Shelf Life

Jenna Ringelheim with Tasman, a frequent hiking companion. (''Best Hikes With Dogs'')

Pre-owned tomes
The newly opened Used Book Superstore in Burlington has a pricing strategy that echoes its name: All books are sold for 10 percent of the original price, with a $1 minimum.

Got Books Inc., which operates the Burlington store as well as Charity Book Sale, a used bookstore in Lawrence, counts on the largesse of book lovers for most of its inventory. A for-profit company that does some charity work, its book-pickup service appeals to people who'd rather have their unwanted books hauled away than try to sell the books themselves, according to marketing coordinator Michelle Bushee. Got Books also collects books in about 300 drop-off containers throughout New England. The books generally do not qualify for a tax deduction, except at five locations.

At the Burlington store, children's books account for about a quarter of the 100,000 volumes on the shelves, Bushee said. The 13,000-square-foot store, which opened Friday, also sells audiobooks, CDs, and DVDs.

The Burlington store is strictly a for-profit enterprise, Bushee said. The company does donate and ship books to troops overseas, an effort shoppers are invited to participate in every Thursday. At the Lawrence store, half of the proceeds are donated to nonprofits. The Used Book Superstore is at 256 Cambridge St. (Route 3A) off Route 128.

Trails plus tails
"Best Hikes With Dogs: Boston and Beyond," by Jenna Ringelheim (Mountaineers) , features 50 canine-friendly trails and a code of etiquette aimed at fostering harmony between dog owners and the rest of the world.

Speaking of etiquette, Ringelheim invites well-behaved dogs and their owners to a book party in Harvard Square next Sunday. Water bowls will be set outside the Globe Corner Bookstore, 90 Mt. Auburn St., and each dog will receive a biscuit bag. Attendees are asked to RSVP by phone or e-mail to the bookstore. At 4 p.m. in Winthrop Park, Ringelheim will talk about her favorite places to hike with her dog before leading a walk around the square.

Underground epidemic
In the early 1990s, Pamela Weintraub, her husband, and their two young sons moved to Chappaqua, N.Y. Soon they all became ill with exhaustion and nausea, and eventually were diagnosed with Lyme disease. The road to recovery was difficult.

Weintraub, a science journalist, set out to investigate the controversies surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. Her book, "Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic" (St. Martin's), weaves together an analysis of the science behind the disease with her family's story. Now a senior editor at Discover magazine, Weintraub lives with her family in a high-rise apartment building in Stamford, Conn.

Coming out
"Who Can Save Us Now?: Brand-New Superheroes and Their Amazing (Short) Stories," edited by Owen King and John McNally (Free Press)

"On Their Own: Women Journalists and the American Experience in Vietnam," by Joyce Hoffmann (Da Capo)

"The Ancient Ship," by Zhang Wei (Harper Perennial)

Pick of the week
Kathleen McGonagle of Buttonwood Books, Cohasset, recommends "Tethered," by Amy MacKinnon (Shaye Areheart): "Atmospheric and suspenseful, 'Tethered' is . . . about Clara Marsh, a mortician with a painful past. When a bedraggled child shows up at the funeral home, her carefully structured life is threatened. . . . MacKinnon's writing is compelling, the book is distinctive, and the characters are memorable."

Jan Gardner can be reached at JanLGardner@yahoo.com.