Welcome back to The Never Ending Book Basket’s countdown of The Best 5 ½ Places to Find Books!

(Pause here for silent cheering! Wahoo!)

If you’re wondering why on Earth I am counting down the best places to find books, let me enlighten you a little to my madness.

Finding books is a science. (At least to me.) There are many different places that you can find books, but let’s be honest: Some of those places are way better than others!

Thus, in my never ending battle to continually talk about books and all things related, I decided to countdown what I think are the best places to come across those amazing books we all seek. (Because you gotta know where to go to get the good stuff!)

Each spot on the countdown will have its very own post to discuss its awesomeness, and why YOU should go there ASAP to find books!

In my previous post I discussed the #5 spot on the countdown, Target, which I lovingly refer to as my own personal hell. Target is a prime example of how two rows of bookshelves can make a pretty darn good book section.

Up today on the countdown in the #4 spot is where most of us go to find a good book:

Number 4: The Old School Place to Get Books (aka The Book Store!)

So if you are a book lover, you have got to just adore the book store. That is kind of like an unspoken rule. I mean, c’mon.

Book stores come in all shapes and sizes, and each one is unique in its own way. While there are plenty of big and small book stores out there, the ones many of us find ourselves in are the large chain ones that frequent the many strip malls this country has.

Now this is just my opinion, but I think it’s safe to say the two major book stores most people in this country physically go to are Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million.

I personally have frequented both of these stores, and have spent way more money there then I will ever admit. (My lips are fucking sealed on that one!) I have also spent countless hours perusing the shelves of both of these major chains, and can safely say an afternoon spent there is well worth it.

Now it may seem like real common sense to say that a major book store chain is a fantastic place to find books, but you’ll note that this isn’t the post discussing the #1 spot on the countdown! (You’ll find out why soon enough!)

Why Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million are pretty fantastic places to find books:

• You can get any kind of book you want. (It’s a book store, hello!) Of course when you go to a big chain book store like Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million you can find every genre of book out there. There is something for everyone there, and that’s kind of a big thing. If you want that one random book that’s a little on the specific side, it’s probably at one of these major chains.
• The people who work there are books biggest fans. I have been to many a book stores, and have never met a book store employee who didn’t like books. (That would be a serious oxy moron!) The people who work at these places clearly like books, and are usually more than willing to help you find that next great page turner.
• The themed book displays. So I have to say I love the book displays they have in Books-A-Million and Barnes and Noble. These displays are full of books that are similarly themed, and they are a great place to find new books just like the ones you already love. This is also where the books on promotion are, and sometimes those deals are pretty good.
  

  Barnes and Noble (photo credit: barnesandnoble.com

• The Clearance Section. Now this particular one pertains more to Books-A-Million because the clearance book section there is out of this world. It is literally rows and rows of books that are severely discounted. The clearance section there also represents a wide variety of books that are all looking for a good home. They all scream, “Pick Me! Choose Me! Love Me!” (I’ll personally high five anyone who knows where that last line is borrowed from!)
• The “We Recommend” Section. So I already mentioned that most of the staff members at these stores love books. One of my favorite staples of these book chains is that they have this nifty little section of books that the staff recommends. I LOVE this section. It is filled to the brim with books that fellow book addicts love. What’s not to squeal over?
• There’s coffee. Okay so this really has nothing to do with finding books, but as I’ve said before, coffee and books kind of go together splendidly. And luckily both Books-A-Million and Barnes and Noble have coffee places in them to help us all pair our caffeine addictions with our book addictions.

So I’m sure you’re wondering what could possibly be the fallbacks of the major book stores we all love, and I’ll tell you there aren’t many, but I do have a some:

• The Prices. While both Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million have clearance sections, the majority of their books are on the pricier side. (At least for my poor ass self.) As I am a self-proclaimed book addict, my addiction can get a tad expensive shopping at these places. But on a more positive note, it’s easier to control my addiction when I literally can’t afford to buy the books I want. (There’s the upside!)
• Paying to belong. So at both of these places you have to pay to become a member to receive pretty much any kind of coupon or discount. (And in my opinion that’s a bunch of bs, because all us book lovers gotta stick together, and we shouldn’t have to pay to be at least some kind of member.) I still to this day majorly miss the major book retailer (which has since gone out of business) that gave out the best coupons and had free membership.(RIP Borders)

Major book stores like Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million have a lot to offer book addicts like you and me. They carry all the bestsellers, all the books you’ve got to read, and even that one specific book that nowhere else has.

Places like these are overflowing with books and book addicts alike. It is not only a spectacular place to find books, but a great place to meet and see other addicts out in their natural habitat.

And remember, they sell coffee too!!

Please stay tuned for more on The Never Ending Book Basket’s countdown of The Best 5 ½ Places to Find Books. (I know you’re still waiting to find out what that ½ thing means!)

Next up on the countdown is the place I refer to as the miscellaneous grab bag of where to find books.

Ps. If you have an opinion on Barnes and Noble or Books-A-Million and their spot on the countdown, I’d love to hear from you!