Our February 2026 Literary Road Trip box takes us to the home of bourbon, bluegrass, and horse racing—also the location of our indie bookstore partner, A Likely Story. Located in Midway, Kentucky, A Likely Story is owned by a mother–daughter team, Ashlee and Anagail (Annie) Denington. The idea for the store came after Annie developed a neurological disorder, which shifted the path she’d imagined for her future. Annie has a deep love of books and is a disability advocate, whi

It’s February, and this month I’m taking us to a state known for bourbon and horses. It’s the birthplace of bluegrass music, Reynolds Wrap, and Post-it Notes. George Clooney and Johnny Depp were born here, along with literary greats Bell Hooks and Marsha Norman. We’re heading to the fifteenth state—Kentucky. For our featured read, I chose Ann Patchett’s debut novel, The Patron Saint of Liars . This story follows Rose, a pregnant woman who leaves her husband and starts over at

Located in Brookings, South Dakota, The Nook is our January 2026 Literary Road Trip indie bookstore partner. From the moment you step inside, The Nook feels like more than a bookstore—it’s a warm, welcoming space designed for readers to linger, connect, and feel at home. Owner Laci Thompson opened The Nook in February 2023 with a vision of creating a community hub where stories and people come together. At the end of 2024, the store was forced to temporarily close due to dam

There’s no better way to start a new year than with a good book and a little sense of adventure—and our January box delivered both. This month, we packed our bags (and boxes!) and headed to the 40th state in the Union: South Dakota. South Dakota is full of fascinating surprises. It’s where Sue, the most complete T-Rex fossil ever discovered, was found. It’s home to the wonderfully quirky Corn Palace, and it played a role in innovations like the Cyclotron particle accelerator

Our December state has the only state flag that’s double-sided. Fun fact number two: 99% of the hazelnuts grown in the United States come from this state. Authors Beverly Cleary and Raymond Carver were born here. It’s home to the deepest lake in the country, and—perhaps most importantly—tater tots were invented here. You’ll also find the world’s largest independent bookstore within its borders. For December, we’re exploring “The Beaver State” — Oregon! Our December book pick

My plan was for the November box to be mailed at the end of October, perhaps the first day or two of November at the latest. I like the Literary road trip boxes to arrive to subscribers within the first week of the month. Of course, sometimes things do not go according to plan. I had a delay major delay with the books at the publishers and I could not mail the boxes until November 8th. Thank you to everyone for your patience. Luckily (knock-on-wood) delays don't happen very o

When I worked as a bookseller at Tattered Cover one of my favorite parts of my job was helping customers select books for gift. I enjoyed learning about the recipient and helping them find the perfect book for their loved ones. One step more, I loved wrapping the books in our beautiful store wrapping paper, completing the purchase with the confidence that they not only had a thoughtful present, but one that was wrapped and ready to give. When thinking about ideas for this upc