Union Weekly ASI - California State University, Long Beach

By Anna Kozlowski

Once Read Books is one of those hole-in-the-wall bookstores thatt seem to accumulate a lot of random books. It's neither too big nor too small, and you’ll definitely need to dig around a bit to get a feel for the layout. However after some effort on your part, you’ll come out with some interesting finds such as used movie scripts, magazines from the '40s and '60s, and even stills from movie sets. The signs designating each area are hand written and the filing is done vertically rather than horizontally, so for those of you who spend most of your time at Barnes & Noble, it’ll take a second to figure out which way to scan the shelves. Apart from a rather nice sized collection of World War II and military books, you’ll find an entire bookcase dedicated to westerns, and an off to the side, secluded self-help/reference corner which will make it painfully obvious that you were just browsing for Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus. There’s a cookbook section for you newly minted independent students living on your own who might need to learn how to cook on the cheap. Still, compared to other used bookstores I’ve been to, Once Read Books has a rather limited selection of literature/classics. However, there is a HUGE selection of romance novels as well as mass market paperbacks of the Tom Clancy and Stephen King persuasion if your tastes run in that direction. Overall, it's not a bad place to spend an hour or so, even if you don’t buy anything. Most books are under seven dollars. They even have a dollar section and some bargain buys out front. Best find of the day? Rachel Ray’s 30 Minute Meals for $6.25. It looked to be someone’s 2008 Christmas gift from their mother, signed "Love Mom." Looks like you should have gone with a scarf, mom, ‘cause that gift wasn’t a keeper.

By Folashade Alford

I love books, nuff said. Well not quite. When I go to bookstores I tend toward those with a more personal feel. This is Apostrophe Books. On a Thursday I strolled in and took a moment. It was like somebody built a bookstore catered to me right down to the music they were playing.

Lisa Somerville, one of the owners of Apostrophe Books has been in the book business since she was 19. While she was a manager at a Long Beach bookstore she hired Valerie Kinsgland. Together they established the bookstore up in Port Townsend, Washington 17 years ago. After that they moved the store to Pasadena. Lisa returned to her hometown of Long Beach about 4 months ago to set up shop in Belmont Shore.

Apostrophe is nestled in between La Strada and Starbucks. It has a quaint setup and the walls are busting with books. I can see how a busy day could make things pretty tight. Regardless of that I would never want to leave. They are in the process of renovating an upstairs area that would be available for book clubs. It should be finished around October and you can count me in to use it! I feel that Apostrophe is the definition of an indie bookstore. They care about the customer and have people who love their job. The day I went in both Lisa and Val were there to help with customers. It’s important to them to be present. They’re both so nice and knowledgeable. So please stop by this amazing bookstore. You won’t be disappointed, I promise. And if you want to take that indie atmosphere home with you along with your new book, just put on the She & Him Pandora station and brew some coffee.

5 out of 5 books!

By Andy Kneis

When I first entered and began browsing, I kept glancing back at the store clerk, waiting for the incredulous look that people that work at cool stores always give me. To my surprise, he completely ignored me (note: I have a beard now). And I liked it. I was free to browse worry free, and before I knew it, I had gone through every section of the store without feeling self-conscious or out of place (much).

The store itself is pretty cool, with what you’d expect from a local indie bookstore, like quirky book selections that you can’t find at stores like Barnes & Noble, and different art pieces along the wall, including big letters that spell out “YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.” They must have been talking about someone else. I especially liked the local section with stuff for sale from different local writers, bands, and artists, including records melted into bowls by CSULB’s own Mae Ramirez, maybe.

I didn’t end up buying anything from {open}, though. A downside was the fact that many of the books and authors were unrecognizable to an uncultured buffoon such as myself, and around $10 for a paperback book is too much to spend on an impulse buy for a poor buffoon. If you have 10-15 dollars to spend and you’re looking for something to read that you won‘t find at a big chain, or if you are looking for a less intimidating local arts experience, OPEN might be just the place for you. As long as you’re beautiful of course, the big words on the wall won’t make sense if you’re not.