I walked in with my most recent paycheck. I walked out with $80 worth of Disney songbooks, Irish mythology, Sherlock Holmes, a classic Winnie-the-Pooh and Japanese language books.

I’m a proud bibliophile with a short bookshelf and two small boxes overflowing with books. During my first walk through downtown Pullman, I discovered a treasure trove for avid readers: Brused Books.

Brused Books is a used bookstore with every genre of book under the sun. They have everything from sci-fi and fantasy to romances and Westerns, and even reference and songbooks.

Bruce Calkins, a WSU alumnus with a master’s in economics, has owned and run Brused Books for 36 years.

“It was something I always thought of doing,” Calkins said. “I came down here for school and ended up thinking this would be better.”

The shelves literally overflow with tomes, to the point where there are a couple piles on the floor sometimes. I climb on stepstools to get to the top shelves. I sit down on the floor to reach the bottom shelves, searching carefully for a new book I can’t live without having in my own library.

Don’t be intimidated by the masses of books. It looks like chaos, but there is organization. Every shelf is labeled for certain genres and subjects. Specific topics or titles – Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Renaissance and even certain ethnic foods – are also indicated in certain shelves.

Most of the books are organized by author. You might be able to find books for research projects and leisure, but books required for classes could be less common depending on the subject. Brused Books will probably not have the textbook you need for class, but might have the classic novel your English professor requires.

Calkins said they usually get books through donations, trades or going out to book sales and finding things people might be interested in. Brused Books takes in donations and will buy some books for cash or store credit.

“It’s just fun to see all the books and see people connecting with the books,” Calkins said.

I walk through the doors and I get lost among the books in the store. I spend hours scanning the bindings for something I would love to read, or something I can reference for whatever new story I’m writing.

Anytime I need something semi-specific – songbooks to practice piano and vocal work, reference guides for story research, a cookbook for new recipes – Brused Books is my first stop.