15 Comments

I love doing this! I'll sometimes plan a bookstore stop early in my trip and intentionally buy something to read while away. I was recently in Decorah, IA and visited Dragonfly Books to pick up a new book to read during a camping trip. Highly recommend!

Expand full comment

Thank you so much for this rec! ✨

Expand full comment

Definitely BookPeople in Austin, TX! And of course Powell’s in Portland, OR. Whenever I visit either city, I also try to check their event page because both have the most amazing author events and I’m sometimes lucky enough that my visit overlaps.

Expand full comment

Hard agree to visiting local bookstores while traveling! Did you mean Portland OR or ME? I have recs for both!

Expand full comment

I'll take both! Never been to OR and hoping to go soon. But went to ME once and didn't visit any bookstores, so would be great to have a reason to go back. Thank you!

Expand full comment

OR: Powells (of course), Broadway Books, Parallel Worlds (if you want sci f/fantasy) and Third Eye (which I sadly did not get to visit due to being temporarily closed)

ME: Print: A Bookstore, Longfellow Books and Green Hand Bookshop

Expand full comment

And Nonesuch books if you want a mix of new and used in ME

Expand full comment

Yes I do this too!!! I love to see the local staff selections. A book or two from a local bookstore is my favorite travel souvenir. 😀

Expand full comment

emphasis on the "or two!" 🤣 I always leave with so many books.

Expand full comment

😂😂 ah so glad I’m not the only one who uses “book or two” to mean “however many books I so desire”

Expand full comment

I love visiting book stores!!

Expand full comment

Thank you so much for including my recent article on your virtual shelf! There's nothing like visiting an indie bookstore in a new town. They all have their own personalities and it's so much fun to explore. I love that there are lots of romance-focused bookstores opening up around the U.S.!

Expand full comment

Of course! Everyone is always wondering how to get ARCs and it was such a good resource. 💕

Expand full comment

I do exactly the same things, in fact it's the only thing that all my trips have in common hahaha

Expand full comment

I love to visit bookstores when I travel too! When I was in Austin, I went to BookWoman which is a long-standing feminist bookstore that I would definitely recommend checking out.

Expand full comment