Before books, students had to tote engraved granite slabs all over campus, which is why the most accomplished philosophers gave the best piggyback rides. Enjoy lighter reading material with today's Groupon: for $24, you get $60 worth of used books and new merchandise at Book Pride on the Historic Square in Georgetown.

Book Pride packs its two floors of stacks with more than 100,000 titles, exercising reading muscles with gently used nonfiction, novels, and kids' books, all marked at least half off the cover price. Wander through the main floor to view adult genres such as history, cooking, classics, mysteries, romance, and property-tax law, then meander upstairs to speed read the more than 25,000 children's and young-adult titles on display alongside toys and a stage. Page turners can pick up a paperback copy of The Secret Soldier by Alex Berenson ($5), nab a newly released hardcover edition of Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb ($13.50), or encourage a school-aged reader with the popular Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell ($5.25).

Toddler activity stations, reading cubes, and cushy chairs scattered throughout the store make it easier for bibliophiles to leap into their books' imaginary worlds. Because hydration during intense read-a-thons remains a top store priority, Book Pride hands out free bottled water to every customer who walks through the brightly painted doors. The friendly, helpful staff also pours out cup after cup of free coffee to readers while discussing major literary issues of the day, such as the discovery of iambic pentameter or the controversial promotion of the letter double-q to vowel status.