New Arrival (1)

Gone is the maze of musty old books. Gone is the cat. Gone is the owner who was as much a reason to step into the store as the books he sold. Nothing could replace the three-decade tradition of Mike O’Brien’s Bookstore on West 25th, but Horizontal Books has a nice approach. The new bookstore in the old space smells of freshly cut pine, and the rows of neatly organized bookshelves don’t try to imitate the unimitatable Bookstore on West 25th. Everything is easy to find, the selection of cookbooks and children’s books is impressive, and there is a great hook: New books are 50 percent off the cover price, 60 percent off if you buy two and 70 percent off for three or more. If you still miss the old place, the pastor of Zion United Church of Christ in Tremont recently offered O’Brien a rent-free basement space. Horizontal Books, 1921 West 25th St., horizontalbooks.com