Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Indie Freebie with the prompt: This topic encompasses a lot: your favorite indie bookstores, indie books, indie authors, indie publishers/presses, indie books on your to-read list, indie authors I read before they became traditionally published, etc.
My list today includes some favorite indie bookstores, plus a few ways to support indie booksellers.
First, my local faves:
1. The Love Potion Library: A new romance bookstore!
2. Borderland Books: Mainly sci-fi and fantasy, but also horror, mystery, and all sorts of cool and eclectic items for sale.
3. Green Apple Books: A San Francisco destination for new and used books (now with two locations).
4. Peninsula Books: A non-profit bookstore selling used books and hosting a variety of bookish events, supporting Peninsula Book Collective.
Next, a few other ways to shop and show support for indie bookstores and authors:
5. Poisoned Pen Bookstore (Arizona): For non-locals like me, a great source for virtual events and for ordering signed books copies, especially for Outlander books (but also plenty of others)
6. Bookshop.org: An online alternative to you-know-what, with purchases supporting the bookstore of your choice.
7. Libro.fm: Up to now, a great resource for audiobooks, but about to expand into ebooks as well. And like the previous item on my list, you can designate a bookstore to support via your purchases.
8. Independent Bookstore Day, sponsored by the American Booksellers Association: The last Saturday in April each year, this is a terrific event offering all sorts of opportunities to get out and enjoy indie bookstores across the country.
9. Check your favorite authors’ websites for preferred sellers! Many authors I follow have a designated local bookseller where we can order signed books (and sometimes fun extras too! It’s a nice way to support an indie bookseller while also getting access to a bookish treat for ourselves.
10. Gumroad: A place for creators to sell directly to consumers (rather than through the big A). I only know about this thanks to author Gail Carriger, who has several of her books and audiobooks available here.
What indie bookstore or resources do you recommend?
If you posted a TTT list this week, please share your link!
I wish I had an indie bookstore closer to me!
I do need to make more an effort to shop at the ones near me — all require a little bit of an effort, and it can be so much easier to just order online. But, any time I go into one of the local bookstores, I always leave feeling happy!
I love walking into a bookstore, inhaling deeply, and thinking “I’m with my people”!
Indie bookshops are the best.
They really are! I hope bookstore owners know how much we all appreciate them!
I love the name “The Love Potion Library”! Makes me want to get cosy and never leave the store 😂 Great list!
It’s such a cozy spot! I went with my daughter last month, and we had such a great time there!
E.Shaver in Savannah is my favorite to date. I would live there if I could.
Oh, nice! There’s nothing like the joy of discovering a great bookshop!
Thanks for introducing me to your favorite indie bookstores.
Here’s my TTT for the week: https://readbakecreate.com/eight-thoughts-on-the-hardcover-app/
Thanks for sharing your link!
I haven’t heard of these bookstores, but I’m in another country 🙂
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2026/09/08/top-ten-tuesday-tbr-roulette-round-3/
One of my favorite things to do while traveling is finding all the local bookshops!
I don’t read physical books, so I can’t tell you if we have local indie bookstores and where they are located.
Thanks for reminding me about libro.fm – I used to use it all the time but it has been so long! 🙂
It’s actually been a little while for me too, and I think I still have one or two audiobooks from them to listen to!
I actually highlighted Poisoned Pen Press in my list today. I’m local to the Pen (it’s about 20 miles away), but I’ve actually only been there once and that was a long time ago. I need to visit!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I’ve only been there once in person (for a Diana Gabaldon event), but I’ve ordered from them over the years, and would love to get back for another visit too!
I live in a bookstore wasteland, unfortunately! But I’ve been to so many wonderful indies over the years. I have purchased lots of books online from one of my favorites, Parnassus Books in Nashville (owned by Ann Patchett) 😁
I think I may have ordered from Parnassus at some point too! I love learning about bookstores owned by authors!
After a few years without a bookstore within 100km of me an indie just opened up a few months ago one town over..
Thanks for sharing your #TTT
That’s awesome that you finally have a bookstore near you!
Love this take!! I have so many near me and we are about to have our city book crawl next month. I try to hit up as many as I can, but there are a lot!
A city book crawl sounds great! I did one of those here many years ago and had so much fun — I really should try to participate next time!
Thanks for sharing ways to help support indie bookstores! I can’t wait for the next Independent Bookstore Day :D!!
Me too! I think I was traveling at that time last year, but this coming year I’ll try to make it to a few events!
Ooo Gumroad is new to me! Thanks for sharing 😁
It’s so cool that authors can find a way to make their indie works available to readers!
I love a good mooch round a bookshop. It’s the only type of shopping I actually enjoy and in fact I think I could spend a whole day in a bookshop no problem at all. Lovely to see all these beautiful places highlighted.
Lynn 😀
Oh, I agree — whenever I go to a new town, I make a beeline for the bookstore! Best type of shopping there is!
I really need to look into what independent bookstores are avaliable around me. Especially if there are any themed ones as some of the ones Ive seen online sound so fun, but the majority of those have been in the US rather than UK so out of range for me 😪 there is a romantasy one over here that I need to get to one day though.
Love the name The Love Potion Library 😍 that would definitely draw me in. And I’ve never heard of Gumroad before.
Romance and romantasy bookstores seem to be opening in a bunch of places! There’s one I hope to visit in the New York area on my next visit. I hope you find some good independent bookshops near you!
I’m not surprised they’re becoming a thing between the popularity of the genre and desire for special editions. I hope you get to visit that one soon 🥰 and thanks.
I just learned about Gumroad because several illustrators sell their art through it.
That’s very cool! I haven’t looked further beyond Gail Carriger’s items, but it sounds like there really are some great options there.