• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Street Smart Brazil

We teach smart Portuguese

  • Contact
  • My Account
  • Cart
  • Policies
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Disclaimer
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Speak Portuguese With Ease
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop for Lessons
  • Starter Kit
  • Testimonials
  • Resources
  • Blog
How to Buy Books in Brazil

How to Buy Books in Brazil

posted on May 31, 2012

Reading about the recent US launch of the English translations of Clarice Lispector novels, it got me thinking about how I get my hands on books in Brazil. Like many things in Brazil, consistently scoring good buys is piecemeal detective work. It’s highly unlikely that one store will have everything you want on any particular outing and that means you must hone your discovery skills and be creative in your approach. So, how exactly do I find the books I buy?

Method 1

Do what anyone might do and walk into any bookstore in any mall. On the positive side, enjoy the pristine-looking selection and the pleasurable decor while you browse the shelves. On the other hand, heed the gaze and fine-tune your ears (to the footsteps) of the employee that follows you around while you ponder dishing out a pretty penny for even the thinnest of books. Eventually abort your mission and find solace in pão de queijo and a nice cup of coffee at the in-store cafe.

Method 2

Go on the hunt for the sometimes-illusive used bookstore (aka sebo). Preferred hunting ground consists of tall buildings, lots of foot traffic and an area with plenty of commerce. Spend infinitely more time browsing the overflowing shelves of wallet-pleasing prices and, might I add, more interesting one-of-a-kind finds. Leave feeling far from guilty for having bought five interesting titles for the price of one.

Method 3

Go online. More specifically, to a site called Estante Virtual (Virtual Bookshelf) which is a large network of 9 million books sold by independent sellers and bookstores all throughout (and only within) Brazil. Toggle your preferences, like the shipped-from-state, price-point and payment method, find what you want and complete your order. The only downsides are the payment method (if you’re a foreigner you’ll likely have to make a in-bank deposit) and the shipping method as the book(s) can take up to a month to be delivered.

If you are like me and only read each book once, you can rather easily use methods 2 & 3 to sell your books to the next buyer. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t be expecting much from such endeavors, especially when selling to a sebo.

—————-

Schedule your Portuguese Demo Lesson.

Street Smart Brazil offers one-on-one and group classes online via webcam. We have a fantastic team of tutors, exclusive class materials, and complete programs from absolute beginner to fluent.  See what our customers are saying.

Related Posts:

  • 5 New Books to Learn Portuguese
  • Use the Infinitive in Portuguese instead of -ING in English
  • Meio or Meia? How to say KIND OF in Portuguese

About Adam Lee

Adam is a writer and a researcher who has studied Brazilian culture for over a decade and created several Brazil-themed blogs going back to 2008. Having taught himself Portuguese, he put it to practical use by spending three years doing Brazil on a budget (and living in favelas), from Rio de Janeiro to the Amazon.

He now resides in Lisbon, Portugal, developing a startup and dreaming about having a beachside B&B in the Northeast of Brazil.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christopher Matthew MORGENSTERN

    April 18, 2019 at 7:55 am

    Adam, i have not been succesful with the Estante Virtual Website. It doesn’t seem possible to order a book and have it shipped to the US. have you any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Luciana Lage

      April 23, 2019 at 5:09 pm

      Christopher, try this other website Le Livros: http://lelivros.love/ You can search for books and download for free the PDF or Kindle file.

      Reply
      • Dwight Petersen

        July 23, 2020 at 5:53 am

        Le Livros seems to only deal in current popular books. I would like a copy of Os habitantes do Brazil no século XVI, by Tarcízio Rêgo Quirino. I can put it in my cart at Estate Virtual, but as Christopher found, I cannot figure out how to have it shipped to the United States. Moreover, I am not certain that I will be able to pay for it since I don’t have a CPF. Thank you.

        Reply
        • Luciana Lage

          July 23, 2020 at 10:34 am

          I am sorry you cannot get the book you want.

          Reply
  2. steven

    June 2, 2012 at 5:32 am

    Really great information , i think it will act as one of the best guideline for many peoples all over the world looking to know more about from where and how to buy books online.I m really looking forward to it.

    order book online

     

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Want to see your pic by your comment? Get a free custom avatar at Gravatar.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Brazil
  • Brazilian music
  • Brazilian Portuguese
  • Business Culture
  • Culture and History
  • Flashcards
  • Food
  • Grammar
  • Idiomatic Expressions
  • Learning Languages
  • Pronunciation
  • Resources
  • Video lessons
  • Visiting Brazil
  • Vocabulary

Schedule a Trial Session

Testimonials

Loved the experience. All the material I have learned I have not lost. I continue using my Brazilian Portuguese on a daily basis. I continue to discover more on my own through literature, music, film,… Read more
Krystal
As a language lover, I have learned multiple foreign languages through multiple sources and media. I must say that Street Smart Brazil is absolutely the best language program that I have encountered. … Read more
Daniel
I’ve really been enjoying the classes and I’m learning a lot. The classes have motivated me to learn more and more! This is my first time taking classes via Skype – and I’m enjoying the convenience an… Read more
Vanessa
Street Smart Brazil has a wonderful program for teaching Brazilian Portuguese. All the teachers are professional, nice and a lot of fun to learn from. You learn a lot about everyday slang that is use… Read more
Davina

Find Resources

Make your learning fun and easy with good resources.
Learn More

51 Portuguese Idioms – Speak Like a Brazilian

You will learn each expression inside a real-life context: everyday situations that could happen to any of us.
Purchase Now >

Recent Posts

  • Meio or Meia? How to say KIND OF in Portuguese
  • Family Vocabulary in Portuguese
  • The Power of Rehearsal to Improve Language Learning
  • Learn the Numbers in Portuguese: All you need to know
  • The Difference Between ESTE, ESSE, ISSO in Portuguese

Search

Cart

Classes

  • Trial Lesson
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Subscription
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Packages
  • Celpe-Bras Prep Classes with Street Smart Brazil

Footer Subscribe

Books

  • 51 Portuguese Idioms
  • Master the Word MESMO in Portuguese

Footer Video CTA

Subscribe to my YouTube channel to get all the new video lessons

Subscribe

https://youtu.be/xoNtWBolAzE

Footer Full CTA

Book a Trial Lesson today to get started.

Get Started Now

Footer CTA

Street Smart Brazil

  • About
  • Shop For a Portuguese Class
  • Testimonials
  • Blog

Portuguese Classes

  • Trial Lesson
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Subscription
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Packages
  • Celpe-Bras Prep Classes with Street Smart Brazil

Books

  • 51 Portuguese Idioms
  • Master the Word MESMO in Portuguese


Street Smart Brazil, LLC

phone 415.573.8180
email info@streetsmartbrazil.com
Oakland, California

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap

© 2014–2023 Street Smart Brazil, All Rights Reserved.