Hi, my bookish friend!
Ever since I recently learned Ann Patchett owned a bookstore in Nashville, I’ve wanted to take a road trip there. My family, who’s probably thinking more about the music and restaurant/bar scene, is all for a trip to Nashville! But I’m sure they’d enjoy browsing a bookstore and watching me load up on signed copies!
As it turns out, quite a few authors have opened bookstores across the United States. I never knew Judy Blume owned a bookstore in Key West. How cool is that! Right there with Ernest Hemingway and other literary icons! Yeah, add that to my literary travel bucket list!
So, today, to inspire your wanderings as you check off the Summer Reading Mini-Challenge #5: 📚 Visit an Indie Bookstore, I’m featuring 11 well-known, accomplished authors, perhaps a few of your favorites, and where to find their bookstores. (Seriously, if you’re an author and a bookstore owner, you might as well yell, “Yahtzee!” to the literary world!)
Happy Reading! (And Happy Indie Bookstore Shopping!)
Your friend,
Audry
P.S. If you’re not able to visit an indie bookstore, Bookshop.org is the next best thing!
P.P.S. I’m giving away a $50 Bookshop.org gift card to one new or current Annual or Founding Member to celebrate the Bookish AF Summer of Reading!
One of the many reasons to visit an author-owned bookstore is the possibility that you’ll run into the author while there! How awesome would that be! (Pro tip: You increase your chances if the bookstore is holding an event.)
But either way, it’s fun to say you’ve visited a place owned by one of your favorite authors! And bonus, authors often provide multiple signed copies of their own books at their bookstores!
Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
Ann Patchett didn’t set out to be a bookstore owner alongside her wildly successful career as an author of fiction, nonfiction, and, yes, children’s books. However, her passion for books (see her TED Talk here) and the closing of two bookstores in her local community motivated her to become the co-owner of Parnassus in 2011. Fun fact: the bookstore is named after Mount Parnassus, home of the Muses in Greek mythology!
While there, load up on signed copies of Ann Patchett’s latest novel, Whistler! Side note: I’ve been on an Ann Patchett kick ever since I listened to Tom Hanks narrate The Dutch House, and I just finished Meryl Streep narrating Tom Lake. I highly recommend both on audio, especially if you enjoy literary fiction!
Books & Books at The Studios of Key West in Key West, Florida
The beloved author of my youth and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, cofounded her bookstore in 2016 with her husband, George Cooper. And she put it in Key West! It’s located one block off the well-known, very happening Duval Street! Just another reason for me to plan a trip there! Pick up a signed copy of Summer Sisters along with your other childhood favorites when you visit!
Books Are Magic in Brooklyn, New York
Bestselling novelist Emma Straub co-owns this bookstore with her husband, designer Michael Fusco-Straub. Much like Ann Patchett (watch Ann and Emma talk bookstore ownership and books here), their favorite bookstore closed, so they opened their own in 2017 with not one but two locations!
This bright, colorful bookshop is a must-stop if you’re in the area. Pick up Emma Straub’s latest novel, American Fantasy, while you browse the shelves. And you have to get a picture in front of the Instagram-worthy mural and storefront! Plus, check out the many author events they host!
Nowhere Bookshop in San Antonio, Texas
Jenny Lawson, the humor writer also known as The Bloggess and author of many books, including Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and her newest release, that’s getting a ton of buzz, How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay, owns this cozy bookshop! It’s a great place to browse the shelves and spend time in the gift section or at the cafe, which serves coffee, wine, and beer. Why don’t I live closer to San Antonio? I’d be here all the time!
An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Massachusetts
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid author is also the co-owner with his wife of this charming bookstore and cafe located inside a restored historic building. Jeff Kinney started his bookstore to revitalize his hometown. And from the looks of it and the many family-friendly literary events held upstairs in the “Second Story,” I’m pretty sure his hometown appreciates it!
Birchbark Books in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Loise Erdrich, who’s best known for The Night Watchman, founded her bookstore in 1999. Visit to browse through one of the most unique bookstore collections in the country and discover books you might not find elsewhere! The bookshop also specializes in Indigenous literature and Native arts.
Beastly Books in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Imagine what a bookstore would be like from the famed A Game of Thrones author. Are you picturing dragons, creatures, and a place that’s all in on the fantasy vibe? Then you won’t be disappointed when you walk in! Also, enjoy the Beastly Coffee Bar and the gift shop with themed merch!
If you’re planning a literary road trip, here are a few more author-owned bookstores to add to your list!
Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owned by Marc Lamont Hill, author of Nobody, is a community bookstore with a café.
The Lynx Books in Gainesville, Florida, owned by Lauren Groff, author of Fates and Furies and The Vaster Wilds, is a favorite gathering place with beautifully curated shelves and staff recommendations.
Book Moon in Easthampton, Massachusetts, owned by Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble and The Book of Love, is a charming indie bookstore with thoughtfully selected collections and hidden gems.
Skylark Bookshop in Columbia, Missouri, owned by Alex George, author of A Good American, is part neighborhood bookstore and part literary community hub.
📍I’d love to hear which one is at the top of your literary travel wish list! Have you been to any of these author-owned bookstores?
This summer, add whimsy to your reading habit! Follow along with the Bookish AF Summer of Reading 2026 here!
More and more independent bookstores are opening and thriving across the United States. And it’s not just here in the States, but a global movement!
Bookstores provide a place to gather and discuss the one subject that brings people together more easily than just about any other topic: books! Even if you don’t agree on whether you liked a book or not, you’re still in agreement over your enjoyment of reading. And discussions about bookish subjects tend to lead to you learning more about a person than you ever would have otherwise!
So, stop by your local indie bookshop or take a road trip! Small towns and city boroughs with bookstores often have plenty of charm … and cafes!
Spilling the tea: Plum Deluxe, a small-batch tea company in Portland, is sponsoring next week’s post! But considering this week’s theme, I couldn’t wait to share their Bookshop Blend White Tea with you!
Next week, I’ll have the roundup of new July book club picks! But while you wait…
Even though June and Pride Month are officially over, it’s always the perfect time to pick one of the many fantastic new books that celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Check out this book list from book talk with lauren!
The wonderful, lovely Laura Yamin of What to Read Next invited me onto her cozy bookish podcast, The Reading Receipt! I had such fun talking about books and what my reading habit means to me.
See the post about the interview here:
“As every reader knows, the social contract between you and a book you love is not complete until you can hand that book to someone else and say, ‘Here, you’re going to love this.’ ”
― Ann Patchett, These Precious Days: Essays
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