Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Bookworms Don't Sleep! Largest 24/7 Bookstore in Southeast Asia!

 

Here's another bookstore to add as a place to visit! This place looks amazing.

Unique Bookstore Inside A Wisconsin Airport!!

 

Wow, Renaissance Books at the Milwaukee Airport sounds like a fabulous place to purchase books!! This is not your typical airport bookstore as 95% of the books are used. 

I think I would love visiting this bookstore.

Brattle Bookstore in Boston, MA is a Bookstore I Want to Visit!!

I don't think I'd ever heard of Brattle Book Shop in Boston until Memorial Day weekend this year. 

I would love to visit this book shop, which is billed as one of America's oldest antiquarian book shops according to Brattle Book Shop's website. Brattle Book Shop was established in 1825.

According to Brattle Book Shop's website:

Welcome to one of America's oldest and largest used book shops. The Brattle features two floors of general used books, a third floor of rare and antiquarian books and an outside sale lot.

The above, short video shows the outside sale lot at Brattle Book Shop. I wish the video showed what the inside space of Brattle Book Shop looks like as well.

Have any of my readers visited the Brattle Book Shop before? I'd be curious to hear about your experience there.

Railroad Book Depot in Pittsburg, California!!

 

Back wall of Railroad Book Depot Bookstore.

My husband and I briefly visited Pittsburg, California on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. During our short time in Pittsburg, California, we visited an independent bookstore called Railroad Book Depot. It was our first time visiting both Pittsburg, California and Railroad Book Depot.

We almost missed Railroad Book Depot... In fact, we did miss it the first go around because there was no signage above the storefront stating the name of the business! So, we drove right by it and had to circle around the block before eventually spotting it.

We arrived a little before 10am in the morning and entered Railroad Book Depot when they opened at 10am. It's a nice sized bookstore with a mixture of both new and used books. They also sell greeting cards and even costume jewelry. Plus, they have local author events.

We took a quick spin around Railroad Book Depot's storefront and were in and out in 15 minutes. I purchased one new paperback book during our visit titled, The Last Letter From Sicily by Lindsay Marie Morris. I learned from the Railroad Book Depot 's website that Lindsay Marie Morris will be at the Railroad Book Depot on Saturday, June 7, 2025 from 12pm - 1pm signing copies of her novel. 

Unfortunately, I won't be around for this in person author event. However, The Last Letter From Sicily does sound like a good novel. It's inspired by true events.

It's also worth noting that teachers and library cardholders receive a 10% discount off of their purchases at Railroad Book Depot! That's kind of cool!

Railroad Book Depot is the first bookstore I've actually been inside of since the pandemic lockdowns in 2020!! Now that I think about it, I hadn't actually walked inside of a brick and mortar bookstore since 2019. 

I've mainly purchased books online or exchanged books at Little Free Libraries since 2020. It was nice to visit a brick and mortar bookstore again.

What's in the bag?

A historical fiction novel!!

Have you visited any new to you independent bookstores this year? Tell me about your bookstore visits in the comment section below.

Brick and Mortar Bookstores Are BOOMING Once Again!!

 

I'm thrilled to hear both brick and mortar chain bookstores and independent bookstores are thriving and gaining ground once again!! It's been so easy for us all to buy books online through Amazon and the like and have books shipped to us or downloaded to our e-readers.

 Plus, during the pandemic, people weren't doing much in store shopping. 

So, it's thrilling to see a resurgence of brick and mortar bookstores popping up around the USA.

Bookish Quote of the Day!!!

 

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Top Ten Tuesday - TTT Rewind - Bookstores I'd Love to Visit!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Below are the top ten independent bookstores I'd love to visit throughout the US: 

1. Powell's Books in Portland, OR

2. The Strand Bookstore in New York City, NY

3. Elliot Bay Book Company in Seattle, WA

4. Verbatim Books in San Diego, CA

5. Kramers in Washington, DC

6. Murder By The Book in Houston, TX

7. The Booksmith in San Francisco, CA

8. Myopic Books in Chicago, IL

9. Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN

10. The Montague Bookmill in Montague, MA

Have you visited any of the above independent bookstores? If so, are they worthy of a visit? 

Meet Cute Romance Bookshop in San Diego, CA

 

If you love reading books from the romance genre, then visiting Meet Cute Romance Bookshop in San Diego, California may be the independent bookshop you need to visit next!! 

Meet Cute Romance Bookshop looks awesome! They have author events and even a book podcast. Visit the Meet Cute Romance Bookshop website for more information regarding their book podcast, author events, store hours, and more.

The Largest Chain of Bookstores in St Petersburg, Russia

Social distancing and sheltering in place is the perfect time to take virtual tours of bookstores!!

I so want to visit this bookstore in St. Petersburg, Russia some day.

Fabulous Bookshops in London to Visit!!

These look like fun bookstores to visit in London!! What do you think?

13 Feminist Bookstore to Visit!

I came across an article on Electric Lit's website titled,
Give Your Money to These 13 Feminist Bookstores by Frances Yackel. In the article, Frances Yackel wrote the following:

Feminist bookstores create a safe space for the literary community to convene, where women readers and writers are seen and heard. Here are 13 bookstores dedicated to championing the literary works of women and non-binary authors.

Click on the above link to see which bookstores are featured in Frances Yackel's article. 

Top Ten Tuesday - Bookstores I've Visited & Loved!!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I decided to put a twist on this week's Top Ten Tuesday theme and share my favorite indie bookstores that I've visited over the years instead of sharing which ones I still wish to visit in the future.

My top ten favorite indie bookstores to date (in no particular order of importance) are as follows:

1. Alexander Book Company in the heart of downtown San Francisco, California, USA.  Alexander Book Company is easy walking distance from a BART Station. It contains three stories of books!! I love the layout of this bookstore, friendly staff, plenty of new releases to choose from and also a ton of deeply discounted remaindered books.

2. Book Passage in Corte Madera, California, USA. Book Passage has three different locations (San Francisco, Sausalito, and Corte Madera). The Corte Madera location is awesome! Book Passage in Corte Madera, California is large, offers a plethora of author signings and talks (as well author events at their other locations too), conferences, and classes. Friendly staff, great selection of books, and wonderful layout.

3. Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, California, USA is a beautiful bookstore. They have authors events,  and also sell pens and stationary. Vroman's Bookstore is also billed as SoCal's oldest and largest independent bookstore.

4. The Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles, California, USA. This a very beautiful and unique bookstore. They sell used records too. Great layout. Events take place there like book clubs, author talks, and more.

5. Bart's Books in Ojai, California, USA. I love this very unique bookstore! It's partially outdoors and has meandering bookshelves and passageways. It's a fun book store to visit and sells used books. It's one of my favorite used bookstores.

6. The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. I love this small bookstore that specializes mainly in mysteries and thrillers. They have plenty of author signing events and book clubs events as well. Plus, they have a podcast and videos on YouTube!

7. Elaine's Book Mark - The Paperback Exchange in Escondido, California, USA. This bookstore sells used books and is large for a used bookstore. This is one of my favorite used bookstores.

8. Rakestraw Books in Danville, California, USA. My favorite local bookstore at the moment. It's small, but packs a punch! Friendly staff, plenty of free parking, many author signing events, book clubs, great layout and very cute interior space.

9. Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego, California, USA. If you're a fan of genre fiction such as mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and horror, then this is the bookstore for you!

10. Prairie Lights in Iowa City, Iowa, USA. I attended the University of Iowa in the mid-1990s and earned my BA in Russian in 1996. The University of Iowa is located in the heart of Iowa City... During my college days, my favorite bookstore was Prairie Lights!! This place was awesome for all my reading needs and had a cafe that served yummy pastries and espresso beverages. Even though I haven't been back to Iowa City in 22 years, I am thrilled to see this bookstore still thriving! Prairie Lights opened their doors in 1978. They still have a cafe and offer author events/readings.

Share your favorite indie bookstores with me in the comment section below!

20 Amazing Bookstores to Visit!

I came across an interesting article about bookstores on Buzzfeed's website titled, 20 Amazing Bookstores From Around The World by Arianna Rebolini. Click on the above link to view these amazing bookstores!!

I'd love to travel the world and visit all of these amazing sounding bookstores. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a job that pays one to travel around the world visiting bookstores, attending book festivals, and other literary sites?? Then blog or vlog about one's experience doing so? Dream job... Just saying!

Ingrid Rojas Contreras ~ Author Event & Book Signing!

Ingrid Rojas Contreras and me at Rakestraw Books in Danville, California.

Last Thursday evening was date night for my hubby and me. We attended an author event with book signing at one of my favorite local, indie bookstores, Rakestraw Books, in Danville, California.

First time novelist, Ingrid Rojas Contreras was on hand at Rakestraw Books at 7pm to read from her new novel, Fruit of the Drunken Tree and answer questions from audience members. 

There was quite a nice turn out for this event as roughly 27 audience members came to hear Ingrid Rojas Contreras speak at Rakestraw Books. Ingrid Rojas Contreras was a wonderful and engaging speaker! I feel like this particular author event/book signing was one of the best author events/book signings I've  attended this year. I enjoyed learning about the author's life and how she came to write Fruit of the Drunken Tree.

We learned that Ingrid Rojas Contreras is originally from Bogata, Colombia and came to the USA in 2002. She mentioned that it took her 7 years to write Fruit of the Drunken Tree, which is a novel she finished writing in 2008 and then spent time editing before it was published. 

Ingrid Rojas Contreras mentioned she likes writing first thing in the morning. She also gave two really great writing tips to those aspiring to write a book. The first tip was to open a dictionary and randomly choosing a word and then write a short story around that particular word. This works like a quick writing prompt to help you start writing more. Ms. Rojas Contreras also suggested joining a writing group to help gain feedback from other writers on what you write. 

Fruit of the Drunken Tree is a work of fiction and inspired by the author's life. The following is a summary from Amazon:

Seven-year-old Chula and her older sister Cassandra enjoy carefree lives thanks to their gated community in Bogotá, but the threat of kidnappings, car bombs, and assassinations hover just outside the neighborhood walls, where the godlike drug lord Pablo Escobar continues to elude authorities and capture the attention of the nation. 

When their mother hires Petrona, a live-in-maid from the city's guerrilla-occupied slum, Chula makes it her mission to understand Petrona's mysterious ways. But Petrona's unusual behavior belies more than shyness. She is a young woman crumbling under the burden of providing for her family as the rip tide of first love pulls her in the opposite direction. As both girls' families scramble to maintain stability amidst the rapidly escalating conflict, Petrona and Chula find themselves entangled in a web of secrecy that will force them both to choose between sacrifice and betrayal. 

Inspired by the author's own life, and told through the alternating perspectives of the willful Chula and the achingly hopeful Petrona, Fruit of the Drunken Tree contrasts two very different, but inextricably linked coming-of-age stories. In lush prose, Rojas Contreras has written a powerful testament to the impossible choices women are often forced to make in the face of violence and the unexpected connections that can blossom out of desperation.

Here's an NPR interview with Ingrid Rojas Contreras. It is an awesome interview that gives more background about the author's life and her new novel.

Have you attended any author events and book signings lately?

9 Bookstore Cats From Around the San Francisco Bay Area

My husband and I live in the San Francisco's East Bay Region... We both like cats and also enjoy visiting indie bookstores. I enjoyed discovering an article titled, Meet 9 Bookstore Cats From Around the Bay Area by Ashley Urdang, about indie bookstores in the San Francisco Bay Area that have cats as mascots!

Many of these bookstores are new to me and ones I most definitely would love to visit for the pleasure of finding new books and visiting with the cats on hand.

I've seen quite a few cats as store mascots at various indie bookstores. Plus, one dog named, Sugar, at a bookstore in Monterey, California.

Shop Locally on Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 28, 2018!

Two weeks from today is Independent Bookstore Day!! Please support your local, independent bookstore by shopping at it as often possible.

Author, Celeste Ng, is this year's Ambassador for Independent Bookstore Day. Check out Celeste Ng's video on YouYube for Independent Bookstore Day.