As the late, great Portland author Ursula K. Le Guin suggested, books have a power not unlike music in that, as we consume them, they shape our thoughts, feelings, and temperament. And perhaps the way in which such things enter our lives is also an important piece in this process of mutual creation.
Modern readers have many ways to obtain books; experiencing the quiet thrill of hunting through the shelves of a secondhand bookshop is one of them. Six months ago, Rose City Reads added its name to Portland’s used bookstore index.
The shop, operated by the Friends of the Multnomah County Library nonprofit, is stocked with 15,000 used books, DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks in like-new condition. Since opening, Rose City Reads has sold 26,000 books with $100,000 in total sales.
Find Rose City Reads next to the Multnomah County Library Operations Center at 221 NE 122nd Ave., Ste. A. The average cost of a book is $3.