02 - A Book You Bought From an Independent Bookstore

[Jen W.]

Some indie booksellers in the US I've bought from:

Third Place Books - https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/
The Strand - https://www.strandbooks.com/
Powells - https://www.powells.com/
Elliot Bay Book Company - https://www.elliottbaybook.com/
Annie Bloom's - https://www.annieblooms.com/

[Ron]

Dea wrote: "Rachel wrote: "I don't have any independent bookstores near me (that I know of) and I don't drive so it's hard for me to get downtown to see the ones there."

I also don't drive, but I live in subu..."

Thankfully a lot of indie bookstores have sites from across the country.

I discovered BirchBark Books, located in Minnesota, online, and I'm in Texas so that's pretty cool. And a lot of their online stores ship which is even better.

[Allison]

This is a tough one as I am strictly an e-reader. Any ideas?

I am going to Italy in March and want to check out the cool bookstore in Venice, Liberia Acqua Alta, so maybe I will find something there?

I can't remember the last time I read an actual book...

[Allison]

What about an ARC book by a small author? Think that would count on a stretch?

[The Pampered Librarian]

Allison wrote: "This is a tough one as I am strictly an e-reader. Any ideas?

I am going to Italy in March and want to check out the cool bookstore in Venice, Liberia Acqua Alta, so maybe I will find something the..."

Shopping bookstores in Italy sounds like a dream! Have fun!

I'll read The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, which I bought at my local, independent bookstore and never got around to it this year.

[Diana]

Allison wrote: "This is a tough one as I am strictly an e-reader. Any ideas?

I am going to Italy in March and want to check out the cool bookstore in Venice, Liberia Acqua Alta, so maybe I will find something the..."

What about reading an e-book by an independent publisher? I know there are some independent bookstores that sell ebooks, so you might try that route. This link may help: https://www.indiebound.org/ebooks

[Ruth]

I just want to say that I am ANGRY that this prompt was included!

Never mind access to a local indie bookstore- anybody who can get online can buy books from an independent website instead.

But some of us don't have the budget to actually purchase books at all! I'm only able to participate in these reading challenges because I live near an amazing public library. I absolutely love that when I finish a book, I put it in the "return" bag and don't have to find space for it on my limited shelf space.

I'm honestly not sure how I'm going to be able to fulfill this prompt.

[Heather L]

Ruth wrote: "I just want to say that I am ANGRY that this prompt was included!

Never mind access to a local indie bookstore- anybody who can get online can buy books from an independent website instead..."

That’s what irritates me about the two prompts requiring not one but two 2023 releases, as well. Not everyone has access to a library or bookstore, which makes at least three of the 2023 prompts more difficult for some people.

[Ruth]

Heather L wrote: "Ruth wrote: "I just want to say that I am ANGRY that this prompt was included!

Never mind access to a local indie bookstore- anybody who can get online can buy books from an independent website in..."
Yeah, I'm not crazy about those prompts either. I like having one book "published this year" as a prompt. But usually I can use any book, no matter what time of year it's published. But this year's prompts exclude anything published in the first few months of the year- either the winter or the "second half of the year." Which also irks me because I can't possibly finish the reading challenge before June. I'll likely be done with 49 prompts and waiting for a book to be published AND available from the library before I can finish.


But I do have access to the library, and this will be an annoyance, not an undue burden. But these prompts also won't be encouraging me to find new books to read that I otherwise wouldn't be reading, or expanding my literary horizons the way that most of the prompts do. The good prompts anyway!

[Denise]

I mostly read ebooks and listen to audiobooks, so I decided to use this as a "free space". However, in order to support my local independent book store, I bought calendars for myself and my boyfriend for the coming year from them.

[Mandy]

I’m using rightstufanime as my independent. I have books I bought from them before they were bought by Crunchyroll (aka Sony).

[Ruth]

I just realized that I did buy an ebook recently from Kobo. I don't normally buy books or read ebooks, but in this case I did. Does that count as an independent book store?

[Anshita]

I recently bought If You're Not Yet Like Me by Edan Lepucki from an independent store nearby. I will read it for this prompt.

[Christine]

I just finished The Witch in the Well that I bought while browsing in The Book Cellar. It's one of my favorite bookstores in Chicago! It was deliciously creepy and left my head spinning a bit. I recommend it if you're looking for something a little different.

[Ron]

Wahoo, just realized that I'm going to an indie bookstore this weekend (hope it's still open).

So I'll be able to use one of the two books I get from there.

[Ron]

Cool, got my independent bookstore book:

American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump

The bookstore has this thing called 'Blind Date With A Book' and this is the one that I was surprised with. Which is actually pretty cool because I've seen it around and always been curious about it so it's perfect.

[Rayne]

We bought the whole Heartstopper series for my daughter while we were in England last year. So I'll probably use that.

[Clare]

the book theft from a bookstore/coffee shop called noveltea

[Bea]

I had chosen a cookbook that I was excited to try, but my excitement has waned and now I am not wanting to continue with my chosen book. However, I have learned that Thriftbooks.com is an independent online used/new bookstore. I am thinking that I will buy a book from them for this prompt, since their used book prices fit my budget.

Currently I have ordered some photography books, but I doubt that I will choose one of those for the prompt since I expect them to be reference.

[Katy]

I'm going with Blackbird that I've had on my shelf for a few years now after getting it at a local independent bookstore in Pittsburgh, PA (Mystery Lovers Bookshop).

[LeahS]

I agree this is an annoying prompt, especially when it appear with the book published late in the year prompt. Although I'm fortunate in being able to afford to buy now and then, I'm trying to downsize my books and support the local library.

Anyway, I gave in and bought, from Wimbledon Books in London SW19, Elizabeth Finch by Julian Barnes. I was rather disappointed.

The narrator, Neil, begins the book as a mature student on a course in 'Culture and Civilisation', taught by EF. He thinks she is wonderful, and unfortunately I found her extremely irritating.

Two parts of the book deal with the course and Neil's continuing obsession with EF after her death. The middle of the book is a paper written by Neil on EF's hero, Julian the Apostate. As a history geek, I thought JTA was rather more interesting than EF.

The blurb on the front of my copy says 'She [EF] will change the way you see the world.' Sorry, no.

[Ruth]

In the end, I basically "cheated" for this prompt. My mom just published a book, and the publishing company sent us a box of them. I read one of the copies and then put it back in the box.

You can't get much more "independent" than getting it directly from the author, can you? And, being a picture book, it was a quick and easy read.

And for those of you who like to use books for more than one prompt, this one also fills "a book about a holiday other than Christmas" (Purim) and " a modern retelling of a classic" (Little Red Riding Hood.) It came out while it was still winter so it can't be used for either of the 2023 prompts (though it did occur to me that a book that comes out in the first three weeks of June could fulfill both prompts!)

[Ron]

Okay so for certain, when it comes to my general challenge I am going with:

The Lost Journals of Sacajewea - this book isn't released yet, but I've pre-ordered a copy from the indie bookstore in Minnesota, Birchbark Books.

******

For my nonfiction challenge part I'm going with:

Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured - this book I got at my local indie bookstore.

[Ron]

Since I'm doing a reread of the Love Comes Softly series, I'm adding book 4 here since it works:

Love's Abiding Joy

[Jaime]

I'm another one that almost exclusively reads e-books or audiobooks. I'm thinking I may go find a graphic novel at my local comic bookstore though. I've been interested in checking out Lore Olympus: Volume One.

[Britany]

Finished and adored the The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Emily]

I bought a copy of Crying in H Mart from my local shop on Independent Bookstore Day. Finished the other week (finally) and counting it for this challenge.

[Sherri]

I read Rules of Civility. 3 stars. It was a slog for me. I usually like his books.

[The Pampered Librarian]

Can I stretch this prompt and read a book I got at a library sale instead? Has anyone done that and counted it towards the prompt?

[Kaia]

I'm in a rural area, so independent bookstores are hard to come by. But there is one in a bigger town where I get my car serviced. I picked up The Rebel and the Kingdom: The True Story of the Secret Mission to Overthrow the North Korean Regime last time I was there and used it for this prompt. The book moved a bit slowly and wasn't quite what I was expecting. I was a little disappointed, to be honest.

[Ruth]

Laura wrote: "Can I stretch this prompt and read a book I got at a library sale instead? Has anyone done that and counted it towards the prompt?"

The spirit of this prompt is "a book that you didn't buy from a large chain." I'd say a library sale counts.

[Ruth]

Jaime wrote: "I'm another one that almost exclusively reads e-books or audiobooks. I'm thinking I may go find a graphic novel at my local comic bookstore though. I've been interested in checking out [book:Lore O..." Nobody said you couldn't use an ebook or audiobook for this prompt- just not one you bought on Amazon.

[Lisa Marie]

I read The Curveball by Megan Cousins