One of the things that surprised me most when we moved to Maine was discovering how many bookshops there were. I live in Portland, the biggest city in the state, with a population of about 68,000 people. Within a 5-mile radius of my house, there are seven independent bookstores. It makes sense. Maine is known as Vacationland and has always been a place that has called to writers.
Between small bookshops in seaside towns that supply the summer crowd with endless stacks of paperbacks to more well-established bookshops downtown that host wonderful author events, there is never a shortage of bookish goodness here. I love living in such a literary place.
So, I'm looking forward to celebrating Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 27! If you're unfamiliar, it's a one-day party celebrating independent bookshops across the United States and all the goodness they bring to our communities.
Because of work schedule conflicts, I missed out on the last two years, so I've already started planning a whole day of bookish goodness for this year. I wanted to share some ideas with you if you're looking to celebrate, as well as a list of some great new releases that I've got my eyes on in case you need some inspiration if you plan on buying books.
How to Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day
Visit your local indie. To find a local indie near you, simply Google "independent bookstore near me" or use this website to see a list of participating stores for Independent Bookstore Day. It's also worth looking around at locations near you. Many bookstores have special events happening on the day, so it’s worth seeing what’s going on near you.
Make a bookstore date out of it. Invite your favorite bookish people to join you at the bookstore, whether that's a partner, friend, your kid, or book club. You could get coffee or lunch, visit an indie, and make an afternoon or day of it. How fun to have a little bookstore date (my favorite kind of date)!
Support from afar. If there are no indies near you or you can't get to them, don't worry. You can still make a difference by shopping online. My favorite is bookshop.org because you can choose an indie to support. However, if you don't know of one, your purchase still supports independent bookstores in general.
Make the switch to LibroFM. If you're an audiobook listener and you still use Audible, I can't recommend switching to LibroFM enough! Your membership supports independent bookstores and they have a huge selection. From now until April 27, you can sign up for a new membership and get three audiobook credits when you do. It's a win-win. While you're divesting your book life from Amazon, consider signing up for Italic Type, my favorite Goodreads alternative.
Sport your favorite bookish swag. Get festive and sport your favorite bookish swag, whether a hat, tote, or tee. Wave your bookish flag high on April 27.
Read! This might sound obvious, but even if you're not celebrating in person, carve out a little time to read — perhaps in your favorite spot with your favorite snack. Bonus points if you snap a photo and post it, tagging your favorite indie to help spread the love.
I’d love to hear how you’re celebrating Independent Bookstore Day or who your favorite local indies are!
A Few Recommendations for You
March and April have been such big months for new releases! So, if you’re looking for some inspiration for new books to add to your shelf when you celebrate, here are some of the ones I’m excited about. Some I’ve read, and some are still on my TBR!
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn
Worry by Alexandra Tanner
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell
The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams
The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Better by Far by Hazel Hayes
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
And you can peruse my Book Lists tab for even more recs if you’re looking for them!
I’d love to hear your plans and if there are any books you’ve got at the top of your list to purchase!
‘Til next time,
I love this, Michelle! I'm celebrating a week early by traveling to two indies this Saturday on a road trip across the state. I don't have any new-book indies near me (just one that sells mostly used and a few new books), so I make it a point to visit some anytime I travel even remotely near one :-) One that I plan to visit soon hopefully is a brand new romance bookstore in Minneapolis ~ https://www.tropesandtrifles.com/ ~ I just found out about it yesterday and can't wait to make my way there!
I love so many things about this! Yes to any excuse to visit the bookstore :) and yes to divesting book life from Shmamazon, and YES to Expiration Dates, I gobbled that up and now I have a book hangover-- I miss Hugo 😂 and L.A. in all its sparkling glory.