Books by the Lake

Books by the Lake is the kind of bookstore that can end marriages. If you’re a book lover and your spouse likes to appease this (mostly) harmless side of you, Books by the Lake will put your love to the test. You’ll find yourself bargaining with her for 10 more minutes. On your way out of the store, you’ll find something new and ask for 5 more minutes. Each section adds another small delay. And then, like a disgruntled airline traveler, your spouse will lose patience. She’ll treat you like the toddler you’ve become and count to 5, or threaten to withhold dessert or take away your toy (read: car keys). And though deep down you know the strain this bookstore outing has placed on your marriage, you can’t help yourself. You need to browse more, hopeful that your spouse doesn’t find a section on divorce books.
I joke. Mostly. This is another one of New Hampshire’s middle-​of-​nowhere used bookstore gems. There are more books than there are seconds in the day to browse them. Each section is jam-​packed with great titles. I was especially impressed with the poetry section which contained complete editions of most relevant poets. I’m fairly certain that if there’s a book you wish to own, Books by the Lake will have it waiting for you. The prices are all reasonable. I didn’t notice a public bathroom (hence the 4 stars instead of 5) but I won’t let that stop me from returning. And you shouldn’t either. And to be safe, you should probably leave your spouse at home.

There are few things I love more than a good bookstore, and Books by the Lake is a bookstore lover’s dream come true.
There are more shelves than you could go through in a day, with every square foot covered in books of all types, pretty well organized by genre. On my first visit, I found a couple of my favorite childhood books (Thornton Burgess) in the first edition hardback with beautiful color illustrations. What an unexpected treasure to come across in this little nook of New England! I couldn’t help but take them home. I’m no expert on used books, but I felt like the prices were very reasonable considering the quality of the editions.
Carol, the owner, is wonderful: warm, friendly, and obviously passionate about the business. My only lament is that this little shop is 3,000 miles away from my current address, or I would probably never buy a book elsewhere.