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

Our December Literary Road Trip Box takes us to Oregon, where we’ve partnered with Spoke & Word Books. Located in Milwaukie, just over six miles from Portland, Spoke & Word Books opened its brick-and-mortar location in 2023. Before settling into its current spot, the store began as a pop-up. The name "Spoke & Word" is a blend of two passions: store owner Cierra Cook’s love of books and their husband’s enthusiasm for mountain biking. Cierra’s husband owns a mountain bike rep

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

Poe & Company is a fabulous indie bookstore located in Milton, Georgia and our indie bookstore partner for our August 2025 Literary Road...

In August of 2023, I mailed my first Literary Road Trip Box. The state was New Jersey, the featured book was Florence Adler Swims Forever...

Our July indie bookstore parter is The Booktenders . Located in York, Maine, The Booktenders opened in spring of 2022. The owners are a...

Let’s head to the state that supplies over 90% of our country’s blueberries and lobsters. This state is nicknamed the “Pine Tree State”...

Our June indie bookstore partner is Paper Hearts Bookstore. Located in Little Rock, Arkansas, Paper Hearts Bookstore has a sweet...

Our June box takes us to the "Natural State,"nick- named for its beautiful mountains, hot springs, and rivers. This is the only place in...

Our May 2025 box is themed to the state of Tennessee and we collaborated with Landmark Booksellers . Located in Franklin, Landmark...

Our May Literary Road Trip box takes us to the place where Nikki Giovanni, Dolly Parton, and Aretha Franklin were born. Cotton candy and...

Last Saturday, I spent the day at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books with Julie, one of my childhood friends. We have not seen each...

One of my favorite holidays is coming soon: Independent Bookstore Day! Independent Bookstore Day falls on the last Saturday in April....

Our April 2025 indie bookstore partner is Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe located in Asheville, North Carolina. Malaprop's, founded by...

Our April 2025 Literary Road Trip box takes us to the state that's "First in Flight" and the home of the invention of Pepsi. Famous...

Our indie bookstore partner for March is Moon Palace Books located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Owners Angela and Jamie Schwesnedl opened...

Our March 2025 Literary Road Trip Box takes us to the "Land of 10,000 Lakes"and place where, not surprising, the sport of waterskiing was...

Our February indie bookstore partner is Northshire Bookstore. The original Northshire Bookstore location opened in 1976 in Manchester...

I bring you a long overdue blog post about our January indie bookstore partner, Shakespeare & CO. I apologize for this massive time gap...

As many of you already know, my husband accepted a fantastic job offer and we are headed back to my home state of California. We will...