Love My Indie Bookstore with Author Liza Wiemer

Love My Indie is a feature where fellow bloggers, readers, and authors share their favorite independent bookstores. I love the feeling I get when I go into an independent bookstore - like it is filled with hidden treasures just waiting for me to find them.

Showing some Indie Love today is one of my favorite people that I've met in the bookish world, Liza Wiemer of WhoRuBlog. Liza's debut YA novel, HELLO? will be published in 2015 by Spencer Hill Contemporary

Welcome Liza!!!

I have two favorite indie bookstores in Milwaukee, WI. The first is Boswell Book Company, and it's attached to a Starbucks. A perfect combination. Boswell's owner, Daniel Goldin, works with publishers to bring some of the best YA authors to Milwaukee and often arranges for them to go to local schools. Boswell Book Company is located on Milwaukee's East Side. For more information check out their website.

Buy a book, and then get your cup of coffee at Starbucks! These double doors separate Boswell's and Starbucks. Both spaces have plenty of places to sit, read, and sip.

This is where you can find me hanging out. The YA section.

Boswell's also is the place where many of us local YA bloggers/authors/librarians/teachers meet.

The Renaissance Books is located at Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport. It has used and new books and you never know what you'll discover there. Whenever I need to go pick someone up at the airport, I go early to spend a few extra minutes browsing and often buying. But I have also been known to take a trip to the airport just to go to this bookstore. It's a great place to find a bookish treasure. For more information, check out Wikipedia.

Liza, these bookstores sound great. Like you, I can be found in the YA section of my local bookstore. Thanks for participating in the Love My Indie Bookstore feature. I hope that one of these stores hosts you once your novel HELLO? is released! 

Love My Indie Bookstore with Laura, @laurapy

Love My Indie is a feature where fellow bloggers, readers, and authors share their favorite independent bookstores. I love the feeling I get when I go into an independent bookstore - like it is filled with hidden treasures just waiting for me to find them.

Showing some Indie Love today is:

Laura, @laurapy

Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, Kentucky

(http://www.josephbeth.com/)

I love living in Blacksburg, Virginia. It is just an easy place to live. My kids are across the street from their school, my husband can walk to work. You can pretty much do as much or as little as you would like. The only thing missing, though, is a book store. Yes, there’s a Barnes and Noble the next town over, and a great library … but it isn’t the same. Blacksburg--you need a bookstore!

Anyway, whenever I visit my in-laws in Kentucky I try to make an excuse to get to Lexington so I can visit Joseph-Beth Booksellers. If I lived in Lexington, I’d be there. A lot.

The store is huge and filled with natural light. The entire ground level is dedicated to children’s books, and I always find something new for my kids (as well as several things to remember to get later.) The adult section is great too, with a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction, as well as a very good selection of books by local authors. They also always have neat gifts (especially Kentucky-made things), and a nice cafe overlooking a little pond.

I follow Joseph-Beth on social media and they have great events. They bring in range of big-name authors, which is always exciting, like Garrison Kellior, Harlan Coben, and Lee Smith. But they also offer all the kinds of events that create a community--a range of book clubs, stuff for kids like Lego workshops and American Girl tea parties, and host plenty of events to support local and Kentucky authors.

About three years ago Joseph-Beth was struggling and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Through hard work and dedication, its owners and staff have been able to work through that and become an integral part of their community--and a destination for me.

Thanks Joseph-Beth! I look forward to seeing you soon. 

Thanks for sharing!

Love My Indie Bookstore with Heather from The Turning Pages

Love My Indie is a feature where fellow bloggers, readers, and authors share their favorite independent bookstores. I love the feeling I get when I go into an independent bookstore - like it is filled with hidden treasures just waiting for me to find them.

Showing some Indie Love today is on of my favorite bloggers:

Heather of The Turning Pages

I've made it a mission of mine to visit an indie bookstore wherever I travel. This all came about when I visited my very first indie back in 2012 & immediately knew that indie bookstores are something to be treasured. They are the kind of place that you walk into and instantly feel their warmth and welcome take you in. They are the kind of place that as you walk slowly through the aisles, hear the hundreds of stories calling your name. And they are the kind of place that take your breath away and as you take a deep breath to collect yourself, smell the sweet, leathery scent that any book lover has come to know. 

When Joli approached me about writing about my favorite indie, I struggled to pick just one! After taking some time and going back and forth between my top three, there is one that I just can't help but share. 

 

The Strand Book Store in the city that never sleeps, NYC, is any book lovers paradise. It is the home of 18 MILES. . .yes, you read that right. . .of books! I had the opportunity to visit the Strand this past May after traveling to NYC for Book Expo America. After spending two days among the madness that is BEA, I didn't think a bookstore could take my breath away the way an entire book expo did, but I was wrong. Just walking down the street and seeing the red Strand banner swaying in the breeze, I stopped and stared. Call me crazy, but I teared up a little bit. Hey, it happens when I get really excited about something.

When I walked in, I couldn't help but struggling to close my gaping mouth. It was a sight to be seen! Every square inch of that bookshop is filled with books and anything having to do with the written word. So much to look at and not enough time in one day to look at it all. I tried to capture it all in a picture, but it's definitely not possible when there are multiple floors and 18 miles of books to be seen. So a little snapshot will have to do. 

 

 

My favorite part? The moment where I had to go grab a ladder to get a book from the top shelf. Yes, there are ladders placed all about so you can help yourself. It was my Belle moment and took everything in me not to break out in song. 

 

Another thing I loved? The prices! I purchased a hardback for only $9! That's pretty good if you ask me and something I wasn't expecting. So, if you're ever in NYC, I highly recommend setting aside some time to explore the Strand. I know that I'll be going back if I ever find myself living the city life again. 

 

 

Heather Sheffield is the creator of The Turning Pages where she blogs along with her cousin Christie. She also devotes her time as an Author's Assistant. You can follow her on Twitter.

Love My Indie Bookstore with Author Joanne Rock

Love My Indie is a feature where fellow bloggers, readers, and authors share their favorite independent bookstores. I love the feeling I get when I go into an independent bookstore - like it is filled with hidden treasures just waiting for me to find them.

Showing some Indie Love today is:

Author Joanne Rock

The first time you visit Flying Pig Books in Shelburne, VT, you know you’re somewhere special. The store carries 35,000 titles, but co-owners Elizabeth Bluemle and Josie Leavitt seem familiar with everyone of them, deftly steering each customer toward a book they’ll love based on favorite past reads. Tell Josie, Elizabeth, or any one of their book-passionate staff what kind of book you’re in the mood for and you’ll soon have a highly personalized suggested reading list of other releases you might enjoy.

Personal, friendly, book-savvy attention is just one of the reasons I love my indie store. Flying Pig Books is also an advocate for local authors, making sure their customers know about working writers in their area. As an author, I’ve visited lots of bookstores for signings, but my visit to Flying Pig was the first time I’d been greeted with balloons and a chalkboard in front of the store where Elizabeth sat with chalk in hand, writing a message for passers-by about the signing. I’m not John Grisham—I don’t see red carpet treatment from most booksellers, but Flying Pig made me feel like a star for the day. Even better, I know they talked about my visit to customers throughout the week, boosting my visibility with regional readers.

Karen and Joanne Rock, aka J.K. Rock signing at Flying Pig

Another reason I love my indie store… you can’t beat it for shopping ambiance. Housed in the former Shelburne Inn,  Flying Pig has lots of nooks and turns high shelves and smartly organized sections. This is the kind of store that makes you want to take your time browsing. There are benches, chairs, and quiet spots to flip through pages. And since the store is run by dedicated readers, everyone here appreciates the fun of that. You’ll never be rushed. I like to make a day of it and then visit the Bearded Frog restaurant next door for an amazing dinner or drinks with my shopping partner. It’s a good spot to admire all your beautiful book purchases and anticipate settling in to read.

Visit Elizabeth and Josie’s Shelftalker blog for Publisher’s Weekly. Follow Flying Pig Books on Facebook and Twitter.

**Follow romance & YA author Joanne Rock on Twitter and Facebook.

Love My Indie Bookstore with Jen from I Read Banned Books

Love My Indie is a feature where fellow bloggers, readers, and authors share their favorite independent bookstores. I love the feeling I get when I go into an independent bookstore - like it is filled with hidden treasures just waiting for me to find them.

Showing some Indie Love today is:

Jen Bigheart of I Read Banned Books

You've heard the saying "everything is bigger in Texas", right y'all? Well it's true and our festivals and bookstores follow in line. BookPeople in Austin is the largest Indie in Texas and on top of their awesome book store and cafe offerings they are in a partnership with the Texas Book Festival to bring Texas Teen Book Festival, a very cool, very large YA book festival. They host authors like Rick Riordan, John Green, Chelsea Handler, David Sedaris, and everyone in between. They host monthly SCBWI meetings, local author nights, and amazing summer kids camps like Camp Halfblood and Ranger's Apprentice Training Camp. These folks are at the forefront of everything cool in the literary world. 

Texas Book Festival 2012

 

The Texas Teen Book Festival is coming soon! October 18, 2014

Get more information at texasteenbookfestival.org  

Follow on Twitter @TXTeenBookFest

Visit BookPeople online at  http://www.bookpeople.com/

Follow on Twitter @BookPeople

Thank you Jen for sharing your favorite independent bookstore!

Jen Bigheart is the Outreach Supervisor for Westbank Community Libraries, PR Director, Texas Teen Book Festival, blogs at I Read Banned Books and Literary Lonestars. She is also on the YA Literature Symposium Marketing & Planning Task Force, YALSA, and a Young Adult Round Table Social Media Manager for the Texas Library Association. 

Love My Indie Bookstore with Adam of Roof Beam Reader

I am really excited about hosting Adam of Roof Beam Reader for my Love My Indie Bookstore feature. I am a huge fan of Adam and have been following his blog since before starting Actin' Up with Books. When I put out a request for participants for this feature earlier this year, he was one of the first to sign up. Today Adam shares his favorite independent bookstore, Town House Books in Saint Charles, Illinois.

Welcome Adam!!!

Whenever I find a place that offers not only a great selection of books but also an incredible brunch (and lunch) menu, I know that it and I are soon to become fast friends.  Townhouse Books in Saint Charles, Illinois is more than just a book and brunch kind of place, although it does those things to perfection!  And in the warm months, you can eat along the walkway or in the courtyard, sipping a coffee and nibbling a scone, and it feels like Paris. I mean, just look at this:

What I love about Townhouse Books is that, of course, it is first and foremost an independent bookseller.  Their staff is small and dedicated, so the chances are good that –if you visit often—you will get to know most of them, and they will get to know you.  In addition, the people are friendly, too! 

I worked at a bookstore for a few years, and I can say without snark or cynicism that, well, sometimes bookstore salespeople can be a bit off-putting.  They can be snobbish or sarcastic or completely ineffectual (because they don’t read!).  But Townhouse Books has a staff of wonderful people who know their stuff or, in the off chance that they’re not sure what you’re talking about, will actually help you figure it out! 

Another thing I love about the bookstore side of the place (it is restaurant to the right, books to the left!) is its winding aisles and bookshelves of varied types and sizes.  Some people might find this style odd or “rummage” like, but that’s just what I love about it!  There’s plenty of sunlight, so you can explore around the genres (yes, they’re organized!) at a leisurely pace, strolling around one corner and the next. It feels much more like you’re in a museum of discovery than a clinical, cosmetically cold, corporate kind of place. 

Of course, they have great events, too: author appearances, reading, signings, group functions and more.  Educators (like me!) get 20% off books for use in the classroom, and they also offer a selection of hand-sewn letter press books by local authors, which can make for pretty awesome, unique gifts. Here’s Julia Glass (National Book Award winner, 2002) at a reading in the café:

 

Townhouse Books and Café has been around since 1974 and has managed to survive so many ups-and-downs in the economy, and so many brutal winters. How do they do this, even with corporate giants like Barnes & Noble and, now, Half Price Books fairly close by?  If I knew the answer to that, I’d perhaps have a successful recipe for my own bookstore! All I can say is, it is a local treasure and I can’t help but go back again and again!