Rainy Day Books is a little bookstore in The Basin selling second hands books of all varieties…read more From newer titles to old classics, the books here fill the shelves and walls to the point of breaking, and its no surprise that the sign on the door reading "Not buying books at the moment" hasn't moved for over a year now. I usually head to the music and movies section, where you'll find autobiographies, cinephile and some interesting titles on either musicians and actors or music and movies themselves. Books are fairly priced and a visit to Rainy Day Books helps keep honest second hand bookstores alive and kicking.

This Bookshop is an Aladdin's Cave of delights. No matter what your favourite author or what your…read morefavourite genre, Rainy Day Books will and can suit the most discerning book-lover. It's just amazing what you'll find there. Shelved in selected categories it is easy to navigate around the shop and you'll even find a sofa on which to sit and peruse a couple of books before you buy. There's so much to choose from and you'll never go home without at least one book under your arm. Rainy Day Books has some real treasures, not least of all old classics and children's books from the early 1900s which are collectors pieces for both young and old. For modern youngsters, the children's section is always popular not only with the kids but also with their parents and it's great hearing the giggles and chuckles of glee when a book is chosen especially by it's little buyer. It's no wonder that people drive from the other side of the city and as far afield as the Mornington Peninsula and Central Victoria to visit this bookstore, as hard-to-find and rare books from around the world are quickly accessed and found, and delivered to an excited waiting client. This little bookshop is a "must" to visit when visiting The Basin, at the foothills of the Dandenongs. At the roundabout in the Basin, you'll experience the friendliness of a bookshop proprietor who really knows her books and shares her knowledge so willingly. After spending time in the bookshop and coming away with at least a few, I also take advantage of having a cuppa at either of the great little coffee shops in the same shopping centre - they're always crowded.

The Belgrave Book Barn is the shop for new books in the hills. It is quite a large store and has a…read morelot to choose from. What I like most about this place is that it stays open really late on a Saturday night - for bookworms like me this is really convenient when we realise that we have no reading material handy on a Saturday night! The sign out the front has only recently been re-vamped but the inside of the store is still showing how old it really is. The floor creaks and when I went there was no music playing so I felt quite self-conscious walking around. There are books in categories like craft, building, cars, fiction, teenage, poetry, gardening... the list is pretty long. I really like the range of gift books in this store, as there is a colossal amount to choose from. (I am a really big gift book fan.) I've been here a few times and each time have had quite a different experience with staff. Some are really friendly and welcoming as you come through the doors while others look away and almost ignore you. Generally there only tends to be one worker at a time and if the shop isn't busy it can be quite a nice place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Belgrave's main street. The only thing this bookshop is missing is a chair. It is open Monday to Thursday between the hours of 10 and 5.30, Friday 10-9, Saturday from 10-9.30 and Sunday from 11-5.30.

Avenue bookstore is my go to place for books. They always have what I'm looking for and if I don't…read morethey order the book that I need and it's there within a week. On top of that the place is always very clean and well organized and they always have cool new books coming in for me to check out. Staff have always been extremely helpful and excepting when you ask him for any kind of book. I recommend Avenue bookstore to any of my friends that asked me about book recommendations.

I must warn you. You should not come here if you are saving money. You should not come here if you…read moreare trying to live light. You should not come here if you're about to go overseas, or if you're about to move house. Because as soon as you step through the doors, you will fall into a hypnotic book-trance as over 8000 titles try to lure you over to them, all words and tongues, and you won't leave until you have a brown-paper lunch-bag full of the most delicious literary treats you could hope for! Warren and Kirsty have created the most beautiful inner-city shrine to literature, a land of teak and glass artifacts, tempting sit-spots and a plenty titles that are guaranteed to fill you with a sense of wonderment and inspiration! They also have an array of in-store events and appearances, and are just some of the most lovely people you'll meet! Moving to Melbourne from a small country town, I was warned you'd be hard pressed to come by a sense of community and caring in the big, cold city. But spending a little time in the store you'll see there's a heartbeat and lifeblood flowing though our beautiful Melbourne - and the soulful brain is at Embiggen. Go get lost there for a little while - you'll likely end up finding yourself on the shelves there somewhere!

I LOVE this swanky little book shop. There's a sweet open window front display of the whole store…read morewhich really feasts the eyes. When en-route to a meeting a friend for coffee i received a text that said she was going to be running late and lucky enough i was walking past Embiggen when this happened. Embiggen was actually closed up until mid October due to flooding (I'm sure it had something to do with that massive storm in August), now open Embiggen is a book store to be reckoned with. They have a large range of titles all spread across a wooden interior (both floor and shelving), genres range from anything Art & Design, Sciences, Fiction, Economics, Politics, Poetry, Travel and more, there's a epic range for you to procrastinate through.

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.

There are a couple of things that I have noticed about 2nd Hand bookshops. Firstly if we are…read moredealing with popular books (or authors) then the chances of you finding any of their works in a second hand book shop are going to be slim at best. On the other hand they can be pretty hit or miss, depending one when you go, and also depending on the tastes of the owner - they don't necessarily buy every book that comes their way, not are they prescient enough to know that you want a particular book. This particular one was okay, and as I have mentioned before, there is always something hidden away that is going to catch my attention. While not huge as some are, it still is rather quaint.

This little bookstore is a fantastic place to waste time and pick up a bargain…read more Almost like stepping into a fairy tale the small space is exaggerated by the piles and shelves packed full with books. As you walk between the valleys of winding piles of paperbacks keep your eyes out for some bargains or collectables. Sections have been roughly organised, but the store plan is a bit hard to decipher. Just ask the owner or one of the members of staff to point you in the right direction. They are always friendly and up for a chat. The Merchant of Fairness can also help you track down a book that you haven't been able to locate. This is a service that is free of charge, and that the owner Rod is particularly proud of. The only section that is clearly separated from the rest is the children's. This is a brilliant little corner out the back where you can reminisce and look at copies of books that you may not have seen for 20 or so years. Stocking second hand books and rare first additions from various warehouses there is always a chance to find a copy of a childhood novel you treasured, or to purchase some large anthologies at a fraction of the price as new.

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.

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.

I guess the problem facing me at this stage when it comes to checking out bookshops is actually…read moretrying to find a book that I am interested it - it takes a lot longer than it used to, probably because I have so many books that it is quite hard trying to find something that I haven't got. Still, this is still a pretty good bookshop with a huge selection of books, particularly science-fiction books. The other thing is that they were in a pretty decent order as well, which is also a huge bonus, namely because it can take ages trying to find books that are in a somewhat unsorted condition. As I said though, it certainly is a pretty good bookshop.