You know when you see houses converted into business and you're more than a little apprehensive to…read moreenter? For example you see a sign in someones yard advertising a dentist, or a vet clinic, or a podiatrist, and you're sure if you enter you will see a family sitting down to dinner. That's what Classics & Suchlike Books remind me of, but do not be put off! Inside this converted Ponsonby villa you will find a labyrinth of rooms with section upon section of alphabetized books. Honestly, you may need a ball of yarn to lay a trail behing you like Theseus. Twice I found myself back in the entrance, so engrossed was I in the endless titles. It doesn't have any café charade or try to masquerade the fact that it is anything but an immense supply of books. Get lost in a plethora of literature.

I'd been meaning to check out this bookstore in Ponsonby for years and only recently actually got…read morethe chance to go inside. I have to admit, I was shocked. Awed. Inspired. Classics and Suchlike Books looks more like an incredible library than a bookstore. Shelves upon shelves upon shelves, rows upon rows upon rows - books take up every inch of space in this surprisingly large store. From the street it looks as though Classics and Suchlike Books is only a room or two big, however it actually takes up the entire space of an old villa house. Every room is packed with books, most secondhand - and according to the knowledgeable and friendly sales assistant, they stock virtually everything but textbooks. That is, you can literally find any information you need to know in this place - whether you're after gardening advice, recipes or do-it-yourself books, the works of William Shakespeare, Tolstoy, the Bronte sisters or even a John Grisham thriller - chances are you'll find it here! Classics and suchlike Books is definitely the kind of place you need to set a few hours, or days really, aside for. There is such a wealth of knowledge on such a great variety of topics, I feel my one trip didn't do it justice at all and will have to return soon. Bonus: Because the books are secondhand they are pretty cheap. No more breaking the bank just to buy a decent read!

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 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.

This is Auckland's best (and probably biggest) second hand bookstore. It's musty in a good "old…read morebooks" kind of way, and sprawling and welcoming at the same time. Set over two floors of one of Onehunga's old buildings, it's like a house full of books. Most rooms have a comfy old chair or two for reading, and visitors are encouraged to sit and do just that. The subject range is huge and varied, and the prices are of course, excellent. The staff are knowledgeable and will point you in the right direction if you are after something in particular. Which is helpful because if you haven't been here before you could get lost and never come back out. Sadly Onehunga has been on the decline in the last few years despite there being a number of really great businesses here. I would recommend coming for lunch at Luscious, followed by a fossick at the Hard to Find and then checking out Look Sharp Discount Store. This historic Auckland suburb has suffered from mismanagement for too long now but as while these unique places cling on, it's still worth a visit - there is so much character and potential.

What do you buy for the person who has everything? Something fun, interesting or ridiculous;…read moresomething they've never seen before. Hard To Find Bookstore is the place to go for the person who has everything - spend enough time in amongst the weird little nooks and crannies and you're bound to find something for that awkward person who requires a gift. Ohe of my most lovely memories of Hard To Find Bookstore was a Christmas morning, when the small family of academics I was sharing breakfast with handed out presents. All three of them had bought each other gifts from Hard To Find, and all were so appreciative of their gifts. Some of the books still had their HTF price tags pencilled inside but nobody cared - gift-giving isn't always about how much it costs, but how much it means. And to these bookworms, the gifts were priceless.

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.

You would be forgiven for thinking this place was merely a stationery shop but they have a very…read moregood selection of books too. I guess they know there are some literary types in Parnell who know good fiction from the dross you get at Whitcoulls. I think it was this store that got me into the writer Paul Auster as I bought 'Moon Palace' here a couple of years ago. They also have a good choice of hardback books for your coffee table and I often used to browse at these when I visited the shop. They have good diaries too and I considered buying one only that I figured with a smart phone I probably did not need it. I am surprised there is not more good bookstores in Parnell but they are not really economically viable these days anyway. If you are in this neighbourhood and have an interest in books, you should definitely pop in here and have a look.

Bookshops are my haven…read more The Women's Bookshop is filled with biographies, gender studies, spirituality, health and well being, business - you name it! I purchase (a lot of) cards from here too: quirky, arty, unique and fun. They have a notice board from ceiling to floor regarding what's on, hot articles, reviews and items of interest. Nothing is too hard for the staff, they will order the book in, if necessary! Fantastic. Late night on Thursday and Friday, until 8pm! They have brilliant gift ideas, loyalty card and monthly newsletter. Just love!

The Women's Bookshop is perfect. It's one of those rare places you can go to and be treated as both…read morea feminist AND a normal person. They even welcome men (who they also generously acknowledge as normal people). What's next, equal pay for equal work? The end of domestic violence? A living wage?! It's all a bit exciting really. At the Women's Bookshop, they get that you might be interested in reading Backlash while you're baking cupcakes. It's okay if you'd like to learn more about lesbian politics and pick up a children's book too, by golly. Plus, they're always present at the Auckland Writer's and Readers Festival, being all up to date with their stock and still not doing the hard-sell. I think this might be more than a crush...

I'm of the opinion that you can never have too many good second hand bookstores in your repertoire…read more This one is so spacious and well designed you would be hard pressed to deduce that you were actually in a secondhand store, there are no dusty crammed shelves, that look like their about to collapse in on themselves in sight. It makes finding certain genres of books super easy as well, having everything so well set up. They also have nice little prints available for sale in the store as well, one which I bought for my office at home. Lastly I would just like to apologise to the cute sales assistant who I may have flashed, while going for a sneaky rearrange of my underwear behind a row of shelves that seemed to be private, UNTIL I saw the camera perched right above me. I hope I didn't scar you for life.

Evergreen has a great reputation in Auckland as a solid destination for second hand books…read more I always have a slight tinge of sadness that quite a lot of space seems to be taken up with popular fiction, and I really think the New Zealand fiction range needs work, but overall, it's a excellent place to spend more than you intended. The sci-fi range is particularly good and all the books are in really good condition, which makes a welcome change from finding a long-sought-after favourite only to discover that it's falling to pieces in your hands. Mucho disappointo. I've also had the welcome surprise at the till of having my order rounded down a couple of dollars, which is a really lovely way to reward customers who are buying a bundle. Overall, I would always come here for a browse when I'm in Devonport, but it's not really a go-to place if you have something specific in mind - in that case, I would head to Hard to Find books first.

Yes. This is what secondhand book shops are. Dominion Books is stellar. A marvelous and outstanding…read moreexemplar. The shop is incredibly cramped. It's brilliant. You're forced to kind of tilt your body around and really exercise your joints in order to navigate the walls and aisles covered in shelves covered in books. The books are cheap. Dirt cheap. I got a near new copy of Jonathan Franzen's Freedom of $4. $4! It was daylight robbery. Most importantly, the whole operation is overseen by the most timid, aging woman of all time. She's bloody magnificent. So surprised whenever anyone comes up to her to buy a book. That's absolutely magic.

Never have I been in a book shop like Dominion Books that requires the flexibility of a gymnast to…read morenavigate between the packed shelves. It reminds me of something from Harry Potter but surrounded by yummy mummy's out for coffee with the pram. In the age of electronic book downloads it is satisfying to hold and flick through a tome of imagination and inspiration. It's also nice to but something on a whim, without reading 100 online reviews from around the globe. That said, what Dominion Books offer me over it's competitors downtown is that beautiful aroma of literature, the smell is addictive.