An Ode to Independent Bookstores

Barnes & Noble had a big sale on hardcover books this week: 50% off! Sounds great, but of course stores like B&N can afford to shoulder the loss. Independent bookstores, can't be so generous with their prices, but their owners and employees are rich in knowledge of local writers, of genres and subgenres, and, well, it's not just a job to them. It's a lifestyle, a career. A passion. Wouldn't you rather get a book rec from a place where people live and breathe books than a place that also sells records, puzzles, toys, coffee, and, well, you name it--B&N will sell you anything if they can. Even a shoe horn, probably.  

Independent bookstore recommendations introduced me to so many great independent presses and authors through my work as a reading series host at Bird in Hand in Baltimore. They are also a great place to meet other writers, join book and writing groups, and forge connections. And, as a writer, they're open to hosting readings.

Anyway, one of my New Year's resolutions is to continue to support independent bookstores, and I hope you do, too. I'm so grateful to the indies that carry or will order You'll Be Fine, and I'm giving a brief shout-out to some of them here. If you've been meaning to get a copy of You'll Be Fine, definitely consider ordering from one of these great indies!

Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, California

Elm Street Books, New Canaan, Connecticut

Kizzy's Books and More, Winter Garden, Florida

Virginia Highland Books, Atlanta, Georgia

Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City, Iowa

Book People, Sioux City, Iowa

Carmichael's Bookstores, Kentucky

Atomic Books, Baltimore, Maryland

The Ivy Bookshop, Baltimore, Maryland

The Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, Massachusetts

BookHampton, East Hampton, New York

McNally Jackson, New York

Powells Bookstore, Portland, Oregon

One More Page Books, Arlington, Virginia

A Room of One's Own, Madison, Wisconsin