Amy's Book Obsession: Independent Bookstore Day 2018

I'm a little late getting this posted but I did want to tell you about my Independent Bookstore Day experience as well as my book haul. This is an annual day that celebrates all things Indie Bookstores! I was able to visit all three of my local independent bookstores on Saturday, April 28th!

My first stop is the most recent addition to our local indie bookstores - The Little Bookshop in Midlothian, VA. It's a fantastic little bookstore that has a very curated offering of books. The owner, Mary, is so sweet as are the others working there. They are always available to help you find a specific title and they offer great suggestions.

For IBD, they were having a special story time that was fantastic! The woman doing the story time was so great with the kids and her performance was so well done! They also had a selection of Independent Bookstore Day 2018 items available for visitors to purchase. I purchased two of the items - a pencil pouch with a Colson Whitehead quote as well as the $6 Story which is a collection of flash fiction from great short story writers including A.M. Homes, Etgar Keret, and Amy Bloom.

After browsing the store, I finally narrowed books down to two titles that I've been meaning to pick up. One of my bookclubs may be doing an author meeting with Abbi Waxman so I want to be sure to read her newest novel, Other People's Houses! Also, I keep picking up Word by Word everytime I see it. It sounds amazing ... it's all about dictionaries. That is so in my wheelhouse! It was time to actually buy it!

The next bookstore that I visited was Fountain Bookstore in downtown Richmond which is one of my favorite bookstores. It's in Shockoe Bottom and is so charming ... brick walls, amazing book curation, and a great staff! It's one of those bookstores that everyone should visit while in Richmond. I feel so lucky to have it so close to me!

I spent a long time walking around and trying to decide what to buy ... it took forever to narrow it down! I've been wanting to pick up Dread Nation after hearing so many rave reviews so this was the perfect opportunity. I remember hearing about Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve on a podcast and it sounded fascinating! It combines big data and literature which sounds like an amazing combo! And last, but certainly not least, I found a pair of socks that are me in a pair of socks ... 'Fuck off. I'm reading!' LOVE them so much!

My final indie bookstore visit was at Chop Suey Books in theCarytown neighborhood of Richmond, VA. It's a fantastic new and used bookstore that I'd definitely describe as eclectic and original. I always find books about the things that I care about - feminism, social justice, and more. Books that you just don't see at most traditional bookstores. I love their commitment to literature and social justice! And they have a wonderful bookstore cat (Won Ton) who is always interesting to try to find! The staff is always friendly and make great recommendations!

Photo credit: https://travellinggeekshow.wordpress.com

After browsing for ages, I quickly found the books that I wanted - I've had The Body is Not An Apology on my TBR for awhile ... I love the radical self-love movement and really want to learn as much as I can about it (and try to incorporate the ideas into my own life). I've heard this one is a great book! And then I couldn't say no to Lost in the Beehive ... I've been waiting for it since I heard it was coming and since I loved her last book, it was a no-brainer to purchase this one (btw - I've already read it and it's fantastic - definitely recommend it).

And so there it is ... my Independent Bookstore Day haul! If you're ever in the Richmond, VA area, I highly recommend all of these bookstores ... they are all amazing and unique in their own way!