Welcome to Litsy!

Confession: This was on my to-do list for 3 years. Now I‘m so excited to see it GROW as Littens add to this list of our fave bookstores around the world. If you‘re traveling, you can use the list to see if there‘s a cool bookstore you‘d like to visit!🗺️🤓

Please add YOUR faves! Thanks to all who contributed 3 years ago… happy exploring!

SHOUTOUT to my sister who opened a new bookstore THIS YEAR!! Bookish Notions- Media, PA!! 🥳 @LiteraryinPA

Meh, this one is mostly my fault, but it did help me figure out the kind of bookstore book I would be more interested in reading in the future.
Understandably, the early chapters of the book, talking about the early history of American bookstores are also tied in with early American history, and maybe it's that next-door-neighbour Canadian thing, but I've kind of had my fill of American history. 1/?

Shoutout to my local indie: RJ Julia in Madison, CT!
And The Book Barn in Niantic.
And Bank Square Books in Mystic.
And Northshire Books in Manchester, VT.
And The Strand in NYC. …

Ah, Hell, who am I kidding? Gimme ALL the bookstores… 😍 this is why I shop at Bookshop.org. So I can spread the love…

#serenesaturdays

Yummy! 😋

How have I never seen this word before?!

Have you all seen this? Apparently, it looks like Bezos‘ wedding invite. Thought Littens would be interested—free shipping!

Well this is unfortunate. Looks like pgs.197-198 got caught in a machine at some point.

Picked up my order at River City Books in Soldotna, Alaska. Got “trapped” inside the bookstore by a mama moose and her twins munching on the plants right outside the door. (Is it really “trapped” when it‘s a bookstore? 🤣). I hope to start it tonight.

I felt like this was a solid, well put together about the history and evolution of American bookshops. Did you know Benjamin Franklin had a bookshop? Did you know there was once a fascist bookshop in LA, that sold and promoted propaganda? This book is full of interesting facts. It shows how the ways in which we get books have changed over time—from street books, to indie stores, to big corporations, to billionaires like Amazon‘s Bezos. ⬇️

I listened to this around the time of Independent Bookstore Day, & it got me in the mood for visiting the indies in my state. BTW, 5 of the indies in my general area did a bookstore crawl, such a good idea!
Really liked this book, enjoyed the history of bookshops, learned a lot (had no idea about the Nazi bookstores), & would love to visit some of the ones featured. Highly recommend

A pretty fantastic #bookhaul for #independentbookstoreday! I needed to buy enough to get a free tote. 🤷‍♀️

It‘s not terrible. 🤷 It‘s not so much a history as it is a highlight of bookshops the author found interesting. Not a problem, but some of them were not to me. I also do not like the way certain historic events were worded. Eg. In the chapter about “radical” bookstores, he states that Eugene Debs (an American socialist) went to prison. No context. It makes me wonder about other facts he tossed around.

Back to work today. I almost left without a book and had to just grab one as I was heading out the door. :D Guess I‘ll be reading this next. I cannot read ebooks or audiobooks when students are in the room and I like to set an example of reading for them since many tell me they never read. :( #education

🥺😡

"Three Lives and Company is a 650 square ft bookshop on a corner in New York City's West Village."
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

My #direction pointed me to the library today to pick up this hold. #Coverstories

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

I just started this tonight. So far, it's part history and part unabashed love letter to bookshops. Quite charming, and how could I resist that cover?

A nonfiction account of the history of American bookstores. I loved that we start with Benjamin Franklin & continue until Barnes & Noble and Amazon change the landscape of bookshops. Along the way we learn about gay rights and black-owned shops that acted more like community hubs than a traditional store. I loved traveling to each new space and hearing their stories. If this doesn‘t want to make you support independents, I don‘t know what will.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a slow, but truly fascinating, read. I dipped in / out for a few weeks, adsorbing this delve into American book store history. Readers should want to know this! I know my appreciation has grown. A huge “Thank You” to those who, no matter the capacity or circumstance, put books into our hands and brains.

PS. I especially loved the chapter on my local indie, the incredible Parnassus.

#TheBookshop #EvanFriss #BookSpinBingo #SeriesLove2024

An affectionate and engaging history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life, from department stores to indies, from highbrow dealers trading in first editions to sidewalk vendors, and from chains to special-interest community destinations. This was an interesting book about the history of bookstores.

6 NONFICTION books completed in November—setting up a few interesting matches. The tagged book was my pick. And my enjoyment of it pushed it ahead of its competitor from September. However, I‘m still thinking about the wild card memoir—so I gave it the nod to move on. But in the end, my love of a well-written narrative nonfiction propels “Challenger” into the finals. What a fun year this has shaped up to be!

#2024ReadingBrackets

I really enjoyed this breezy history of bookstores in the U.S., from colonial days to the present (shoutout to my local indie, RJ Julia Booksellers, which garnered a mention!). It took me a month because I didn‘t read it straight through — I dipped into it a chapter or a section at a time. Definitely recommend for anyone who loves books about bookstores —and nonfiction.

I have been so grateful for this community this past week. I spent more time here than I have in a long time and now I remember why I love it so much. This election cycle and the toxic waste from all other social media platforms almost did me in. But this community has people who are the complete opposite of toxic. Thank you. 💙

This is my Sunday ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Thank you @DGRachel - you‘re the best. I‘ve only read the first 20 pages and I know this will be on my best of the year pile. It‘s sooooo good 👍🏼

Sigh. A perfect five star narrative history.

#AboutABook. #SetinBookstore

I am very interested in this nonfiction book about US bookstores.

@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Someone was bad at B&N ! Well not too bad , McMurtry book on sale , having a magazine sale , who does that? $5 bucks off reward & paid for part with a gift card … still trying to downsize though 🙄I don‘t wear glamorous clothes but always enjoy the September brick of a Vogue !

What a wonderful book! Friss wisely looks at specific bookshops in depth to paint a picture of the history of bookstores in the US. I was riveted the whole time and definitely learned some things I didn‘t know. And I‘ve discovered that I want to be Frances Steloff. She was amazing!

This history of the US bookstore begins with Benjamin Franklin, bookseller, spans the Strand and specialty stores like Oscar Wilde and Drum and Spear, the big box Barnes & Noble, and Amazon‘s brief brick and mortar stint, coming home to roost at Ann Patchett‘s Parnassus. What I most enjoyed were the characters—“the tsarina,” a trendsetting book buyer for a Chicago department store or the iconic, avant-garde Frances Steloff behind Gotham Book Mart.

I love a book that teaches me something and I don‘t want to put it down. That was this one, 100%. Reading the first page of the Table of Contents alone gave me a thrill (How does my beloved Marshall Field‘s & Co. relate to books??) and that sensation never dissipated. Keep your phone or tablet nearby while reading, I fell down so many rabbit holes you might as well call me Alice 🐇🫖☕️ Don‘t sleep on this one, publishing August 6, 2024!

A delightful history of a deeply romanticized industry with the space to both revel and bemoan. Friss begins his bookseller's tale with Ben Franklin and ends with Ann Patchett running the gamut between. If publishing is dominated by white men, bookselling is the realm of white women and Friss addresses the complications within that while historicizing the mission driven shops created to serve queer communities and people of color.