You’ve just put down your biweekly copy of The Ubyssey and you’re not inclined to pick up your organic chemistry bible, but you need something to read. Your inner bookworm is screaming for some brain candy. Our suggestion? Treat yourself to that holiday-themed latte dripping which chocolate and hop on the 99 B-Line for used bookstores that will hit the spot with some food for thought.

There are many reasons to steer clear of Chapters and veer into the more intimate setting of a second-hand bookstore. There’s bargains to be found, which means more money for that steeply priced chai latte at the Boulevard. If you’re a romantic at heart, you’ll fall for the smell of pre-loved pages, the cozy atmosphere and a community that doesn’t seem to exist at chain bookstores. You’re more likely to read books you would have never read otherwise. And you could always find a one-of-a-kind book and make a fortune. Well, you never know.

First stop on the B-line is Pulpfiction, located at 3133 Broadway at Balaclava. This little store seems to hold everything. There are the three floor-to-ceiling shelves of “new” arrivals that beckon you in. In addition, if the store doesn’t hold a used copy of a book you are looking for, they are bound to have a spanking new copy at a discounted price. The “Naughty Stuff” shelf in the back corner can spice up anyone prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Climb back on the 99 and ride the proverbial rails to Broadway and Granville for more frugal fiction fun. This corner is home to a plethora of bookstores including the better known Chapters and Oscar’s Art Books.

The massive ABC Book and Comic Emporium at 1539 West Broadway has been supplying Vancouverites with fiction and magazine and comic back-issues since 1946. This spacious store is packed: aisles are lined by blue drawers, labeled with every name in English literature from Shakespeare to Stephanie Meyer. You can walk in looking for The Canterbury Tales and open a drawer stuffed solely with Chaucer paperbacks.

Wander over to the “Dollar Shelf” if you happen to be carrying a few lonesome loonies. Over the years, the store has added a DVD and video section. Fun fact: the owner does not read and is well-known amongst used–book junkies for saying, “The only good book is a sold book.”

Walk a couple doors down from the large Emporium to Tanglewood books at 1553 West Broadway. Tanglewood’s homey atmosphere will warm its way into your heart. Its enthusiastic staff members proudly boast it has the best poetry selection in town and the third largest cook book collection at 1100 titles. If you have been surviving on pasta and more pasta, the prices here mean that you can upgrade to baked potatoes. In addition, the business hosts a monthly coffee house night featuring a local artist or musician. Tanglewood is the place to go if you’re in need of a good suggestion or want to do some soul searching in their extensive collection of Buddhist literature.

Said one Tanglewood staff member, “Books are a place for the human heart to be.”

Our picks: Pulpfiction, The ABC Book and Comic Emporium and Tanglewood.