This may come as a shock to you, but I love books.

Because I love books more than most people, I feel it is my duty to inform the masses of where they can purchase their own. You think this would be cut-and-dried, yes? My friends, there is much for me to teach you. There are a lot of places one might acquire their own little slices of pure addiction. Physical locations and online. Since the list is a little on the longer side, I’m going to start with physical locations where you can obtain your new favorite story!

The Library

Wonders never cease, right? Listen, dearies, go to your local library and get yourself a library card. It’s free! You can check out books and movies. You can utilize their computers. You can ask a librarian for some help on resources in your community. This is a free resource for you to use! Into literary fiction? They got it. Want to make yourself paranoid at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday? They have a thriller section! Have an urge to watch Adam Sandler in The Waterboy? I mean, they may have it there to borrow, I dunno. Not only that, if you are interested in meeting new people, your library may host social, community/support, and special-interest groups. This is fabulous! Why are you still reading this? Go to the library. NO! No. No. Wait. Sit down. You go after. We good? Good.

Local Indie or Used Bookstore

Where I am located, I don’t have a convenient indie bookstore to go to. I do, however, have a local used bookstore that I frequent multiple times a month! The great aspect about visiting indie or used is that you’re supporting a local business as opposed to the big chain stores. In my case, I take books over to my local store and obtain credit. With that credit, I can always find something that I am interested in. Lately, I have been finding more and more recent and popular books on the cheap. Let’s just say I have a lot more rom-coms thanks to my local used-book store. They are a great way to save both money and some trees! The downside is that the supply at a used bookstore can be iffy. For instance, I don’t keep mass market paperbacks and there are a lot of those at my store! Also, there can be lulls in what kinds of books come through. Looking for Stephen King? You may be waiting awhile. Fantasy? Those may be slow to stock up, too!

As for Indie bookstores, they do tend to be a little more expensive, and they, too, can be very niche depending on who the owner is! However, if you happen to live near one, I recommend going and supporting that business! You may just walk out of there with a little-known gem that’ll become your new favorite everything.

Barnes and Noble

We all knew this one was coming! In the land of books, Barnes & Noble is kind of a big deal. Here is what I will say, friends. They are expensive. I can’t even sugarcoat it. Yes, they do have sales throughout the year. Yes, you can go into a store at any time and take a look at their buy 1, get 1 50% off. At the end of the day, though, they are expensive. I would recommend going when you have room in your budget because, expensive or not, I don’t want physical bookstores to become a thing of the past. There is just something magical about going into a bookstore. Now, B&N does offer a membership for those who are interested. That membership offers a discount on each purchase. Membership also gives you 1 stamp for every $10 dollars spent, and a $5 reward for every 10 stamps earned. If you are a frequent book buyer, you can let those rewards add up and make a purchase that may be worth it at the end of the year! Or whenever you decide to cash in, as those rewards don’t expire! There are also coupons to the cafe that come with each purchase.

That being said, no one would blame you if you skip Barnes & Noble.

Books-A-Million (BAM!)

BAM! is another heavy hitter. When I first moved to Florida (did I mention I live in Florida? Well, there you go!), Books-A-Million used to be right down the road. I used to go there a lot more than B&N. Quite some time ago – oh, maybe about a little over 20 years ago – BAM! moved its location. It’s not terribly far away, but it is in a high traffic area (cars and people) and I ain’t about that life! That being said, the last time I was there, I couldn’t help but notice that they weren’t exactly inexpensive either. I mean, they gotta compete with Barnes, no? They even have their own membership program to include a percentage off purchases, free shipping on eligible items, and a birthday reward. Membership is cheaper than B&N currently ($25 compared to, I believe, $45 at Barnes). BAM! is also very good about having sale sections where the price of some books are greatly reduced. For real, you might go in and pick up a stack of books all priced below $10 each!

If you want the experience of walking through a bookstore but with some cheaper options, Books-A-Million might be the better option for you! If my house were closer to BAM! or if BAM! was not in the area it is (seriously, the area is chaos), I would probably visit this store more than Barnes.

There. I said it. Totally would.

Target

To complete Part 1 of the physical locations you can visit to purchase books, let’s end with Target. Target. You can’t hear it, but I’m sighing right now! I’m not in love with Target. I’ve never been in love with Target. I know there are a lot people who swear by this store, but I have never seen the appeal. That said, I have visited Target enough to know they have a pretty healthy book section. At least, I think they still have a fairly healthy selection! I, admittedly, have not been there for maybe two or three years. From what I remember, there is a nice selection, and they do, in fact, have sporadic sales on books. A cheaper option than both B&N and Books-A-Million, but with a smaller selection by comparison. If you’re in there picking up toilet paper, Oreos, and pool noodles (no, really, what the fuck are you guys buying at Target?), swing by the book section and see what you can find!

That, my friends, is part 1 of the physical locations where bad choices are made.

Well, bad choices when it comes to buying too many books.

Unless you’re at Target. I’m assuming you’re making a few other bad purchasing choices there, as well. I don’t think you actually need all four of those Adirondack chairs, by the way.

Not judging. I am.

You do you. But not those chairs.

P.S. If you shop at Target, please don’t take offense! I’m only kidding, and I’m sure those chairs are going to look great on your deck. Please, don’t disinvite me from your barbecue. I’ll bring the dip.

Siemelle