Your neighbourhood chain bookstore should suffice if you’ll pay anything to swipe the latest bestseller, but if you’d rather have your nose in a good book without paying a hefty price tag, these cheap book sources in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya should have that affordably-priced title you’re searching for.

We’re talking about novels priced at RM15 instead of the usual RM40 and above, so read on to discover brick-and-mortar stores, online sites and book exchanges where you can save a lot!

#1. Jumble Station

Why buy pricey new books when second-hand books are just as good?

Jaya One’s Jumble Station is a small but welcoming corner lot, inviting you to browse through the shelves flush with preloved books. And browse you will, as the books are kindly donated by the book-loving public, making for a wide selection of fairy tales, biographies, literature, chick lit, fitness and a range of others. Prices start from rock-bottom RM15, so make like a bandit and grab as many as you can.

#2. BookXcess

BookXcess continues lording over the world of cheap books with its unbeatable prices. Selling at a fraction of the price most major bookstore chains slap on the back of books, BookXcess is the guiding light to blessed affordable reading.

It doesn’t exude glamour and exclusivity compared to the premium Kinokuniya in KLCC (which many local book lovers reverently call ‘The Mothership’), but when prices are slashed to almost 80% off, it’s definitely worth it.

#3. Bookalicious!

Subang bookworms have it lucky with Bookalicious! The independent bookstore located in The Summit offers spanking new mainstream titles with the prices marked down (think paperbacks sold at a cool RM45 instead of RM60), all in the name of fostering the love for the written word.

Are you a big fan of the Young Adult (YA) genre? Excellent (and affordable) reads from John Green, Jenny Han and other prolific YA authors are available at good discounts here, which are more than all right in our book! More fascinated with fiction? Bookalicious! offers Jussi Adler-Olsen’s gripping Scandinavian crime thrillers and more genres too.

#4. Kedai Fixi

You’d love to add more books to your To-Be-Read list, but the sad reality of your finances and bare wallet means you can buy only the cheapest of cheap books. Enter Kedai Fixi in Sunway Putra Mall, where RM16.90 gets you a solid read for cheap.

Fixi’s line of English Malaysian books under their Fixi Novo imprint boasts a kaleidoscope of titles; their bone-chilling horror like Tunku Halim’s ‘A Malaysian Restaurant in London’, sci-fi fantasy starring pontianaks and bossy aunties, as well as gritty crime novels taking place in Kuala Lumpur’s murky underworld are must-reads.

#5. KL Book Exchange

Swap books instead of money at this popular book exchange in Taman Desa. Happening every first Sunday of the month, the two-hour event is a haven for picking up books you would otherwise never have glanced at in a bookstore. The mechanics are simple: exchange another book with someone else for free, or buy a book at RM5 each.

Literature lovers who also wear their eco badge proudly can also bring over recyclable items for recycling too. How’s that for killing two birds with one stone?

#6. Bookurve

Not in Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya? Don’t let this situation throw a curveball at you; shop for cheap books online on Bookurve instead.

Bookurve carries millions of book titles spanning English, Malay and Chinese languages, but it’s their selection of bestsellers that are excellent. The range includes the likes of Mitch Albom's 'Five People You Meet in Heaven', Lang Leav's 'Sea of Strangers', Jojo Moyes' 'Me Before You' and Kevin Kwan’s ‘Crazy Rich Asians’.

There are heaps of book bundles to pick from when you’re browsing the site, so take advantage of these promotions to walk away withdiscounts starting from 10% off. The cherry on top? Free shipping for orders above RM25.

And there you have it, pretty awesome physical and online bookstores in the Klang Valley stocked to the brim with affordable books. Let us know in the comments if we missed out any literary gems.

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