I love this, Gayla! I did know Independent Bookstore Day was coming up (and have plans to bring my kids with me on Saturday, locally, not anywhere near any of these lovely stores you've suggested), but I really like how you rounded up all these different options.
Thanks so much for this head's up... I use the library heavily for my reading obsession, but today I will BUY a book from and independent bookstore as a treat for me and as a head-nod to Independent Bookstore Day! Thanks for the permission to buy a book!
You're welcome Daniel. I am a heavy library and Net Galley user myself, so I don't buy many books of any kind anymore, but I do make it a habit of going to my indie bookstore when I want to purchase something other than an e-book. I've recently gotten into listening to audiobooks and I use Libro.fm for that. They have a lot of good sales that you can purchase from even if you don't have a monthly subscription.
Apr 26, 2022·edited Apr 26, 2022Liked by Gayla Gray
Also... for those of you who like a soundtrack while you read... Saturday April 23rd was "Record Store Day", an annual event celebrating independent music/CD/Vinyl stores. There are usually exclusive releases on this day, like perhaps your favorite album coming out on Picture Disc, LPs/EPs only available at Record Store Day, or even early releases that won't see other store shelves for 30-90 days. Mini-me and I missed this Record Store Day with our turn at COVID. Ugh.
I know it's late notice, but you can still find specials that haven't sold out at your local stores now, which is what we'll be doing once we're cleared. Enjoy! Like with independent bookstores, it's never too late to support your locals!
Oh, that sounds like fun. I wish I lived there and could do it also. In my research I found several cities that were doing something similar throughout the week. I'd love to live in a city that had enough bookstores to do this. :)
I'm a fan of food book shops. Bold Fork Books in DC is hosting a bookstore crawl with an ice cream cart. The owners do a great job hosting events like book signings. Cherry Bombe magazine also great promoting local bookstores.
That sounds heavenly, books and ice cream. I just took a peek at their IG page; not only ice cream but cookies and other baked goods. I have never heard of Cherry Bombe, but I just subscribed to the newsletter, I can wait to check it out later. Thanks for the recommendations; so much on my bucket list and I just added Bold Fork Books to it. :)
Hey! You mentioned Magic City Books in Tulsa! That is a great store, in a great neighborhood. Fulton Street Books is another wonderful independent bookstore, which opened in 2020. So next time you're this way, you'll have to check it out and I hope we can meet for coffee! :)
I haven't heard of Fulton before, but it is on my master list of bookstores to visit in the future. I actually think I will be making a trip to Tulsa sometime this year, so I will definitely message you. I love meeting other creators in the "wild" so to speak. I was not aware of the 1921 Race Massacre when I was there in 2019, so I want to revisit with a different lens. Thanks for the recommendation.
Greenwood Rising History Center is worth a visit - just down the street from Magic City, as is the Greenwood Massacre Memorial. Please do let me know when you come - I would love to connect!
I love this, Gayla! I did know Independent Bookstore Day was coming up (and have plans to bring my kids with me on Saturday, locally, not anywhere near any of these lovely stores you've suggested), but I really like how you rounded up all these different options.
Thanks Sarah, have fun on Saturday. Let me know how the celebration was.
Thanks so much for this head's up... I use the library heavily for my reading obsession, but today I will BUY a book from and independent bookstore as a treat for me and as a head-nod to Independent Bookstore Day! Thanks for the permission to buy a book!
You're welcome Daniel. I am a heavy library and Net Galley user myself, so I don't buy many books of any kind anymore, but I do make it a habit of going to my indie bookstore when I want to purchase something other than an e-book. I've recently gotten into listening to audiobooks and I use Libro.fm for that. They have a lot of good sales that you can purchase from even if you don't have a monthly subscription.
Also... for those of you who like a soundtrack while you read... Saturday April 23rd was "Record Store Day", an annual event celebrating independent music/CD/Vinyl stores. There are usually exclusive releases on this day, like perhaps your favorite album coming out on Picture Disc, LPs/EPs only available at Record Store Day, or even early releases that won't see other store shelves for 30-90 days. Mini-me and I missed this Record Store Day with our turn at COVID. Ugh.
I know it's late notice, but you can still find specials that haven't sold out at your local stores now, which is what we'll be doing once we're cleared. Enjoy! Like with independent bookstores, it's never too late to support your locals!
PS- Here's the list of releases for last week's event: https://recordstoreday.com/PromotionalEvent/585
Thanks for this information. I don't listen to music very often, just a lot of podcasts, but I'm sure many of my readers do.
I think I might do the Brooklyn crawl!
Oh, that sounds like fun. I wish I lived there and could do it also. In my research I found several cities that were doing something similar throughout the week. I'd love to live in a city that had enough bookstores to do this. :)
I'm a fan of food book shops. Bold Fork Books in DC is hosting a bookstore crawl with an ice cream cart. The owners do a great job hosting events like book signings. Cherry Bombe magazine also great promoting local bookstores.
https://instagram.com/boldforkbooks?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
That sounds heavenly, books and ice cream. I just took a peek at their IG page; not only ice cream but cookies and other baked goods. I have never heard of Cherry Bombe, but I just subscribed to the newsletter, I can wait to check it out later. Thanks for the recommendations; so much on my bucket list and I just added Bold Fork Books to it. :)
I Love Left Bank Books in St. Louis!!
I've never been there, but it is on my list for the future. :)
The Book Store Crawl sounds fun! If I lived in Brooklyn I'd be doing that for sure.
I hear you, I'd love to do something like that. It would be so fun.
Hey! You mentioned Magic City Books in Tulsa! That is a great store, in a great neighborhood. Fulton Street Books is another wonderful independent bookstore, which opened in 2020. So next time you're this way, you'll have to check it out and I hope we can meet for coffee! :)
I haven't heard of Fulton before, but it is on my master list of bookstores to visit in the future. I actually think I will be making a trip to Tulsa sometime this year, so I will definitely message you. I love meeting other creators in the "wild" so to speak. I was not aware of the 1921 Race Massacre when I was there in 2019, so I want to revisit with a different lens. Thanks for the recommendation.
Greenwood Rising History Center is worth a visit - just down the street from Magic City, as is the Greenwood Massacre Memorial. Please do let me know when you come - I would love to connect!
Thanks for recommending us!
You are so welcome, I adore your newsletter. And thanks for recommending me too. I've picked up several subscribers from it.
Yay! And I just added text to my recommendation. I keep forgetting that functionality!