If you are a reader, you must know that buying every book you want to read could be a costly affair. While we do have eBooks available for lesser price but I feel they do not have the kind of charm that a physical book has. Buying used books for half the price is a good idea but for a person like me, commuting to the market where we get used/secondhand books is a headache as it's pretty far from my place!

I have been on a hunt for a website that offers used books in good quality and at a great price and my search ended when I found out about - Bookchor.com 

Bookchor.com was started in October 2015 and offers more than 1,00,000 titles. The website (they also have Android and iOS apps) also has books ranging from academic streams like medical, engineering, various other competitions, cooking, baking etc apart from novels. So far, I have placed four orders with them (I have purchased about 15-16 books from them) and have never been disappointed. The packages are shipped within 2-4 days via reputed courier agencies. I have always received my orders within 2-3 days of shipping and their is free shipping if your cart value is above INR 200. Otherwise, a minimal charge of INR 50 is levied. So cheap, right? And they ship pan India.

The folks at Bookchor have thought of everything, literally. I mean once the order is shipped, they have made sure that it can be tracked easily through the tracking number provided on order page. All you have to do is, click the courier agency website link, paste the tracking number and you are done! Isn't it as easy as 1-2-3? ☺

The best thing about Bookchor.com (other than their throwaway prices) is the quality of books. The pages of the books may be brown but there is no sign of any wear and tear. Each book comes with a cute bookmark and every order comes with a cute handwritten note which adds a personal touch. BC recently turned one and they gave away a goodie bag with every order.... and it goes without saying, I loved my goodie bag!

Most of the books that I have purchased were from their Sunday Market where they offer select titles for lower prices which will definitely not burn a hole in your pocket. 

So, if you are looking to purchase used books at great prices then head straight to Bookchor.

Have you ever purchased books from Bookchor? Share your experience below!

Till next time,

Deepika

3. The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop:  

In the summer of 1972, Famagusta in Cyprus is the most desirable resort in the Mediterranean, a city bathed in the glow of good fortune. An ambitious couple are about to open the island's most spectacular hotel, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots work in harmony. Two neighbouring families, the Georgious and the Özkans, are among many who moved to Famagusta to escape the years of unrest and ethnic violence elsewhere on the island. But beneath the city's façade of glamour and success, tension is building. 

When a Greek coup plunges the island into chaos, Cyprus faces a disastrous conflict. Turkey invades to protect the Turkish Cypriot minority, and Famagusta is shelled. Forty thousand people seize their most precious possessions and flee from the advancing soldiers. In the deserted city, just two families remain. This is their story. (x)

BUY HERE: Used / New

4.  Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie:  

The morning of August 9, 1945 breaks dreary and unspectacular in the city of Nagasaki. Nonetheless, twenty-one year-old Hiroko Tanaka is elated: she is in love. Her emerging romance with the displaced German Konrad Weiss offers release from the greyness of wartime deprivation. In this time of heightened xenophobia, their affair must be kept secret, particularly as Hiroko’s father has recently been outcast for questioning the patriotism of sending children on kamikaze missions. As Hiroko and Konrad furtively plan for a future after the war, there is no way they can comprehend the unspeakable devastation bearing down upon them. (Read complete synopsis here)

BUY HERE: Used / New

5. The Good Muslim by Tahmima Anam:  

In the dying days of a brutal civil war, Sohail Haque stumbles upon an abandoned building. Inside he finds a young woman whose story will haunt him for a lifetime to come. . . . Almost a decade later, Sohail's sister, Maya, returns home after a long absence to find her beloved brother transformed. While Maya has stuck to her revolutionary ideals, Sohail has shunned his old life to become a charismatic religious leader. And when Sohail decides to send his son to a madrasa, the conflict between brother and sister comes to a devastating climax. Set in Bangladesh at a time when religious fundamentalism is on the rise, The Good Muslim is an epic story about faith, family, and the long shadow of war. (x)

BUY HERE: New 

6. Twilight In Delhi by Ahmed Ali:  

Set in nineteenth-century India between two revolutionary moments of change, Twilight in Delhi brings history alive, depicting most movingly the loss of an entire culture and way of life. As Bonamy Dobree said, "It releases us into a different and quite complete world. Mr. Ahmed Ali makes us hear and smell Delhi...hear the flutter of pigeons’ wings, the cries of itinerant vendors, the calls to prayer, the howls of mourners, the chants of qawwals, smell jasmine and sewage, frying ghee and burning wood." The detail, as E.M. Forster said, is "new and fascinating," poetic and brutal, delightful and callous. (x)

 BUY HERE: New

That is all, folks! There are a bunch of sellers on Amazon.in that offer used books and they levy shipping if the order total is below INR 399. I bought the used books from a seller called Flickster. I am happy with the quality of books, so I consider my shopping experience to be pleasant. As for books, there was slight yellowing of pages, but no browning, torn pages and stains. In fact, one of the books was as good as new!

If you are into reading into do tell us about your new buys or your current read.

Till next time,
Deepika.