A Review of The Book Nook
772 NY-50, Burnt Hills, NY
When I started reviewing bookshops, I started local here in the Albany area and branched out, but years later I am seeing little spots I missed and places that opened after I moved further afield, so visiting The Book Nook is one of many local atonements I’m hoping to make in 2026. And believe it or not, shops like this one are becoming rare.
Most indie bookstores I see today are either selling all new books or are selling used books but take the form of massive book barns or hip shops downtown. The Book Nook are one of those rarer, suburban used bookshops tucked away in little plazas, and I almost missed it when searching for the little strip-mall in which it lives. And yes, while it’s smaller and not in a trendy part of Saratoga County, this is the kind of shop where you can find a real gem hidden among the hardcover thrillers and gently used cookbooks, the 20th century biographies and paperback true crimes you saw in airport bookstores a handful of years ago. All worthy of a home to the right reader, but there’s always going to be a book that leaps out to you from these kinds of poured-over stacks. The one that others dismissed but feel like they’ve waited just for you. I found a couple of those in my quick visit, and if you’re passing through Burnt Hills, I bet you will too.
The shop itself is three or so rooms large. The main room also has gifts, cards, and trinkets up front, and has a few long rows full of biographies, cookbooks, true crime, political, travel and other recent nonfiction, and a row of thriller, mystery, and literary fiction on bright blue shelves lining one wall. In the rear are two smaller rooms, one for deeply discounted books (all the books in the shop are at a great price, but these are steals) and a room for kids, with plenty to sort through from beginning readers through YA. We almost had the shop to ourselves, but these little used bookstores are the kind that serve a real purpose in the book hunting ecology and I hope it sticks around.
Atmosphere: It’s a small but welcoming shop in a strip-mall, just outside a small town in upstate New York. A quiet, calm browsing experience.
Quality: For a used shop, the books were all in fine shape and never ranged too far back. You’re not going to get anything tattered or too dated here.
Quantity: A decent amount considering the shop’s smaller size, especially fiction, mystery, thriller, and the like.
Diversity: I mean this as a good thing, but you know the library book sales? The diversity feels like that. You’re going to see a lot of familiar names and titles, but then something out of left field jumps into your hands that you never expected to see. The range is just enough for magic to happen.
Affordability: I bought two quality books for $11, so you’re going to do fine.
Amenities: There are some cards and gifts, and the plaza has a handful or assorted stores, but you’re mostly here to browse rather than hang out.
Location: As noted, in the middle of a small strip-mall plaza along Route 50, near a Subway and auto supply shop, a short drive north from Schenectady, NY.
Customer Service: There was one gentleman there to greet us and he let us browse until we were ready. A perfectly pleasant experience.
Overall: For that summer thriller you meant to read years ago or the random nonfiction gem you never realized you needed in your life, a shop like The Book Nook can fill a lot of the reading needs in your life. If you’re local, drop in.
