A Long Island Bookstore
As you know, we love when readers contribute reviews of their favorite bookstores and the farther from LA they are, the better we like them. Supportive and enthusiastic reader Meagan Cea lives in Huntington, New York and is a sophomore at Queens College in Flushing. We’re very grateful to her for the following review. The rest of this post is hers.
In this economy everyone is trying to pinch pennies. A surprising
and wonderful side effect is that, in the effort to save money, more
and more people are choosing books over movies and video games. But for
those with a real habit, reading isn’t necessarily cheaper at 15, 20,
sometimes 30 dollars a pop. That is, if you haven’t discovered a way to
feed your addiction.
Whenever people think of New York, they think of New York City,
Manhattan. It’s only natural. Yet in doing so they forget about another
wonderful little island: Long Island. If by chance you do remember Long
Island and find yourself out in Suffolk County, you just may stumble
upon Huntington Village. Huntington Village, also known as downtown
Huntington, is THE hot spot for any kind of entertainment you’re looking
for: restaurants, cafes, bars, a movie theater, even a jazz lounge. But
the best thing in town is of course, the bookstore.
The Book Revue is one of the few independent bookstores on the
island (there are fewer than twenty). Boasting two floors and 17, 500
square feet, the Book Revue is also one of the largest independent bookstores in the country. Although the decor is less than remarkable, it lacks the glossy feel of the major chain stores and has half a dozen chairs and couches scattered throughout the store, not including the large wooden
firetruck in the kids section. There’s even a small cafe in the sunniest corner of the store. Along with its many other accomplishments, the Book Revue is also a popular stop for book signings. Past visitors include Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Clinton, Neil Simon and Orson Scott Card, among many others.
But now to the very best and greatest feature: their discounts.
Unlike the many chain bookstores around, the Book Revue buys and
sells used books. With a little bit of effort, you can find good condition used books for anywhere between 12 dollars and 2. And that’s not even the best part. After a set of new books has been sitting on the shelves for a few months, untouched, the Book Revue has this wonderful little habit of moving them to the discount tables. As a result, at any time of year you can walk in and find six or eight tables of new books selling for 6 or 8 dollars a piece, sometimes even less! This of course does have the dangerous side effect of encouraging impulse buying in order to catch a sale, but I know I’M not going to complain.
Here’s to feeding the addiction.
BOOK REVUE
313 New York Avenue
Huntington, NY 11743
phone: 631.271.1442
fax: 631.271.5890
Tags: bookstore, Huntington Village, Long Island, Long Island bookstore, New York, New York bookstore, New York Times, used books
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