haul the books from the city

as you may or may not know, i went a little too enthusiastic with my book-buying while i was in new york. it wasn’t that much, but it was enough that i had to bring an extra carry on to fill solely with books. i mean, eleven books from seven weeks isn’t an insane amount. it’s reasonable, considering the amount of indie bookstores new york has. there are hardly any in los angeles, so i tried to visit as many as i could during my stay.

books of wonder

the night we said yes, by lauren gibaldi; tiny pretty things, by sona charaipotra & dhonielle clayton; none of the above, by i. w. gregorio

a day after i landed, there was a debut author event at books of wonder. it was my first “real” bookish event, so i was super excited. i’m also a huge fan of books of wonder; it has a large selection of YA novels, and best of all: many of them are signed! you may have heard of this shop because they host many YA author events, hence the signed books. it’s also great because the shop is only a few blocks from ABT studios, where i was training every day for the summer.

strand bookstore

how many times have i visited the strand? enough to leave my sister thinking i’m crazy. i’ve been wanting a physical hardcover of SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE for a year. i wanted to read it when it was released, but by the time i’d decided to get it summer was already over. SYBG is a summer book and i wanted to save it for the season, thus waiting another ten months to physically pick it up and read it. so, that was the first book i purchased when i made my visit.

FANGIRL was second. i knew i wanted the collector’s edition; i just didn’t know which one. when i saw it sitting atop a pile of others, in this gorgeous cover… how could i resist? i now own three copies of FANGIRL, all totally necessary.

if you’ve been reading my blog since december, you might remember my horror story hunt for NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST. this was a cover buy book, but online. i saw it, and i just knew i had to have it in my possession. but after ordering and returning it FIVE TIMES due to receiving the wrong edition, i gave up. after a few weeks of being in the city, i remember how i desperately wanted to find this book. i went to barnes and noble and came up with nothing, but the strand got me covered. (pun intended because COVER BUY) i found it tucked in the rows of books and, i swear, time slowed and a burst of light came from the sky because I HAVE THIS EDITION. (finally!)

another time i visited was when i came to get (another) strand bag. but, of course, i went strolling through the aisles. i was with my sister and we were trying to find our other friend, nakjun, so we decided to go downstairs to the used/out of print book section. after my first visit, i decided to avoid this area because 1) it was really hot and, 2) i couldn’t find the YA section. while searching, i saw a bunch of “dance” books that caught my eye. then, i spotted IT: an out of print edition of an AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE book. evelyn and i are avid ABT fans and so finding this was a true gem. it seemed to be in a great condition and it was only $20. there were full pages with photos of prima ballerinas and their interviews. the only problem was that it weighed 10 lbs. book buying could be a sport.

book culture

i passed by book culture on my walk back from the gym. located on the upper west side, this bookshop is super cute. they have a great selection of books, but more so on adult novels than YA. i found HOLLOW CITY on the cart outside for a great price, so i immediately purchased it. (i’m clearly a compulsive buyer) i haven’t read MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN yet, but i do own a hardcover copy. now that i have the second one to match it, i’ll be more motivated to start the first.

barnes and noble

whenever i have some time to spare, i visit the local barnes and noble since they seem to be everywhere. i’ve only bought one book from b&n, which was EUGENE ONEGIN, because indie bookstore ftw! however, i’ve visited lots of times and my sister purchased lots of books here.

book stands and more

there are a ton of book stands on the street. the one i purchased from was located on broadway and 74th st. i was skimming my eyes over the spines when i saw the paperback edition of HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCER’S STONE. it seemed to be in a good condition and it was only $3. why not.

strand book stand (or kiosk), located at 60th st. & 5th ave.

the last book i brought home was a photo book of THE ROYAL BALLET COMPANY. i went to watch their show and there was a stand selling little things like t-shirts, dvds, and BOOKS. royal ballet is my favorite ballet company in the world, so a book of their dancers backstage, in rehearsal, and on stage made me very happy.

what are your latest book purchases?

– alexandra