Subway Reads: In the Hood

As all die-hard booklovers know, there is no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than wandering the musty stacks of a used bookstore. A good used bookstore is more than just a place to buy books on the cheap. It's a reliquary of yesterday's obsessions, ideas, and really cool covers; it's an opportunity to be reminded of those classics you always meant to actually finish (ok, start), and an excuse to stock up on some good trashy thrillers. It's a place to start at the beginning of the alphabet and work your way through.

Freebird Books & Goods on Columbia Street exists in the grandest of grand used bookstore traditions. Hardcovers and paperbacks are piled to the ceiling, and there is something new to be found around every corner and tucked into every crevice. Not all used book shops remain free of the aura of stagnation and neglect, but Freebird seems to scrub all the desolation of abandonment from its books, leaving the volumes happily content to wait for that one perfect moment when kismet strikes. You may not be able to find this week's Subway Reads at Freebird--used book shops are about the finding, not the possessing, after all. But, with a large, enchanting back garden and cozy front window, it's a bookstore that merits a visit for no other reason than a Sunday afternoon.

The Brooklyn Follies
by Paul Auster

Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979
by Tim Lawrence

The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil
by George Saunders

Every Woman Needs A Wife
by Nalaighna Kai

Experiencing Spiritual Breakthroughs: The Powerful Principle of the Three Chairs
by Bruce Wilkinson