I was dismayed at the recent demise of bookstores Angus and Robertson and Borders. It was sadly…read moresignaling the end of the paperback era and a glimpse of how technology has the power to change the way we will read and communicate in the future. Feeling the need to support the publishing industry, I recently came across All Books for Less. I guess the point of difference is the $5 price of all books for sale which gives them some hope of remaining viable in the foreseeable future. But if you're like me and prefer the smell and feel of a book made of paper rather than reading from an avatar from Amazon.com, go to All Books for Less and support our bookstores! They've got an immense and varied selection available. I came across sections for gardening, history, crime, romance, biographies and drama. Not being up to date on the current best sellers list and unsure of what to get, I chose the prequel to SATC (Sex and the City), and a true story of a talented writer's battle with anorexia which resulted in her death, titled 'Daddy's Little Girl'. It's not a bad read but I probably wouldn't recommend it, and the SATC prequel is a big fat flop and will be a box office disaster should it make it to the big screen. But the point is there is now another player out there with the buying power to stock a great variety of new and best sellers. Lets get behind them and support a store that could save the paperback from extinction.

When we arrived at the airport, my husband asked me if I wanted to try his favorite airport spot…read more Off we go! I love books, I love coffee : great combination! It's hidden behind the books so it's nice and quiet. Don't feel like you are in an airport. I browsed around in the book section while my tea cooled down. It's the secret spot of the pilots / air staff! They know where to go to avoid the crowds! My husband had a coffee and he loved it. I had a soy chai - it was good but not amazing. Overall great little find!

Books and coffee? I'm sold! A great alternative to the loud, crass food courts that are usually…read morefound in airports. The Toby's Estate coffee is a fairly easily blend to serve. It's hard to ruin it. This place won't blow your socks off but it will offer a decent coffee and a respite from the world.

Look, even though I love second-hand bookshops, this place wasn't as good as some that I have…read morevisited. I guess it has something to do with it being more for second-hand books as opposed to antiquarian books as well. I guess it also has something to do with the difficulty I had in finding any really good books that would grab my attention. Still, places like these aren't places where you visit once because they tend to be the type of places where you will always find something new.

I absolutely love this book shop. About every 2 weeks I pop in and there's always new stuff in…read morethere. It's got absolutely great second hand books in there. Lovely service and lovely people.

Lovely little independent bookshop, wonderful selection and they often host author events that I…read morerecommend checking out! You can come here for books on most topics, calendars, bookmarks and other little gifts. Some items are a little pricey, but there are options for all budgets. Overall, a great place to get the book you've been looking for or just browse.

This independent bookstore is located in the heart of the Main Street Eltham shopping precinct. It…read morehas a fantastic range of books. The non-fiction selection reflects the artistic bent of the community as well as biographies, travel, home & garden and coffee table books. They have a great children and young adult range, as well as popular fiction and new release stock. What really stands out is the range of Australian and local titles. in my opinion Eltham Bookshop is so popular due to its community involvement. It regularly hosts events and is popular with author talks. It promotes literacy and new local authors and even music events or book clubs for adults and children. The staff are happy to help you with your selection but are also happy to leave you alone to browse. Eltham Bookshop wins my vote for its well considered events and local author support!

I'm always up for a second-hand bookshop, and this is certainly a decent one. Okay, it isn't huge,…read morebut like a lot of this places it does happen to have a pretty decent collection. However, the collection also tends to be pretty random so, like a lot of these places, the joy comes down to actually see what is on the shelf. I found some decent books, and as is typical, ended up walking out with more than I actually knew what to do with. It is tucked away off the main road, but still worth checking out if you happen to be down this way.

This guy is magic. I swear, every time I've gone into this place looking for anything in…read moreparticular, not only does he have it, but he knows the work, the author and is willing to chat about it. 'So what?' you say. Well, I don't know about anyone else but, usually when I enter a second hand book shop, the first thing I'm asked to do is remove my bag because I obviously look like a book theif, and then I'm often treated with a distant rudeness like I'm somehow interupting the ebb and flow of the vendor's day. Not so with Already Read. This bloke is cheery and engaging. He usually seems up for a bit of a chat and stocks great quality, sought after titles; not just best sellers and fuckin' Dan Brown. He keeps multiple copies of the greats and has a large cache out back if you can't find something in the well ordered shelves. Seriously, as far as second hand book shops go, this is the one.

The book grocer is the perfect little book shop. They have getting people back reading strongly on…read morethe agenda. With a good range of books spanning from Penguin classics right the way through to self-help books such as 'Sexercise'. But what makes The Book Grocer truly great is the fact that they serve up coffee and muffins and have plenty of couches and seats for the avid browser to sit upon, sip their coffee and ponder what to buy. And perhaps an even better thing is the fact that (bar a few exceptions) every book in the shop costs under $10. I don't know how they manage to be so cheap, but if you ask me $10 is a perfectly great price to pay for an entertaining book.

A visit to The Book Grocer is like falling down a rabbit hole into a bibliophile's heaven…read more A beautifully airy and modern bookshop replete with lots of seating and even a coffee machine, Northcote's Book Grocer sells an incredible range of books ranging from fiction to biography, art to the social sciences and all for incredible prices. Seemingly every time I visit The Book Grocer there are scores of people engrossed in a selection of this gorgeous little shop's tomes and this behaviour isn't just accepted, it's encouraged. The Book Grocer's staff are friendly and welcoming and there are so many incredible books within this awesome book shop's four walls that you can easily spend a good hour here giving each section no more than a cursory glance. Prices tend to be around $6 for paperback fiction and as little as $15 for a gorgeous hardcover, coffee table type book or cookbook. I was looking for some art and design reference books today and the selection was nothing short of intimidating. As a guide to the kind of discounts on offer, I found a beautifully put together book about legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland for $10 reduced from $40 and all stock is new and in impeccable condition. An incredible shop.

Stepping into this shop is like stepping into the scene of an important turning point in a…read morescreenplay; there's just so much to discover amongst its dusty and seemingly haphazard shelves of goods that it just feels rich with opportunity. It looks as though it could have been the stand in for the shop the boy hides in at the beginning of 'The Neverending Story'. It's main specialty is in selling second hand and niche academic, political and specialty books, some of which it sells online (presumably through ebay, because I can't find an actual website). The shelves are so dense with books it's almost intimidating to browse, but anyone who likes the feeling of hunting for a bargain will enjoy the process. There's also a lot of second hand vinyl records, CDs, knick knacks and even the odd board game, including somewhat hilariously the 'Home and Away' game. You can also find stuff like old cuff links and other retro junk, a rocking horse and other old toys from bygone eras. The guy behind the counter, Noel, is friendly and it's worthwhile having a good conversation with him. Although the shop's been where it is for a while now, the lease is only month by month, so its' future existence is a little tenuous. Definitely worth the effort of checking out before it disappears at the end price hike in shop rent.

This little old house has been lovingly converted into a beautiful little bookshop…read more As it's situated on the tourist trail of the Yarra River, you'd expect it to be priced accordingly, however there are some great deals going on inside, and the books are all really fairly priced. I love browsing the second hand music and movie titles, and the fiction section usually has something of interest that I'll pick up, more or less every time for under $10 a book.

Pays $1-2 for as new, even hard cover books. Sells them for only a few dollars short of regular…read moreretail prices. Told me that he could not offer more than $2 for a brand new graphic novel because he sells them for about $3. I came back to see these miraculously cheap graphic novels a week later and found a pile of tattered comics at $3 each and my graphic novel marked as $15 (again, almost it's regular retail price new). Left me feeling terribly ripped off. Manager said he doesn't by most new young adult books on principle. Mostly only stocks very old books (in variable condition and at surprisingly high prices) and a limited amount of adult non-fiction again at prices well above what you'd expect from a second hand place. Generally disappointing. Book depository online and even Big W are cheaper.