I guess after a little stint in Belgium I have suddenly developed an expectation for comic books…read morethat many places here in Australia simply cannot placate. Basically, you really only have two options here, DC or Marvel, though there might be a shelf that has a smattering of independent comics, or another shelf that might have some Dark Horse ones as well, but that is basically it. This is one of those comic shops, which means that the selection really isn't all that great, unless of course you are into the affore mentioned comics. Still, the service wasn't all that bad, so I'll give it that.

I fully expected to saunter into the comic book store and relive a scene from The Big Bang Theory,…read morewhere all the geeks are so astounded at the presence of a female in the store that they stop and stare in awe and ill-concealed lust... *sigh* Not the case. Another example of Hollywood messing with my expectations. The store was empty except for the attendant, who was actually quite friendly, and not at all disarmed by my inherent female-ness. Strike one, Comic Shop. How dare you not be in awe of my femininity? In all seriousness, it's a cute little store, that I would love and frequent often were I the slightest bit interested in comic books. Even I, a comic book novice, can tell that the shelves are stacked with all manner of comic books, from Spiderman to ... I don't know, Batman? My knowledge of comics is limited, forgive. The attendant seemed very accommodating and helpful, and suggested a bunch of things that I could read for my foray into the comic book world. I entered the store primarily because it looked FUN. The sign is all in bright colours, and the entrance is a spooky, mysterious looking alleyway.. how could I not poke my head in?

Amazing experience at Kings Comics during a work trip in November. I called to check on in stock…read morecomics and they nicely put them aside for me to come pick up. I also did a second visit on my return to Sydney and got some recommendations on new releases for my travels! Perfection!

Super helpful and very friendly! 10/10 would suggest! I…read moreasked for any comics by Liana Kangas and they rounded up 3 covers she did with no problem at all!

Basement Books is a dangerous place on many levels…read more Danger number one: It's in Central. It is right in Central. Central is a place you meet people, so you might say, meet you in central at 4pm and then you get there at 3.30pm and you have to wait. So what do you do? You go to Basement Books and peruse their countless books with bright yellow stickers advertising their low and affordable price. Danger number two: Because these books that you're perusing are cheap, you can justify the price even if you're not sure whether you even need the book. 'Oh, a history of Physics' I've always been interested in Physics, and it's only $9.95 I should probably buy this and learn about Physics. Danger number three: Their range is gigantic! I almost said 'ginormous', but that's not a word. What I meant was Hugantic! There are literally thousands upon thousands of books and they're always receiving new stock. They have art sections, computer sections, history, film, personal growth, science fiction, literature, even books like the dictionary, which, had I purchased a copy last I was in, would have saved me the embarrassment of using a non-word like 'ginormous'. So beware of Basement Books. You have been warned. The bookshop is in a great location, the titles are cheap and the range extraordinary. I have a pile of books in my room almost as tall as I am that I have yet to read, opportune purchases that came at me as I strolled amidst the aisles killing time. A book on deadly diseases for $4.95, I'm not going to find that bargain again. Buy! Buy! Buy!

In this day and age of Kindle and Kobo and Nook, a solid read (and I mean one that you can…read moreliterally hold and turn pages beneath your fingers) comes pretty cheap. You really do need to head in to see what they've got because I find their online catalogue lacking and sometimes the staff don't even know what they're stocking. The outside disguises how big this place really is, as it has sections for anything from classic fiction to travel books and bios. It has a pretty decent selection of art supplies as well (I'm no art student, but it does cater for scrapbooking hobbies or the amateur artist if you're after it). Right in the back corner they have a little children's section which I found perfect for my six year old sister who's going through her first reading phase. I bought her a collection of these tiny Winnie the Pooh classics, and a special anniversary edition of Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and Friends stories which averaged around $4 and $12 respectively. They have tons of different hard cover books (some of which are pop up!) which were surprisingly cheap, but more importantly, were invaluable in keeping kids (of all ages) entertained for hours.

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.

I put an order in online from the US and never received my product. While I placed this order in…read moreOctober of 2011. Sometime has seriously passed- without a word since March. While I do not want to slander the person handling (or the lack of) handling my case. I do have email correspondence that died off with no follow-up. I would like a refund for my product that never was shipped. I'm sure this company is not bad, but the folks in-charge are just too busy or can care-less. Leaving customers hanging and ripping them off is not the way to do business, period. www.nationstate.com.au

A disclaimer before I start. I love magazines. One of my absolute all-time favourite books concerns…read moreHarold Hayes, the 1960s editor of Esquire magazine. So it should be clear then where I'm going to go with this. I am going to tell you, dear reader, that I love this place. Mag Nation is a magazine store. That is to say, they only sell magazines - no clear-lined writing books, no greeting cards, no pens and pencils and pencil sharpeners, no newspapers, no Archie comics (they do sell some comics but not Archie), they don't sell bus travel tickets, they don't sell cigarettes, no newspapers, no cold drinks. Magazines. That's it. And it's on two levels. That's two levels of magazines. You'll need more than pocket change. The magazines all vary in price and if you're literate and you have hopes, dreams, curiosities, interests, you will likely want to go out the store with more than one so be prepared to come in with a semi-fat wallet.

This was a little comic store from the 80s and 90s run by the lovely Terry Brown since deceased in…read moreabout 2016. A high point in my youth was seeing Terry and his girl Ruth during each Saturday morning run into town. Now sadly gone since the mid to late 90s I am surprised the name still turns up on a search. - David R 27/5/2018 davidrlandofoz@gmail.com

Lots of books. There was a large amount of bilingual books although it was hard to findread more

After I was done with having lunch at The Galeries, I went upstairs to floor 2 to check this place…read moreout. They're a Japanese chain bookstore. I've been to their locations in Los Angeles, CA and Seattle, WA. My goodness, they had quite the extensive manga selection! Of course all of the super popular ones were available. If I had one of these bookstores closer to where I live, I would be giving them a lot of my money! Everything was so well organized, so everything was very easy to locate.

I simply cannot visit Katoomba without a long, leisurely browse around Mr. Pickwicks. Over the…read moreyears, I have never walked out of this treasure trove without some unique find. If you are entering looking for a pristine shop, you will be disappointed. If you are stopping by to find surprises, you will be thrilled.

As I perused the shelves, chuckling quietly at titles like 'Little Miss Grouch', 'The Woman Haters'…read moreand 'Some Eccentrics & a Woman', the wonderfully gravelly-voiced staffer was telling a story about Winston Churchill's mother having her leg chopped off from gangrene after a fall from wearing Italian high heels. I always thought high heels were bad for you. Walking along the very well organised shelves of secondhand and antiquarian books downstairs, you also come across 'The Vault' - a kids room with chaise longue and all. There's glass cabinets full of antiques and collectibles, Satsuma vases and ancient Roman fibulae. Downstairs is the bargain section with lots of furniture, but head upstairs. First you pass an amazing actual magic lantern, slides and all, and up you go, up the echoey stairs that feel like you're walking through a repressive girls' school, of Enid Blyton era. Upstairs there's a big vintage clothing section, and more affordable books, from comics to a huge range of Penguins so you can stock up on your Worthy but Forgotten Authors. There's lots of chairs everywhere, inviting you to sit, and classical music seeps out from speakers all over the place. You will be steadfastly ignored by the staff unless you ask them something, as they show you the respect of assuming you can find your way around yourself. You could wander in Dickensian referenced abandon for hours.