Murray, was quite clued up about all of the books he had on offer and I'm sure if you were after something in particular then he would easily be able to help you out.

I am all about independent bookstores these days and this one is an absolute gem! Doris, who owns…read morethe store is kind, knowledgable and most importantly passionate about books. When I last went in they didn't have the book I was after (City of Thieves by David Benioff - if you haven't already, you should read it - it's fantastic!) but were happy to order it in. They are also happy to host other people's book clubs after-hours complete with wine and sweet treats for FREE, which I think is pretty cool! Doris goes through some of the new and interesting books they have in-store and then you share with you B.C comrades what you have been reading of late. Book swaps are also allowed! I think it's important that we support small independant stores like this and am happy to make the extra trip over the bridge to do so!

I'm into a lot of historical books, so this book store isn't one of my favourites. However, I do…read moreadmire all independent bookshops like this one that still operate, especially when it's so easy to get stuff online. This bookshop in particular has a great selection of cookbooks and children's books, which means it's perfect for gifts. They seem to keep pretty up to date with all the latest new releases, and they can also order something in for you if they don't have it in stock. One of the bonuses of coming to a bookstore like this one is that you get good service and advice from the person who knows a lot about the products that she sells. Definitely ask if you are stuck for gift ideas.