Where to buy a book
Whether you’re looking for something specific or “just browsing” — where do you go to get a new (or new to you) book? Your local independent bookstore, assuming you have one nearby? Or that online behemoth named after a massive rainforest?
If you’re lucky enough to have a fiercely independent cozy bookshop near you, I hope that’s where you buy all of your books. (Unless, of course, you only want to read the book and not own it … in that case, visit at your local public library!)
No cozy bookshops nearby? Or would you rather order a book online? Try ordering directly from one of the shops on the list below … or visit Bookshop.org, which hosts online storefronts for indie bookshops and other bookish groups (my shop* is here), and gives a hefty percentage of proceeds to support brick-and-mortar indie bookstores.
* Disclosure: If you follow one of my links to Bookshop.org — and if you buy a book from my storefront on the site — I receive a small percentage of the sale, at no extra cost to you. And a percentage of the sale is also added to the pool of funds that Bookshop.org distributes among independent brick-and-mortar bookstores. (Launched in Jan. 2020, the website’s earnings pool for brick-and-mortar shops has already surpassed $35 million.)
our favorite cozy bookshops
In an ongoing search for cozy home-away-from-home spots, I’m always on the lookout for delightfully independent bookstores. And, to help you in your search for the same, I’ve compiled (and continue to add to) this list of my favorite U.S. shops that sell new, used, and new-and-used books. (The list currently stands at 30 shops, in 13 states, and is arranged alphabetically.)
Whenever you find yourself close to one or more of these, be sure to stop in for a visit!
If none of the bookstores listed here are close enough, and you’d like to find one near you, visit IndieBound and click on the big red button that says, “Locate an Independent, Local Bookstore.”
