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A good local bookstore does a hell of a lot more than just purveying literature. They are a place for people to connect, engage in conversation and debate, and act as a hub for the community. While we at Lit Mob are national in our scope, we want to call out those local shops that we think matter. Have a suggestion? Please let us know and we’ll take a look.
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Brooklyn, NY
145 Plymouth Street is home to the Melville House Bookstore, replete with revolving bookshelves behind which nestles the Melville House Publishing office and staff-who will often emerge at the beep of the door to offer greetings and tales of how things began, and how moving to Brooklyn in January 2008 meant joining such other local indie greats as Akashic, PowerHouse, Verso, Archipelago, Ugly Duckling, Hanging Loose, Umbrage… The Melville House Bookstore now acts as event venue of choice for all these indie presses and more, and prides itself on stocking only-and we mean ONLY- books from independent presses. The store’s open Tuesday to Saturday from 12 to 6pm but keep an eye out for news of our regular (and free) evening events which kick off at 7pm. Check out our shiny new website: www.mhpbooks.com
Top Picks:
1. The Lemoine Affair | by Marcel Proust
2. From A to X | by John Berger
3. Brooklyn Noir | edited by Tim McLoughlin
4. I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have To Be Destroyed By Me | by Trevor Paglen
5. Stuffed and Starved | by Raj Patel
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Minneapolis, MN
Magers & Quinn Booksellers is the largest independent bookstore in Minneapolis/St Paul, serving local readers for the past fourteen years. We’ve been voted “Best Bookstore” by the local free weekly for the last three years. We have brand-new bestsellers and rare books dating back to 1687. There’s a cart of dollar books for bargain shoppers and first editions and other collectibles for deeper pockets. M&Q hosts author readings every week and “Books & Bars”–the largest book club in the Twin Cities–every month. Visit www.magersandquinn.com for all the details.
Top Picks:
1. The Dud Avocado | by Elaine Dundy
2. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day | by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois
3. Wall and Piece | by Banksy
4. Julia Gillian: And the Art of Knowing | by Alison McGhee
5. Out Stealing Horses | by Per Petterson
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New York, NY
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe has established itself as a New York downtown institution and tourist destination for the last decade. Special events and a fully stocked cafe make this a great place to meet friends, relax and shop the best book, movie and music selection in New York City. Our one of a kind space is available for rental and all of our merchandise is donated. We are staffed almost entirely by volunteers and 100% of our profits go to Housing Works, Inc, which provides lifesaving support to homeless New Yorker’s living with AIDS/HIV. www.housingworks.org
Top Picks:
1. When You are Engulfed in Flames | by David Sedaris
2. The Wordy Shipmates | by Sarah Vowell
3. Well | by Matthew McIntosh
4. Biography of Jeffrey Canada | by Paul Tough
5. The Bishops Daughter | by Honor Moore
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Los Angeles, CA
Skylight Books is a fiercely independent beacon of arts, creativity, and community on the Eastside of Los Angeles serving Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silverlake, Echo Park, and Downtown. Known for their unique selection and knowledgeable staff, they host many literary, artistic, political, and regionally relevant events. Recently expanded with 1400 additional square feet, Skylight Books is proud to be part of the tradition of neighborhood booksellers. www.skylightbooks.com
Top Picks:
1. Ask The Dust | by John Fante
2. The Shock Doctrine | by Naomi Klein
3. Well | by Matthew McIntosh
4. Fragments of an Anarchists Anthropology | by David Graeber
5. Gravity’s Rainbow | by Thomas Pynchon
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New York, NY
McNally Jackson Books, (est. December 2004), is a big, beautiful independent bookstore in New York’s Nolita, where Soho, Noho, the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and Little Italy meet (it’s also a stone’s throw from Tribeca, the East Village, West Village, and Wall Street…. Not to mention a quick subway ride from Brooklyn, a bike ride from Harlem, and a PATH fare from the great state of New Jersey). In other words, we’re right in the middle of the criss-crossing currents of New York’s eclectic cultural life and we’re determined to capture that invigorating swirl in our mix of books, media, and events. www.mcnallyjackson.com
Top Picks:
1. No Wave | by Thurston Moore & Byron Cooley
2. The New Blue Media | by Theodore Hamm
3. Marrying Mozart | by Stephanie Cowell
4. Housekeeping | by Marilynne Robinson
5. From A to X | by John Berger
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San Francisco, CA
A Literary Meeting Place since 1953, City Lights is a landmark independent bookstore and publisher that specializes in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics. Founded by poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti in 1955, City Lights publishes cutting-edge fiction, poetry, memoirs, literary translations and books on vital social and political issues. We are located at 261 Columbus Avenue in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco and online at www.citylights.com
Top Picks:
1. 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border | by Juan Felipe Herrera
2. The Gangster We’re All Looking For | by Le Thi Diem Thuy
3. State of Exile | by Cristina Peri Rossi
4. One Drop: My Father’s Hidden Life | by Bliss Broyard
5. On the Lower Frequencies of the City | by Eric Lyle
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Portland, OR
Established in 1980, independently owned Twenty-Third Avenue Books is located in the Nob Hill district of Northwest Portland. Noted for our unique inventory of new fiction, selected classics and mysteries, and plenty else to pique your interests. Whether its history, politics, biographies, memoirs, cooking, gardening, travel, science or human potential/psychology, we stock books for almost any taste. And if we don’t stock the title you want, our friendly and knowledgeable staff will be more than happy to special order it for you. We also conduct out-of-print searches, so don’t hesitate to ask us to track down that first edition you’ve always desired. Over the years we’ve hosted numerous best selling authors, literary comets and up-and-coming writers such as James Ellroy, Frank McCourt, Sherman Alexie, Sue Grafton, David Sedaris, Charles Frazier, Chuck Palahniuk, Ralph Nader, Jim Harrison, Nevada Barr, Jonathan Lethem, Ursula K. Le Guin, Tom Spanbauer, Paul Theroux, Robert Crais, and Patrick McCabe among others. www.23rdavebooks.com
Top Picks:
1. Tiki Joe Mysteries | by Mark Murphy
2. Paris Trout | by Pete Dexter
3. Ballad of the Whiskey Robber | by Julian Rubenstein
4. Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World | by Joan Druett
5. I Am Legend | by Richard Matheson
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Hollywood, CA
Book Soup has been serving Hollywood with the best in literature, art, music, film, humor and controversial non-fiction since 1975. We have a lot of events so visit our website: www.booksoup.com and then stop by
the store.
Top Picks:
1. The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll | by Alvaro Mutis
2. Your Face Tomorrow | by Javier Marias
3. Get Your War On | David Rees
4. The Savage Detectives | by Roberto Bolano
5. The Motel Life| by Willy Vlautin
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Portland, OR
An independent bookseller since 1971, Powell’s serves the Portland, Oregon, area with four general bookstores and two specialty stores. Its flagship store takes up an entire city block, offering 68,000 square feet of used, new, rare, and out-of-print books. Powells.com offers the combined inventory of its six retail locations and five warehouses, approximately four million books in all. The site features exclusive author interviews and essays, as well as a stable of internationally respected book reviewers and content partners. www.powells.com
Top Picks:
1. How the Dead Dream| by Lydia Millet
2. Mudbound | by Hilary Jordan
3. The Oitlander | by F. Gil Adamson
4. The Stroy of Edgar Sawtelle | by David Wroblewski
5. Clown Girl | by Monica Drake
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New York, NY
The 81-year old Strand Book Store is New York City’s landmark home to 18 miles of new, used and rare books, including a tremendous selection of art and architecture titles, all at discount prices. The Strand has over 2.5 million books at two locations, 828 Broadway @ 12th Street and Strand’s Central Park Kiosks on 5th Avenue at 60th Street, and online: www.strandbooks.com
Top Picks:
1. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao | by Junot Diaz
2. Catcher in the Rye | by J.D. Salinger
3. Great Gatsby | by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. Hot, Flat and Crowded | by Thomas L. Friedman
5. Man in the Dark | by Paul Auster
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San Francisco, CA
Babylon Falling is a concept-driven independent bookstore, located in Lower Nob Hill San Francisco, with a focus on the spirit of Revolution. In addition to new books we also carry similarly themed collectible toys, posters, artwork, DVDs, and our own in-house t-shirt line featuring designs submitted by artists who have exhibited at the store. We also host regular events that have included performance art, book signings, and art exhibitions. As the good doctor was fond of saying, “Res ipsa loquitor” - The thing speaks for itself. www.babylonfalling.com
Top Picks:
1. Watchmen - Alan Moore
2. Blackwater | by Jeremy Scahill
3. Magnum: Fifty Years at the Front Line of History | by Russell Miller
4. Break Their Haughty Power | by Eugene Nelson
5. The Proud Highway | by Hunter S. Thompson
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Boulder, CO
Boulder Book Store is Boulder’s largest independent bookstore, with more than 100,000 titles spread over three floors. It has been named Best of Boulder by local papers every year since 1987. As a founding member of the Boulder Independent Business Alliance (one of the first of its kind in the country) David Bolduc, founder and owner of Boulder Book Store since 1973, has been at the forefront of the “shop local” movement for a decade. www.boulderbookstore.com
Top Picks:
1. Gossip of the Starlings | by Nina de Gramont (a former BBS employee)
2. Modoc | by Ralph Helfer
3. The Long Emergency | by James Howard Kunstler
4. Savvy | by Ingrid Law
5. Merlin’s Dragon | by T.A. Barron
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Chicago, IL
We specialize in independently published and small press zines, comix, books
and various weirdnesses. www.quimbys.com
Top Picks:
1. Born Standing Up | by Steve Martin
2. Watchmen TPB | by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
3. How I Learned to Love Myself and Occasionally Other Men #1
4. Cometbus #51: Loneliness of the Electra Menorah | by Aaron Cometbus
5. Venus #37 Fall 08
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Washington, DC
Busboys and Poets Bookstores, operated by the non-profit organization Teaching for Change, are Washington, DC area’s best source for books and films that encourage children and adults to question, challenge and re-think the world beyond the headlines. The bookstores are located in the Busboys and Poets restaurant, performance space, and coffeehouse, which features a dynamic events schedule. www.busboysandpoets.com
Top Picks:
1. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
2. The Peace Book | by Todd Parr
3. Moving Beyond Icebreakers
4. Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes | edited by David Roessel and Arnold Rampersad
5. Lies My Teacher Told Me
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