Better Read Than Dead

What is not to love about this incredible indie bookstore?
When in Sydney, this is a mandatory stop. Ideally, I am able to take my grandson along, because he loves to hide out under the stairs in the reading area to absorb a book.
There is a great mix of books and really helpful staff recommendations give insight into treasures I might have missed otherwise.
If you are a book lover, this store deserves your time!

Ah, there is something truly wonderful about an independently run bookshop with passionate staff and an engaging range of interesting books. I happily browsed searching for the perfect engagement gift for friends. I obviously found «it» and also a few new items for my own collection.
I definitely recommend Better Read Than Dead and surrounding shops in Newtown if you’re in the market for presents — whether they’re for family/​friends or a treat for yourself!

Love this store. It might be my bias of loving all bookstores but I swear, I love this store. They have quite a large selection, as well as having some really fun gift ideas. Definitely a must visit for all book lovers.

I LOVE THIS BOOKSTORE!
This is a lovely independent bookstore, full of beautiful books that have been carefully chosen. You’ll want to spend a fortune in here on books! And you won’t regret spending a cent.
Every shelf has handwritten staff recommendations. I’ve become so tired of myself falling down the Facebook-​Twitter-​Internet rabbithole, I’ve decided I’m going to come here and buy a book to read every few weeks to help snap me out of the mindmushing time suck that is the bloody internet.
(Yes, I know. I’m on the internet now, thanks for reminding me…)

My favorite bookstore in Sydney! Well laid out and curated, knowledgeable staff, and always the most interesting books on display on the front table. I love this place, please stop by if you find yourself on King Street. I don’t want to see this place close!

Better Read Than Dead is always my fall back bookshop if I can’t find what I’m looking for second hand.
There’s a guarantee that these guys will stock it. And if they don’t they can find it.
I’m always impressed with the feminist and lesbian book section which you don’t find in many bookshops.
On the plus side, their window displays usually make me smile. And that ladies and gentlemen is a grand thing!

I’m always up for a good read so this wonderful, second-​hand bookshop, situated in Newtown’s popular King St, is aptly named. You’ll find some great romance and crime fiction for under $ 20, as well as an extensive collection of classic literature and poetry.
Witness the sparks fly between the spirited Elizabeth Bennet and the proud (but not bad to look at) Mr. Darcy, access Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, explore the tempestuous relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine, try the epic poetry of Homer, or dissect the psychology of the work of Henry James. I once picked up ‘The Wind in the Willows’ for my friend’s daughter for $ 5!
There are also non-​fiction books in a wide range of categories, including (but not limited to!) math and sciences, medicine, law, technology, lifestyle/​hobbies, psychology and the arts. Online orders are available.

I currently have an addiction to my Kindle. I hacked it to replace the wallpapers, my books are all organised into categories, I bought a handsome canvas sleeve for it (with felt lining, naturally). All in all, I love it truly.
So what could break this addiction? Well, Better Read Than Dead comes pretty close. Maybe not quite, I left with my wallet intact, but it was a struggle. This shop feels like what I would imagine one of those houses in a breezy Nora Ephron movie feels like: a large and bright library, far from the tony climes of most libraries in cinema.
It is a real pleasure to spend time leafing through the offerings here and considering your next literary adventure. It can be a tiny bit difficult to find some sections (I was having trouble with locating Sports), but the staff can point you in the right direction. The prices were roughly par for the course, not as cheap as the Kinokuniya monolith although definitely not as steep as other small bookstores I have been to.

I couldn’t agree more with the sentiment expressed in the name of this quality second hand book shop. Better Read than Dead joins the ranks of the numerous second hand book stores that are scattered around Newtown. Better Read than Dead is one of the best though — a varied and slightly eclectic range of books from thrillers to romantic novels and whodunnits to recipes. The staff are all avid readers — you can tell by the books they recommend which are placed at the front of the store, complete with a little review card. It’s definitely the place for ex-​Librarians, academics and bookworms who are after more interesting things to read. Much cheaper than buying books new, this should definitely be your first port-​of-​call if you’re looking for a new summer read.

This is a quality bookshop in amongst the many second hand stores along King Street. Second hand stores are great but when you are searching for something new (or searching for anything at all) Better Read than Dead is the place.
They seem to have a more eclectic range than most chain bookstores like Dymocks etcetera, with lurid paperbacks, bestsellers and crime novels in their appropriate section rather than assaulting you as you walk through the door. Staff recommended books are at the front, and often come with little review cards on the shelf so you can get a better idea of the book than the blurb on the back cover can give.
There is a website where you can browse or order online, and the shop will order out of stock books for you and ring you when it comes in. Best of all you take your books home in a brown paper bag!

If like me you are a fan of modern literature (and that does not mean Twilight or Harry Potter) then Better Read than Dead is a bookseller for you. They are a large store with extensive categories and they have an excellent modern literature selection.
If you are chasing Peter Carey, Haruki Murakami or J.G. Ballard like I always am, then you can catch them here. They have tables between the shelves which have staff– picks and books by some of the more interesting current authors laid out, so that you can keep informed of what is interesting to read at the moment.
I rely on bookshops like Better Read Than Dead as I can find authors and books which may interest me without having to research and make a lot of effort.