In case you haven't heard of it, or have but don't fully understand what it is, 66 Books is a wholesale warehouse full of books and on select weekends they open for for the general public to shop and get 70% off retail prices! In this blog I'll give a breakdown of the place, tips on how to get the most out of your visit and address the questions I was asked on our Instagram reel.

📆Firstly, it is a warehouse not a bookshop, you can't turn up any day of the week so please check their site/Facebook page for the specific dates they open to shoppers. It is based in Hemel Hempstead (in Hertfordshire) in an industrial estate so you'll need to drive to it, but there is plenty of parking. When you arrive you'll see signs to scan a QR code to sign up to their book club, which is £2 per year for a whole household.

⏰All advice says to get there early to avoid queues but it seems if you go in the morning it’s inevitable you'll have to wait in line. We were prepared to queue so didn't bother getting there super early (my thinking was that if you arrive before 9am you will still have to wait for it to open?!) plus I'd heard about the delicious coffee cart which kept us going with yummy brownies and blondies! Next time I'll go in the afternoon as when we left there was no queue, but if that really panics you they keep their Facebook page updated with estimated wait times throughout the day so you can monitor it.  Last entry is at 4pm and last sale is at 6pm.

Quick myth-bust on the above too: someone said they'd heard a rumour that you need to go in the morning or they sell out of books... there are far too many books for this to be the case!?

🛍️All books are 70% off the marked retail price, so the average paperback costing £8.99 will be less than £3! Some books are stocked in both hardback and paperback so scout around for the cheaper one (but don’t make a mess as they will likely be in different aisles, more on this in a mo). We left with 21 books, most of which were hardbacks, and our total was £76!

🤯This is not a bookshop, it’s a huge warehouse across two floors. If you change your mind about a book you need to return it to where you found it as there aren't retail staff going around clearing up the shelves.  At first this meant I struggled to commit to picking up books in case I couldn’t find where to return it, so I found myself not adding books to my basket (yes they have baskets), but then I remembered the insane discount and anything that took my eye came home with me.

📚I had lots of questions on the types of books they stock so here are some pointers on that:

• They say they don't stock the newest books or bestsellers but I came across so many books that had published within the last year by well known authors, including a book that only came out the previous month! So don't be put off about going because you think there won't be a good selection of books, there really is!
• I'd say they stock all genres, I saw everything from thrillers to non fiction to cookbooks. I had lots of people asking about Fantasy, I'm not a huge Fantasy reader so can't comment but I saw a couple I recognised so if that's your preferred genre I think you'd be better at spotting the authors/covers and do quite well
• There were so many children's books too, plus activity books, stationery and games etc. I was going to buy some gifts for younger family members and found it too overwhelming for a first visit. I think parents could spend hours here, but note they advise against bringing children with you so sort some childcare first
• Some authors are stored together but this isn't the case for all, they can be spread across different aisles and floors so you have to check them all! Same goes for genres, you might think "oh this aisle is clearly just memoirs," and then suddenly you'll see some historical fiction - all fun and games!

💚I had very low expectations of the range of books there'd be and didn’t actually ever plan on going until my husband planned it for a surprise date, and I was SO impressed with the selection of books. You can easily spend two-three hours browsing. This is an absolute must for bookworms!