If you\u2019re a creature of habit like me and have an extensive to-be-read list, you\u2019re familiar with how quickly costs can add up. If there\u2019s a book you\u2019ve been wanting to read for a long time \u2014 or if you\u2019re just wanting to branch out of La Jolla \u2014 here are a few budget-friendly used bookstores in San Diego I\u2019ve had the pleasure of visiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Verbatim Books<\/p>\n
Best for: Varied genre selection\u00a0<\/p>\n
Neighborhood: North Park\u00a0<\/p>\n
Verbatim Books is lined with shelves of gently loved books and adorned with paintings and maps, making it impossible to know where your eyes will land when you first walk in. Look for the genre labels on each shelf and go to the one that grabs your attention. It won\u2019t take long to find a title that piques your interest; Verbatim has expansive selections, from classics to sappy rom-coms. Plop yourself down on one of its many antique couches and begin your literary adventure if you want to read a few pages before heading to the register. Before leaving, check out its sticker machine and $10 prints \u2014 perfect for transforming any space into a dream reading spot.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Footnote Books<\/p>\n
Best for: Science fiction and action\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Neighborhood: Hillcrest\u00a0<\/p>\n
Footnote Books\u2019 wall of crime fiction is the star of this bookstore. The shop makes use of its small size by stacking its selection of used books from carpet to ceiling. If you don\u2019t find what you\u2019re looking for on the shelves, glance down at your feet for a stack of books awaiting your annotations, perhaps alongside those of a previous reader. Their musings are encouragement to slow down \u2014 an unfamiliar concept for the average UC San Diego student \u2014 and venture into the worlds of science fiction or nonfiction. Take a seat on a stool and become one with the books; it won\u2019t be hard in this knowledge-filled haven.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lib\u00e9lula Books & Co\u00a0<\/p>\n
Best for: Queer and BIPOC literature\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Neighborhood: Barrio Logan\u00a0<\/p>\n
Walk just 10 minutes from the famous Chicano Park to Lib\u00e9lula Books & Co for its cozy but lively atmosphere. Lib\u00e9lula\u2019s art and colorful decor are representative of its community-oriented mission; the shelves are filled with the stories by queer, Black, Indigenous, and Chicanx writers. Here, used and new books intertwine on the shelves. If you like listening to music while you read, I suggest bringing along a musically talented friend; the store has a piano for anyone to play. When taking a break from the pages, look for Barrio Logan\u2019s cutest little residents, Ocho and Zero. Hint: Check the cat condo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maxwell\u2019s House of Books<\/p>\n
Best for: Nonfiction and scholarly publications<\/p>\n
Neighborhood: La Mesa\u00a0<\/p>\n
You know you have reached Maxwell\u2019s House of Books when you\u2019re face-to-face with a wooden bookshelf filled to the brim with $2 books right outside the entrance. Better yet, wait until you spot the neighboring box of free books. As you navigate Maxwell\u2019s maze of literature, watch your step for the store\u2019s most adorable employees: Little Bit and Biddy. Don\u2019t be afraid to settle into one of the shop\u2019s chairs, and perhaps one of these cats will emerge from the shelves and curl up in your lap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While you may not find the latest romantasy release in a used bookstore, you may pick up something you never anticipated and expose yourself to a whole new realm of prose. San Diego\u2019s used bookstores offer books to inspire and comfort readers at an affordable price.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019re a creature of habit like me and have an extensive to-be-read list, you\u2019re familiar with how…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265957,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[116302,116303,116304,74,76,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-265956","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-book-crawl","9":"tag-bookstore-reccomendations","10":"tag-exploring-san-diego","11":"tag-san-diego","12":"tag-san-diego-headlines","13":"tag-san-diego-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265956\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}