As the great Stephen King has said, "Books are a uniquely portable magic." That is never more evident than when you step into a used bookstore. It's like stepping into a time capsule. Millions of worlds are at your fingertips and at a price fit for any budget (depending on your selection).

Yes, I realize that there are large chain stores made for bibliophiles like myself - Books A Million, Barnes and Noble, etc - but none of these hold the magical quality that a used bookstore possesses. You don't walk into a chain store to be greeted by the owner and sit down and talk for an hour about first editions. There isn't a cute cat lurking behind the shelves watching you peruse the books at a big chain store either; it would probably cause an uproar.

Plus, the environment at a chain store is so sterile. When you walk into a used bookstore, it's like an attack of the senses. Warmth surrounds you, beckoning you in, inviting you to stay. It's quiet, but not creepy quiet like a nun is going to appear and slap your hand with a ruler if you talk. Peaceful would be the word for it, almost like a respectful silence for the wonder that is surrounding you.

To me, however, the best aspect of used bookstores is the scent that engulfs you right when you open the door. If I could, I would have a "Used Bookstore Scented Candle" in every room of my house. It's the smell of antiquity, of generations of words being passed down inspiring countless people as they go.

You can practically feel the buzz of knowledge and creativity that flows through the pages on the shelves, from some of the greatest authors this world has ever known to obscure gems that only a few know about. The pages - some tattered, some yellowed, some stained - all have their own story just begging to be told.

Books are a journey all on their own, whether they are set in small town America or a made up world, and what better portal to that journey than a store with just as much character as the books it holds?