Happy Bookstore Romance Day, book lovers and bookish bats! Bae and I are currently driving to one of MANY bookstores today, eager to give them our love and support by shopping at their indie bookstores! Here are a few of my favorite indie bookstores in the ATL area. Make sure to give them your love and support by shopping indie!
All the Tropes - I fell in love with All the Tropes the moment I walked in. The decor is perfect (I'm obsessed with the floral wallpaper and wall of framed book boyfriends behind the counter), the team is awesome (hi Madi!, hi Emma!) and always has the perfect rec, and I've always had SO much fun attending their events.
Kiss and Tale - This one holds a special place in my heart, as the partner and friend of book lovers in the film industry. It's one of my favorite bookstores to linger at, because it feels like I can always find something new. The front of table is brimming with new releases, the floral center table is always GORGEOUS, and I can always find cool prizes for my Batty About Book Club babes there.
Little Shop of Stories - I wish someone would just drop me off and leave me at Little Shop of Stories DAILY. I'm obsessed with their handmade mugs (can you tell? I need a red, purple, and blue one), the posters on the walls, and their monthly displays (the first bookstore I've seen to create Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian book displays). LOVE.
The Book Bird - While the newest bookstore on this list, I think I've spent the most time at The Book Bird by far this year. I love the attached coffeehouse (Reading Grounds!), the books and cranes hanging from the walls, and how it suits both adults and young readers. Despite being new, they instantly found their footing in the community.
Sincerely Yours Bookstore - Though a little out of the way for me, I stepped in and fell in love with Sincerely Yours instantly (any store with Brittany Keller art has my instant approval. The decor is cute and cozy, the displays are gorgeous, and the team loves DDC as much as my bookish bats do.
Eagle Eye Bookshop - This is bae's favorite bookstore on my list. They have such a wide range of options that it's the perfect stop on a bookstore crawl, regardless of who I'm with. I LOVE how supportive they are of ATL authors, and the team is SO sweet.
The Lavender Bookshop - Obviously (ha, pun not intended), the Peaches Obviously art caught my eye immediately. The Lavender Bookshop has the widest range of queer books in stock, for which I'm grateful. It's becoming a new fave (and the lavender walls are SO soothing).
What's your favorite indie bookstore? Give them a shout to show your support during Bookstore Romance Day!
5 Thoughts I'm Deleting From My Mind as a Book Lover With Anxiety
Good morning, book lovers and bookish bats. You may not know this about me, but I have PCOS, a chronic condition that comes with lovely symptoms like depression and anxiety. Reading helps alleviate those symptoms, but in some ways, Bookstagram makes them worse. The longer I've been on Bookstagram, the more I've noticed that many of my fellow book lovers struggle with anxiety as well. Here are some thoughts I think we may share -- and how I've decided to reframe this negative thinking into something beautiful instead.
Do we share any of these anxieties? How do you reframe negative thinking when Bookstagram brings you down?
how many books I read > the quality of books I read
DNF as needed. enjoy your reading journey without worrying about how many books you’ve read in a month or year.
my follower count = my success on Bookstagram
I’d rather have a strong, small community of genuine friends who share my love of books over millions of followers who can’t even bother to learn my name (fun fact: I HATE being called Jaz. especially with two z's [there's only one in my name!])
I need to fill my shelves
the number of books I own + size of my library does not equate to my worth as a book lover and Bookstagrammer
each Bookstagram post that fails, especially book reviews, means I’ve failed as a Bookstagrammer
despite what your analytics may tell you, book reviews are an essential part of Bookstagram. they showcase your reading tastes + preferences. they boost books and authors (especially important for BIPOC, queer, and marginalized voices). if a post reaches even one person, it’s a success.
I’m not pretty enough to be an influencer + shouldn’t show my face on Bookstagram
the only thing I want to influence you to do is be yourself. find your community of book lovers. fall in love with reading. I’m here to make friends + share my love of books. how I look doesn’t matter.
yousharknotpass
gummygunk
