Welcome to Litsy!

Saved my favorite for last! Black Garnet Books in St Paul is a Black- woman-owned store, stocking books only by authors of color. They promote anti-racism and the uplift of marginalized peoples. I can't say enough about the welcoming atmosphere, the decor, and the 2 fantastic booksellers I met who were quick to talk with me and make recommendations. The shelves were filled with titles/authors that were brand new to me ❤️ #supportindiebookstores

One of my favorites was bookstore number 4, Big Hill Books, in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Minneapolis. It's only a year and a half old, but it is stocked with an abundant and wide-ranging selection of books and merchandise. It's light and airy while still being cozy. Extra points for lots of seating options while you peruse the books! #supportindiebookstores

Bookstore number 3 was Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis. This one was packed with books and people! #supportindiebookstores

Home now from our road trip and ready to post the rest of the fantastic bookstores from our adventure! Bookstore number 2 was the combined Uncle Edgar's Mystery Bookstore and Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore in Minneapolis. It's a labyrinthine path through rows and rows of packed bookshelves, containing some new, but mostly used, books of both genres. It would be easy to spend hours investigating these stacks! #supportindiebookstores

Last year, for my birthday, I got my 4th round of chemo 😔. Needless to say, my birthday was a bust. This year, to make up for it, my husband took me on a bookstore tour in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area. We hit 5 bookstores, including this gem: Story Line Books, housed in St. Paul's Union Depot. With a subtle train theme, the charm of the historic train station, and a wonderfully curated selection, this was a great stop! #supportindiebookstores

We visited a marvelous bookstore today while on vacation in Savannah, Georgia! It was room after room of books and great bookish merchandise and a beautiful location in the historic district on the corner of Madison Square 😍. There were fun murals, two bookstore cats, and a wonderful selection of beautiful classics! Highly recommend if you are ever in Savannah! #supportindiebookstores

St. Louis bookstore #3 was Left Bank Books, and it was a great one! Again, it had a fantastic selection, great staff recommendation cards, fun bookish merchandise, and this one has lots of seating throughout! It was an inviting, stay-as-long-as-you-want atmosphere. The booksellers were super accommodating, too! It's in a cool, historic building, and the store has a long history of community involvement and civic action. #supportindiebookstores

St. Louis bookstore #2 was Subterranean Books in University City. It was in a fun neighborhood filled with restaurants, bars, and shops. It had a good selection and nice displays as well as lots of staff recommendation cards. This one ranks 3rd, though, in our adventures, marked down for no customer seating, least friendly staff of the day, and no customer restroom 😔. Still, I got some great books! #supportindiebookstores

St. Louise bookstore #1! Our first stop was at The Novel Neighbor. It's such a fantastic store! A huge selection of books and tons of bookish-related merchandise - journals, mugs, candles, totes, cards, etc. They also had fun displays and great staff recommendation cards! My only suggestion would be to add seating - only one comfy chair in the back to sit and peruse potential purchases. Overall, we loved it! #supportindiebookstores

Got to check out a brand new indie bookstore in West Des Moines this weekend! It includes a fantastic coffee bar! I bought myself a few birthday presents too 😊 #supportindiebookstores