Best Bookstores around Singapore

I’m not good at a lot of things, including Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Science, etc. That list goes on (for quite a bit). But there’s one thing that I’m quite confident in — and that is being a bookstore aficionado. As pretentious and aggrandising as that title is, it comes from a place of genuine love and affection for all books. Be it with first-hand titles or second-hand ones that are all ratty-tatty and dusty, they’re all beautiful to me; for the words they hold, and for the value that they’ve offered me in life.

So, on some days, I like to take it slow and easy, and go on a trip to buy some books. And as I believe that every single reader deserves a treat-yourself-to-a-book day, today, I’d like to share with you some of my favourite spots in Singapore — both online and offline. For the following, I’ll label which are first-hand or second-hand books in their respective titles. I’ll also share some of the books I got. (Just some, alright?)

1. Bras Basah Complex [SECOND-HAND BOOKS – OFFLINE]

Bras Basah Complex has already cemented its status as a hub for second-hand books and items. Here, though, I specifically home-in on my favourite stores and what each of them can and cannot deliver on.

  • Knowledge Book Centre

I patronise this bookstore with every single chance that I get. Primarily, this does well on:

  • Young Adult Fiction (outside the store)
  • Chick-Lit (outside the store)
  • NatGeo magazines and encyclopaedias (found on the right side, outside the store)
  • Literary Fiction including Sing Lit (in the back, towards the left)
  • Vintage Books (near the counter)

Their NatGeo magazines are always around $2-4, so I always purchase a copy or two when I’m there. Aside from being interesting reads, they’re pretty good inspiration for my journaling and writing! As for the latter point of vintage books, the last time I went, I saw a bold-faced hardcover. Its title: The Red Book by Mao Tse-Tung. If you look hard enough, you can probably find the original copy of Marx’s Communist Manifesto. Just kidding. Still, that’s my real dream-boat right there.

Besides that, the Literary collection is genuinely good. I’ve managed to snag some second-hands that I once thought were impossible. Namely, Jean Tay’s Boom. I’ve also picked up a copy of John Steinbeck’s The Red Pony before.

  •  Evernew Book Store

This place certainly offers good picks, though in my opinion, I’ve always felt that it’s a little on the pricier side. This store is ideal for:

  • Literary Fiction
  • Young Adult Fiction
  • Crime
  • Mystery & Thriller

Their fiction also tends to be more general rather than classical or literary. If you’re looking to get something like To Kill a Mockingbird or 1984, your best bet is sifting through the neatly arranged stacks in this store. And yes, Murakami is also tossed into that mix.

2. Littered with Books (LWB) [FIRST-HAND BOOKS – OFFLINE]

I need to put a disclaimer that I’ve worked at this place for approximately 2.5 years. Given my fond memories of this place and the close friends I’ve made from it, my position may be a tad bit biased.

Putting all this aside, from a reader’s standpoint, I genuinely think my store was one of the best at curating a collection (at least, to my taste). Its strong suits:

  • Literary Fiction
  • Surprisingly, Chick-Lit
  • SingLit
  • Historical Fiction
  • Crime
  • Non-Fiction (general)
  • Japanese Literature (general and classic)

It’s rare to find a store that offers good His-Fic and a relatively wide range of Literary fiction that doesn’t just cater to the top 10 bestselling books at that time. (Or only shelves an abundance of Haruki Murakami. I’m sick of hearing that name.) Yet, LWB plugs that gap — and pretty good, if I do say so myself. As a result, most times, I’ve spent my pay on buying their books, instead of only selling them.

Among the things that LWB is good at, though, their best feature is probably the way they treat their books. Working at the store, I was told to washi-tape the back of the books before price-tagging them. This ensured that there was no residue after peeling, and that the books would not be inadvertently damaged in the process.

Another fun fact: There’s a less-known sale section on the second-floor, beneath the for-show staircase that goes to the non-existent third-floor. However, some of these books are rarities, and not necessarily in a good way, as this essentially means that they aren’t very popular or good writings.

LWB also offers personalised reservations on specific books that you want brought in. To do so, you can simply Direct Message their Instagram, or email them at lwb.general1@gmail.com. (Hah, it’s practically ingrained in my skull.) However, a fair warning: Reservations may get really sluggish or even backlogged for months. On the contrary, the occasional reservation or two is really quick — it really depends on your luck.

Online bookstores

  1. Thryft [SECOND-HAND BOOKS – ONLINE FOR NOW]

Opening their doors in November 2019, Thryft is a splendid social enterprise venture started by our very own Yale-NUS students. What I’m even more astounded by is how far they’ve come. From a few thousand followers, Thryft has since come out of the woodworks to greet the public with 15.9k followers (as of April 2022).

But I’m also mired in feelings of shame. Here is what I’ve spent so far on Thryft.

I have since cut back on buying books. As you can see, my last purchase was in January 2022. Now, libraries are my go-to (some of the time). 

There’s more purchases, but I’m too embarrassed to even include those. To be frank, though, it’s not my fault that their books are so cheap. In a phrase, I term it: Value-for-money, as on average, I spend around $3 per book. Moreover, with their regular book fairs, Thryft also offers a buy-2-get-1-free deal, which offsets whatever your third book costs. This can be amazing if your third book costs, say, $10 or more. This, sadly, is also the main culprit for why my paycheck keeps eluding me.

Surprisingly, their books have always been optimal in quality (at least for me). The standards are as follows: Like New > Very Good > Good > Well-Read. In spite of its label, though, even the well-read books usually come in pretty mint condition, particularly when compared to the ones that catch my eye at Bras Basah.

By far and large, Thryft also has the best curation of books that I’ve seen. Indeed, while they’re a social enterprise and people are constantly donating books to them, from time-to-time, I’ll be taken aback at how many people are letting go of so many gems. At the same time, I harbour a deep gratitude for people who are willing to rehome their books even when it comes at no profit to them; with the exception of some Thryft credits they may use on their next purchase. So far, I’ve snagged W. B. Yeats, Voltaire (yucks), Somerset Maugham, Agatha Christie, Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, S. E. Hinton, Dodie Smith, and more. Thryft is the gift that just keeps giving.

Yet, one major downside that I’ve faced is the labels they stick on the book’s spine. Usually, such labels are only placed on wrapped books, or those with dust-jackets. However, several times now, I’ve had many of my paperbacks taped down with this sticky tape. It genuinely and physically pains me when I take out the tape and the cover comes out with it — particularly if the book is a vintage one. Unfortunately, that happens more often than I’d like to admit. Nonetheless, it seems that they’ve held-off on taping the more fragile books. Perhaps someone wrote in to let them know. Godsent.

2. Books Beyond Borders [SECOND-HAND BOOKS – ONLINE / OFFLINE]

Like Thryft, Books Beyond Borders is a social enterprise that donates a portion of their money to fund education in less-privileged countries such as Nepal. While their prices are scaled to a much larger range, they aren’t as arbitrary as Thryft’s prices. Herein, the comparison is not intended to devalue or value-add; it simply just is a fact. One look at their page and you’ll get what I mean.

Above all, I too am passionate about education; I’ve always seen it as an x-factor to social mobility and change. As such, Books Beyond Borders’ core mission is not only deeply admirable, but also a breath of fresh air in Singapore’s stale and arid education landscape.

Sadly, I don’t patronise this store as much, but that’s simply because I’ve started to hold back on book-buying, lest it drain my wallet and soul dry. That being said, I’ve snatched-up some fantastic titles from this store, such as Alexander Mccall-Smith. If my memory serves me right, I picked up around seven of his titles. Well, oops. My unabashed love for quotidian, bedtime novels are peeking out.

Like Thryft, Books Beyond Borders has its own ongoing sales at The Book Barracks, which is a real-life store that allows customers to browse through more than 4,000 existing titles and look through a photo exhibition. There, their prices go as low as $1. Simply bring a book bag along, and make an RSVP here if you’re interested!

3. Bigbadwolfbooks [FIRST-HAND BOOKS – ONLINE / OFFLINE if you’re in Malaysia]

This isn’t a very common option since Big Bad Wolf Books is based in Malaysia, but I’ve bought books from them before at absurdly low prices. Even despite being clean, first-hand books, I’ve bought classics for around $5-$6. To do so, though, I’ve had to previously cash-in my cart of books with my sister’s friends to reach free shipping (minimum = $120). I’d therefore recommend this for people intending to do big bulk purchases for books. You can also check out their Shopee page for a list of readily available prices.

Either way, their titles are surprisingly diverse. I scored a gorgeous copy of Persuasion by Jane Austen, as well as several Alexander Mccall-Smith titles that I had trouble securing at a fair price. (Why Isabel Dalhousie, why? Why is your series so expensive?) Besides, supporting them is well worth it when two to three million of their books were damaged in the Malaysia floods late last year. I really encourage and recommend this option.

You have now come to the end of this list. Happy Shopping to my fellow readers, and remember to spend wisely! 🙂

 

Written By: Yuki Koh Suat Nee