Do you enjoy purchasing books? How do you choose which book to get?
Here are some different ways I purchase them.
- Read the first part at a book cafe before purchase
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Recently there have been many book cafes where you can take books from an actual bookstore and read it. This gives you a chance to find books that you really like by having the opportunity of reading them before buying. Some of you may disagree with this method because part of the fun in purchasing books may be choosing it only by its cover or the summary on the back. Brand new hardcover books are highly-priced, so I only want to buy the books that I really liked hardcover version to support the writer. Then how do I know if I really like it? By reading a part of it before buying! I met my most favorite books by this method. I sometimes even read the whole book before purchasing it, but I think it was worth it. If you like to keep your favorite books close to you, I recommend this method.
- “Mercari”
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“Mercari”
You may have visited an actual second-hand bookstore, but have you ever tried purchasing second-hand books online? One platform I use for purchasing used books is Mercari. I use Mercari to read books I wouldn’t choose if picking books from a bookstore. The fun in Mercari is that you can meet books that you didn’t expect. For example, if you search for a particular book title, many people will be selling a set of 5 or 6 books in cheap price settings. This is because the lowest price setting in Mercari is 300 yen, and it is too pricey for a single book. It is genuinely book hunting when you find your favorite book on accident. If you like cultivating your way through a new genre, please try this! - Blind date a book
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Blind date a book
This is my most favorite way of purchasing a book. The whole book is usually covered with wrapping paper, and you can only see the keywords representing the book. Blind dating a book is a popular way of finding a book, so I would like to introduce one place where you find these.
I usually go to 梟書茶房(Fukuroshosabo) in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. This is a book cafe, which also sells some books, but all the books are covered. You can only see the recommendation sentence and some keywords that represent it. It also recommends a second book, depending on your impression of the first book. Recently, I have been obsessed with buying books at 梟書茶房(Fukuroshosabo) because of this system. If this seems fun, please visit this book cafe in your free time! - OFuru by HCICU
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HCICU is going to open our own second-hand store, OFuru! We will be selling clothes, accessories, and books that we collected from our members. I am curious about what kind of books HCICU members are going to donate! Why don’t you also consider buying a book on OFuru? New information will be on the HCICU Instagram; please look forward to it!