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 cozy, independent bookstore near you, I hope that’s where you start all of your book searches. (Unless, of course, you only want to read the book and not own the book … in that case, start at your local public library!)
Don’t have a local bookshop 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 has already surpassed $30 million.)
our favorite cozy bookstores
In an ongoing search for cozy home-away-from-home spots, I’m always on the lookout for delightfully independent bookshops. 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 24 shops, in 10 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.”
