The Independent Bookstore Day is the most wonderful national bookish holiday. Readers across the country can celebrate at their local indies, where stores offer exclusives, giveaways, and signings. Some states even have book crawls, where readers can stop at various local shops in an area.
If you’re excited to participate at your favorite bookshop, we have a list of recommendations from booksellers on what they’d like to hand-sell this Independent Bookstore Day. Happy shopping!
S.G. Gladstone, Cafe Con Libros (Brooklyn, NY) recommends:
Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez: Last Night in Brooklyn is a new novel that will enthrall anyone with a nostalgic streak and who, in their soul, is a dreamer. Think Gatsby, but make it Puerto Rican. Also, make it a woman’s world, set in 2007. And, most of all, make it to Brooklyn. Gonzalez gives us Brooklyn pre-Barclays Center, pre-Obama, pre-recession, when Fort Greene was an artist haven. The world-building from a memory that is too quickly fading feels so real. I definitely felt the energy of the friend group and how each event contributed to the feeling of being on the precipice of a new era. I did not see the ending coming. You’ll especially be delighted by this book if you want the closest thing you can to having a friend who was actually there.
Donna Melchionno, Serendipity Bookshop (Taunton, MA) recommends:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: You know, the one with the octopus! I’ll admit, I held off on reading it at first because I thought it was just…a book about an octopus. I couldn’t have been more wrong; it’s so much more than that. This is a tender, uplifting story about grief, connection, and the unexpected ways our lives intertwine.
The main characters are Tova, a widow working through her loneliness, and Marcellus, an amazing octopus who understands more about the world than anyone expects. What makes this book truly shine is the warmth of its characters. They feel real and deeply human. Each carries their own losses and hopes. The story gently reminds us that healing often comes from the most unexpected places. All the while balancing subtle humor, charm, and genuine emotion. It’s a perfect pick if you’re drawn to stories about connection, second chances, and the idea that it’s never too late to find your way back to yourself.
Booksellers, Pocket Books (Lancaster, PA) recommend:
Strange Girls by Sarvat Hasan: Is there a better feeling than reading the summary of a book, thinking “wow, this sounds like it was made for me,” then reading it and finding that it completely delivers on all fronts? Such was my experience with Strange Girls, an electric campus novel wrapped up in a meditation on art and perspective and ambition, on the vicissitudes of time and the refuge of memory, on the terror and beauty of feeling certain one’s soul has met its mate, and on a relationship so close that no one can understand it–not even the people inside.
This novel was our March Pocket Pick (our signature subscription program featuring early-career authors). It’s been getting rave reviews from our subscribers, who are obsessed with Harvat’s stunning prose and her razor-sharp look at the ins and outs of a singular friendship between two prickly, brilliant women. (Austin, co-owner.)
On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield: This Black Southern horror novel will haunt you in all the best ways. We follow Judith, a 41-year-old woman who finally makes a devastating and bloody escape from the home she’s shared with her abusive mother for years. She makes a new life for herself in a decidedly haunted house and is just starting to catch her bearings amidst the haunts when a desperate woman shows up on her doorstep and leads her further into passionate, deadly chaos. Scholfield’s debut is an absolute banger, with a bloody, relentless plot, and sapphic monsters you can’t help but love. A must-read for any horror fans! (Jessica, co-owner.)
Love By the Book by Jessica George: I absolutely loved this poignant look at the challenges and joys of forming new friendships in adulthood. George offers us a roadmap for navigating one’s 30s by placing friendship and platonic love at the center of life rather than romantic relationships. This book will make you want to call your best friend for a three-hour catch-up. Or, rather, open your heart to the new bestie who might just be out there waiting for you!
(Julie, co-owner.)
Booksellers, All She Wrote Books (Somerville, MA) recommend:
The Spiral Key by Kelsey Day: An addictive, timely thriller that is so brilliant I fear that it has predicted the future. I had to lie on the floor and process this book once I was finished reading it. (Ava Budavari, children’s and YA bookseller.)
Patricia Wants To Cuddle by Samantha Allen: Ooooh, this was a fun one! This book begins as a satire on reality shows and media culture, and ends as a campy slasher. Expect unapologetic weirdness and surprisingly tender sapphic love letters.
(Christina Pascucci-Ciampa, owner and bookseller.)
Deema Alawa and Nadia Alaway, owners of Mavey Books (Ardmore, PA), recommend:
The Hundred Years War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi: The first book we’ll always recommend on Palestine—an intensely intimate memoir and history into Palestinian history, settler colonialism, and resistance.
Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar: Best described as ‘fairy tales with TEETH!’ Seasons of Glass and Iron is at once a loopy speculative fiction and a fresh short story collection about love, loss, resilience, and injustice. Come for the witty fairy tales, leave with an altered worldview!
On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle: It’s a loopy time loop tale, a speculative fiction with a bite, and the most intimate look into the human experience we’ve encountered this year. Meet: On the Calculation of Volume!
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans: Told through letters, The Correspondent is filled with the knowledge of a life fully lived and wholly misunderstood. This year’s breakout read, and every year hereafter’s pick of the month.
Booksellers, In Bloom Bookery (Temecula, CA) recommend:
Half City by Kate Golden: This book quite literally has everything: an urban paranormal aesthetic, dark academia vibes, a found family that’s basically the Scooby gang, an FMC that’s like Buffy, and her love interest is the reformed demon combat instructor that she’s meant to destroy…oh, and his brother is Spike… (Sam, Bookseller)
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: Marcellus is by far the most entertaining non-human narrator you’ll ever meet! (Michelle, Store Manager and Bookseller.)
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: Romantic, magical, dark and full of whimsy. It’s a circus origin story for adults! (Michelle, Store Manager and Bookseller)
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews: Maggie finds herself sucked into her favorite book, which is her world’s version of Game of Thrones</em>. She now has to navigate survival in a grimdark world while interacting with her favorite characters. All of whom are now very real. It’s has a wonderful cast of characters and plot twists galore. Also, get ready to find your next favorite book boyfriend here! (Annabelle, Bookseller)
Meredith Bryson, owner of Peach Basket Books (Durham, NC) recommend;
Pot Shot by Laura Piper Lee; I honestly don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much while reading a book. Actual laugh-out-loud guffaws. Laura Piper Lee just keeps getting better – this is my favorite of her books. Pot Shot deeply explores so many themes beyond a surface level grumpy/sunshine relationship. Both Nomi and Julian have a lot to work through, both on themselves and together. Lee weaves their personal and professional narratives deftly, while keeping up with a hot romance and hilarious small-town supporting cast. Plus, she manages to convey a ton of info about medical marijuana and chronic illness. I think she’s a wizard. Five stars, no notes.
Christine Bollow, co-owner of Loyalty Bookstore (Washington, DC) recommends:
Moderation by Elaine Castillo: Moderation is literary speculative fiction in the vein of Kazuo Ishiguro, but with Elaine Castillo’s sharp prose, acerbic wit, and provocative commentary. Girlie (not her real name) is a badass bisexual, emotionally unavailable Filipina living in Vegas who happens to be the best content moderator out there. Moderation brilliantly explores capitalism and colonialism, the ethics of virtual reality, class, race, romance, and human connection, all while being super readable and wildly entertaining — a favorite of the year! This is also one of the best audiobooks narrated by the author that I’ve ever listened to!
What will you be reading to celebrate?
Brianna Robinson is a book publicist and Sarah Lawrence College alum. She lives in New York with too many books and two enthusiastic dachshunds. You can find her on twitter @blrobins2.
