Usually I have a subject in mind, for example, I want to buy a book on physics. But sometimes I want something more specific, like a book on star interiors or supernovas or exotic stars, and then it is more difficult to find something worth my buck.
1: I have a large list of books saved on goodreads that I want to read. Most of these were heard on podcasts, or were recommended on the internet. When I need a new book I just look over the list and pick one that looks interesting.
2: If I hear someone talk about a book that I am really interested in I will buy it right away. This method usually ends up in a book that sits on my desk and doesn't get read
This is a 30 minute trip as I live just a little way out of Portland. Most of that is spent figuring out what mood I'm in, then as I go through the tunnels I remember it isn't supposed to work that way.
Time to relax.
Get parked. The little garage next to the bookstore is cramped for big vehicles. I recommend looping to street park, and maybe a visit to Little Big Burger too.
Then it's time to select a book. I walk in, and take that "so damn many books" smell in deeply, then just wander. Eventually, I get coffee, wander some more, and I fantasize about how I can just be here everyday, reading, talking, enjoying.
And somewhere in there I manage to find a book. Usually I find a few books, but always one minimum.
Because it is Powells, I may just go back for more coffee, or snuggle into one of the windows and read it right there. Once I read a whole, light, sci-fi romp right there in the store! Of course, that meant getting another one, and that's all fine.
The other way I select a book is when I have a specific need, and I'll read reviews, copy from the book where available, and order it for delivery to my desk at work. Boring, but it works. I particularly enjoy blog articles by people who have read the book and feel they have something to say. This helps me understand what I might get out of the book.
Fun books are Powells only. I reserve this experience to preserve how special it is and to remind myself never to abuse it.
There used to be a tech books store just a ways down the road. Oh man, I still miss that store. It was technical only, and it was the best place to brainstorm. Somehow, the old computers and curios there for you to touch and feel while browsing, made the place seem more like a reference library than a bookstore. But, it was a bookstore and I bought the best technical books ever there and I still have most of them.
Powells tech books carried OLD tech books. And those are amazing. When one is trying to explore something, the old books will often offer up the insight possible before computing was mainstream. And what I learned was that insight can be potent. Rules of thumb, graphical solutions, theory, and other aspects get presented in forms you can reason about using pencil, paper and a brain. Love it.
For some reason, I've never went back to Powells for technical books after they closed up that store. They still carry old books, and so it can still work that way for study, but the overall feel of those books being in one place to wander through isn't quite there. Maybe it's still there in one of the other stores, or a part of the store I've not frequented.
The latter may seem strange, but then again, going to the flagship Powells on Burnside is like that. It's big, and convoluted, and that's fine. There is always a new nook to peek into and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Not sorry for the Powells snobbery. Well, maybe a little... Nope. Sorry, not sorry. Don't miss it if you pass through little PDX.