Madison Books is the cutest, most potent little bookstore in Seattle. At about 360 square feet, it is chock full of top quality, thoughtfully curated books. Staff picks include In My Time of Dying by Sebastian Junger, The Editor by Sara B. Franklin, My Beloved Monster by Caleb Carr, A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan, Go as a River by Shelley Read, and a personal favorite, An Immense World by Ed Yong. We spoke with bookseller Jeff, who explained that Madison Books was recently purchased by two employees, sisters. The store will close for two weeks in August while they redesign the interior. The result will be increased shelf space for more glorious selections. Treat yourself by dropping into this bookstore in a beautiful section of Seattle.

Go as a River by Shelley Read

Deliciously geeky, Ada’s Technical Books & Cafe is the nerdiest bookstore we have had the pleasure of visiting. Catering to general readers and tech wizards of Seattle alike, they offer excellent staff picks in science, tech, and literary fiction, including THE CODE BOOK by Simon Singh, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and ANAXIMANDER AND THE BIRTH OF SCIENCE by (personal fav of mine) Carlo Rovelli. The nerdiest nerds will delight in the backroom chock full of thrillingly dense tomes. Their wonderful cafe offers light, health-conscious fare, including Kyoto-sytle cold brew made one drop at a time. Ada’s co-owner David Hulton explains that cold brew typically requires a constant adjustment to maintain 1-2 seconds per drop. To solve this problem, they ingeniously added to their machine Solenoid Valves and an Arduino with a Motor Controller Shield to precisely control the size and speed of the droplets so that every cup is brewed to perfection. Nerdy enough for you? Come to Ada’s and geek out!

The geekiest bookstore backroom you’ll ever find.

After decades without a bookstore, the town of Boonton NJ is ecstatic over the opening of Gingerbread Bookshop. Owned and operated by a professional librarian, the shelves are gorgeously curated with top rate books. Although technically a used bookshop, the books on display are in beautiful condition.

On the Gingerbread Bookshop Instagram account, the owner reflected upon her opening weekend with these words:

“When I was a child, I kept a small collection of books on a shelf in the basement of my childhood home. I glued small pockets, cut out from old file folders, in the back of each title. I stuck an index card in each pocket, my mom got me a set of rubber date stamps, and just like that, I had a lending library. I carried the Little Golden Books, oversized hardcover Disney picture books, Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends, Judy Blume, and an incomplete collection of the Babysitter’s Club. When I “grew up,” I become librarian, a position I’ve held my entire adult career in several public libraries. I have had the privilege of curating book collections for entire communities for half of my lifetime. But, over the past decade, I found myself thinking back to that little green bookshelf, in the basement next to the wood stove, where my siblings and I spent many hours playing. I realized I wanted more “play” in my life’s work. I dreamt about a curated secondhand collection in a space that would both welcome in and create community. I thought, what if I could make a bookshop that would recall the warmth, comfort, and familiarity of the “little room” my cousins, siblings, and I shared at our grandma’s house? Or the capacity for imagination I had at play as a child at home in my family basement? I let myself fall deep down slowly into the rabbit hole of memory, and I carefully considered each cupboard, bookshelf, and picture hung up on a peg, and many empty jars, one of which may have been labeled “ORANGE MARMALADE.” And I set out to create a little wonderland. This weekend, after months of preparation and years of daydreaming, I had the honor of opening the door to Gingerbread Bookshop, welcoming in a community of readers.

Homemade gingerbread cookies as delicious as they are beautiful!

To everyone who has supported me, to each of you who donated books from your own collections, and to all of you who stopped in for my first weekend to browse and wander: I am excited to share this space born out of the cubby holes of my imagination. I am overwhelmed by your support, enthusiasm, generosity, and genuine love. You make me hopeful for a more magical, meaningful human experience. I look forward to seeing you at the bookshop real soon.”

Authors on display included some of my personal favorites: Margaret Atwood, Michael Chabon, Louise Edrich, Jennifer Egan, Lauren Groff, John Irving, Ian McEwan, Celeste Ng, George Saunders, Zadie Smith, Elizabeth Strout, Colm Toibin, Anne Tyler, Colson Whitehead, and Meg Wolitzer.

Gingerbread Bookshop is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Gingerbread cookies are available Fridays, first come, first served.

Comfy irresistible chair

Located in Montclair, NJ, Watchung Booksellers is a vibrant indie bookstore with beautifully curated selections of literary fiction, biography/memoir, history, travel, cooking, poetry, the arts, and more. Four doors down, they opened a separate Kids’ Room last year to expand their collection as well as their event programming. The former children’s area is now a cozy reading salon (shown below), complete with an inviting leather chair.

In 2023, the store was purchased by Maddie Ciliotta-Young, the daughter of one of the previous owners. A former educator and principal, Ciliotta-Young managed the creation of the new Kids’ Room, which offers toys and gifts as well as robust selections of books for kids, tweens, teens, and YA. Children’s events include author visits, weekly storytimes for babies and toddlers, book clubs for young readers and young adults, and special activities and celebrations. Adult events include author conversations, meet and greets, book clubs, fundraisers, and special events. The Watchung Booksellers Podcast hosts fabulous interviews for readers and writers alike.

Watchung Booksellers is the home-base bookstore for a thriving literary community, including over 80 local authors and many publishing and media professionals, all contributing to the store’s dynamic atmosphere. Watchung enthusiastically champions banned books and inclusivity.

The bookstore’s amazing staff has many decades of combined of bookselling experience. Recent staff picks include work by Ann Patchett, Amanda Peters, and Tommy Orange. Feast your eyes and your heart in this inspiring gem of a bookstore.

Irresistible Comfy Chair in the Reading Salon

Owner Mary Cotton runs the magnificent Newtonville Books with her husband, fellow novelist and editor, Jamie Clarke. The pair has nurtured and grown the indie bookshop for over 20 years, Clarke behind the scenes and Cotton on the floor. A hub of community activity, Newtonville Books has an airy atrium storefront, wooden shelves, and large windows to illuminate a lovingly curated selection. The unique front counter is constructed of used and remaindered books. I had the good fortune to read at Newtonville with writer Josh Weil during my book tour for April & Oliver. Their robust reading series recently featured Claire Messud reading from her new novel This Strange Eventful History. Upcoming events include Dawn Tripp, Bill Roorbach, Sarah Seltzer, Carol Lahines and Rick Moody. Recent staff picks include Amanda Peters, Tommy Orange, and Colm Tóibín. Don’t miss this fabulous bookstore in the heart of Newton, Masschusetts.

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

Jewel of Falmouth, MA, Eight Cousins Bookstore is set to double its size this summer. The shop plans to expand into an adjacent Main Street storefront, formerly the Green Eyed Daisy. This will allow more shelf space for both adult and children’s books. I found the staff at Eight Cousins exceptionally kind and patient, helping each customer to find the right book for them. Wonderful staff picks included authors Janet Costa Bates, Emily Franklin, James McBride, Ignace Schops, Justin Torres, Eilish Quin, and Michelle Zauner. Don’t miss this friendly, vibrant, and growing Cape Cod bookstore.

The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin

Blackouts by Justin Torres

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Seaside Dream by Janet Costa Bates

We are in love with East End Books! A full-service bookstore in beautiful Provincetown, East End has a lovingly curated collection of books in print, e-books, audiobooks, vinyl albums, cool magazines, and more. If you love audiobooks, you can sign up for libro.fm through their website. If you prefer e-books, sign up for Kobo E-books through the link on their website. East End ships across the USA. Check their fun Facebook & Instagram accounts for updates. Better yet, sign up for East End’s newsletter for book event details, book recommendations, and more.

East End Books offers a large selection of LGBTQ staff picks and Cape Cod recommended books, such as The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess.

A Year in Books – A Unique Bespoke Service 

East End Books Ptown has a Book Subscription Plan tailored to the genre of your choice, combined with curated selections made just for you. Subscription prices include shipping. You can choose a hardback or paperback plan as a gift to yourself or a fellow booklover!

A short questionnaire will help East End make their monthly selections for you. Each ‘Year in Books’ subscription is completely unique to the recipient, and East End works hard to choose the perfect book every month for each individual.

As East End Books continues to fight to survive in this challenging environment, they are thankful for their loyal customers who donate to the store via the link on their website or via their GoFundMe Campaign.

Jeff, the owner of East End Books, warmly welcomed me when I showed up unannounced and bedraggled by rain to deliver a galley of my new novel and a copy of the old. Thank you, Jeff!

Tess Callahan 8/30/24

Provincetown LIbrary

We enjoyed the beauty and depth of Sea Howl, a mighty little bookshop that stocks generous sections of philosophy, poetry, and new releases of all genres. The also carry a smaller number of used, vintage and out-of-print titles, as well as gorgeous paper goods for the discerning writer and pen pal, including greeting cards, stationery, journals, and puzzles/games to keep brains happy. The lovely aesthetic touches in this shop include an antique L.C. Smith & Brothers manual typewriter.

​Sea Howl offers in-store and online shopping, with curbside pickup and shipping options. You can view their full inventory and place an order in their online shop.

Owners Jonathan and Kazmira Nedeau live in Orleans and have filled their home with books old and new for many years. Jonathan grew up on the mouth of Barnstable Harbor and surfed the Outer Cape throughout high school. He went away to university, pursued graduate degrees in the humanities and political philosophy, and frittered for some time after, only to return to the Cape with Kazmira in 2015. In addition to philosophy, his interests include poetry, fly-fishing, and gardening both at home and at Sea Call Farm in Orleans.

Kazmira was born in Brooklyn and was fortunate to grow up in a neighborhood with a tradition of block parties, stoop sales, and sidewalk chit chats. She studied anthropology as an undergraduate and loved conducting ethnographic interviews and working the checkout desk at the library. When she and Jonathan moved to Orleans after years of living and working in cities (Boston, Cambridge and Providence), she felt like she found her neighborhood again. She loves reading about world history, social justice, and food, and discovering new books for her and Jonathan’s son and daughter.

The name “sea howl” comes from a T.S. Eliot poem Four Quartets. It reminded Jonathan and Kazmira of the roaring sound of the ocean that can be heard on a windy day, and especially in Orleans – the first town as you move out on the peninsula of Cape Cod to face the wild Atlantic Ocean.

When we visited, Sea Howl Bookshop was celebrating Asian writers and culture with a display of work by Joan He, Ed Park, Kawai Strong Washburn, Jonathan Clements, Charles Yu, Yasunari Kawabata, Chang-Rae Lee, Rachel Khong, Claire Messud, and others.

At 92 years old, the beloved Provincetown Bookshop is Cape Cod’s oldest bookstore. The shop is a well-curated general interest bookstore with something for everyone, particularly local authors and LGBTQ+ stories. The new owners are excited to continue the shop’s legacy and add their community-driven personal touch.

In 1932, Paul Smith opened the Provincetown Bookshop at a different location on Commercial Street (now Karilon Gallery), according to David W. Dunlap’s Building Provincetown. The shop specialized in local authors and allowed customers to buy or rent books for 5 cents a day.

In 1940, Smith moved the shop to another Commercial Street location, commonly referred to as the Port-Hole Building, where it remained until 2021. Despite its small size, the shop was designed to allow visitors to get lost in the stacks.

In 1963, Joel Newman, a professor of music at Columbia University, and his partner Elloyd Hanson purchased the bookshop. They also published ensemble music under the Provincetown Bookshop name.

Filmmaker and writer John Waters, who worked at the bookshop, credits much of his education in the 60s and 70s to Hanson’s reading suggestions. “I didn’t go to college, but I went to the Provincetown Bookshop,” Waters famously said.

From 1970-2021, Newman’s family and a small, dedicated staff (Deb, Clayton, Jane, Jeannette, and Nan) ran the shop after his death, calling it “a labor of love.”

In 2021, the shop was put up for sale and purchased by Barbara Clarke and her daughters, Isabella and Catherine, who grew up loving the quirky shop as another member of the family.  They moved the shop to it’s beautiful new home at 229 Commercial Street.

In 2024, the Provincetown Bookshop celebrates its 92^nd year. Stop in and help this legendary bookstore continue to write its story on Provincetown’s heart.

The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp

This summer of 2024, Where the Sidewalk Ends Bookstore celebrates its 20^th anniversary! We were charmed by this mother-daughter-owned bookstore in a lovely, two-story “antique” barn with an attached stroller-friendly children’s annex full of educational books and enriching toys. The private parking lot is a big plus in busy Chatham. A sweet, covered deck offers seasonal outdoor seating. The shop offers author events, autographed copies, audio downloads, children’s tea parties and story time.

In addition, the shop offers an Author Literary Luncheons series held at the Wequassett Resort, overlooking Pleasant Bay. Summer 2024 events not yet sold out include authors Ann Leary, Catherine Newman, Peter Swanson, Emily Habeck, Juliet Grames, and Brooke Lea Foster.

We enjoyed the small café, friendly staff, and fabulous staff picks!

Staff picks include My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout.

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon.

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker.