Philip has always had a weakness for good Christian books. He is comforted only by the fact that a good number of the books he buys do get read.

We buy many books from Sovereign Grace Books, the Bookstore in Sovereign Grace Reformed Baptist Church at 3 Lunn Avenue, Mt. Wellington, Auckland. This store stocks books published by Banner of Truth, Evangelical Press Limited, Carey Publications, Day One Publications, Grace Publications, and Bryntirion Press. It is open whenever the deacon Mr. Warrick Snowball is in the premises. So anyone wanting to see the books will need to email him at sovgracebks@clear.net.nz or call him at 09 8185754 and fix up a time with him. You can also see the books immediately after worship on Sundays. If you do not live in Auckland, you can ask for books to be mailed out to you.

Another great place for books is Grace to You, New Zealand in Hastings. They sell books authored by John MacArthur and other Reformed theologians. You can dial 0800-55-GRACE toll free from anywhere in New Zealand and talk to Denys Tomaselli to order books.

Recently we’ve bought some books, excellently priced, from Grace & Truth Publications, which is an online store run by Dafydd Hughes in Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Koorong in Australia probably has the largest collection of Christian books in Australasia, and we often order on line from them.

For Bibles and little items like stickers and book marks, and occasionally some books, we have visited the Elim Christian Bookstore in Botany and the Church of Christ Bookshop. Needless to say, one needs to be discerning when buying from these places because these stores cater to many kinds of tastes and theological positions.

Secondhand Books

Christian Value Books, a book shop in Christchurch, has about 50,000 second-hand Christian books spread over seven rooms. These titles are listed in their website, and you can order on line. The books in their children’s room reminded me of the Sunday School library of my childhood.

Philip also buys books from TradeMe at unbelievable prices. And sometimes, he drives over to Mt Roskill to Evermore Books and spends some time in this store, which stocks over 40,000 secondhand books.