My Favorite Independent Bookstores
I don’t know why anyone bothers writing about the glory and necessity of independent bookstores, because the perfect essay has already been written. See: THE BOOKSTORE STIKES BACK in Ann Patchett’s first collection of essay THIS IS A STORY OF A HAPPY MARRIAGE. However, as I was re-listening to the audio for the zillionth time, I was thinking about some of my favorite indie bookstores. Then I went and visited them.
Brick & Mortar Books
Brick & Mortar Books in Redmond is THE place for local authors and events. Nearly every children’s book author in the area seems to have their book launch at Brick & Mortar. I attended two events in February. I brought my daughters to hear author J. Anderson Coats interview K.B. Jackson about her new book, The Sasquatch of Hawthorne Elementary. My daughter devoured her copy of the book and is already demanding the sequel. A couple weeks later my critique group friends and I went to hear an author-agent interview, which motivated us critiques to get to work on crafting the best stories we could possibly write.
For big-name events and a ginormous selection, Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park is the place to go (they also have locations in Seward Park and Ravenna). Kelly Yang, Joy McCullough, and Gretchen Rubin will all be there in March/April. I’ve already got Yang and McCullough’s books in my TBR pile and I hope I can catch there events.
Aside from author events, this place is HUGE! If I want to do some serious browsing or am looking for a book that didn’t get tons of hype, this is my favorite bookstore. I also love that they share space with a cafe and a few restaurants and feature a huge public space perfect if you want to hunker down and write for awhile. My favorite running path, the Burke-Gilman trail and my favorite paddleboarding spot along Lake Washington are just right outside their door, so this place is a one-stop shop in the summer. If anyone ever invents a competition that involved reading, running, writing, and paddleboarding, this would be the prime location. And I would be the first contestant to sign up.
Lastly, is a teeny tiny new and used bookstore that I love. The Neverending Bookshop unfortunately is a bit off my beaten path and the small size sometimes means I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for. However, I still want to support the store, which I now do through Libro.fm. I cancelled Audible subscription last year in an effort to save money and a desire to not feed the monster that is Amazon. However, I miss my audio books way too much and recently got back on the audio-horse by signing up with Libro.fm. They work much like Audible (you pay a monthly fee and get one book credit a money), but you can purchase the books through an indie book store of your choosing. In February I read Hernan Diaz’s TRUST and Jas Hammond’s WE DESERVE MONUMENTS on libro.fm.
