Best of Phoenix

The heck with sightseeing! When we're out of town, wherever we happen to be, we always drop in at Borders Books & Music to check out the remainder table. That's because this chain always offers the best recently-out-of-print hardcovers and remaindered books on its bargain tables, which are wisely scattered throughout its large stores.

But our all-time favorite remainder table is the one at Borders' Biltmore store on East Camelback. Don't ask us to meet you for lunch anywhere near this particular bookshop if you mind that we'll arrive late, dragging along a bagful of cool finds. Just last week we scored a leather-bound Martin Chuzzlewit, a pop-up Book of Job, and a first-edition hardcover of John Irving's last novel, the version with the alternate cover art. Yeah, okay. So we're word nerds. And as long as Borders keeps plying us with gorgeous page-turners at rock-bottom prices, we'll stay that way.