Indie Bookstore Day: Where to go, what to read
Saturday marks the third annual Independent Bookstore Day, a nationwide celebration of your favorite local shop. Brick-and-mortar bookstores have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, despite the rise of online shopping. Across Minnesota, many shops are hosting celebrations including author readings, children's activities and sales.
In the Twin Cities, the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association helped organize a Book Passport: Devoted bookworms who visit all ten participating bookstores and get their Book Passports stamped will receive $100 worth of gift cards. The full details are available from MIBA.
The art on the Book Passport was done by Minneapolis illustrator Kevin Cannon. Last October, Cannon gave himself a goal: Draw a picture of a Minnesota bookstore every day for 31 days. As he shared his illustrations online, people bombarded him with requests to draw their local bookstore — and he quickly discovered there were far more than 31 bookstores across the state.
Because one of the best things about bookstores is staff recommendations, we asked stores around the state to share three books they're excited about at the moment. Their suggestions are below, with details on the stores' Indie Bookstore Day celebrations.
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Addendum Books | St. Paul
• Picture book: "Worm Loves Worm" by J.J. Austrian
• Middle grade: "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
• Young adult: "Everything Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Addendum will have a 20 percent discount on everything for Indie Bookstore Day.
Birchbark Books & Native Arts | Minneapolis
• Nonfiction: "The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914" by Christopher Clark
• Fiction: "The Door" by Magda Szabo
• Children's: "Dinosaurs" by by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart ("The most astonishing, beautiful and informative pop-up book ever!" — Prudence, at Birchbark)
On Saturday, store-goers can meet owner and author Louise Erdrich. Former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak will be signing copies of his memoir, and children can participate in a bookmaking workshop. A full schedule of events at Birchbark is available online.
Birchbark is one of the 10 bookstores participating in the Book Passport program.
Book House | Minneapolis
• Nonfiction: "Low Life" by Luc Sante
• Nonfiction: "To the Finland Station" by Edmund Wilson
• Fiction: "The Trial" by Franz Kafka
Common Good Books| St. Paul
• Nonfiction: "Under the Big Black Sun" by John Doe
• Poetry: "Map" by Wislawa Szymborska
• Fiction: "Mothering Sunday: A Romance" by Graham Smith
Kate DiCamillo, author of "Because of Winn-Dixie" and "Raymie Nightingale," will be reading at the store. The contributors to "A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota," will also lead a conversation. A full schedule of events is available online.
Common Good is participating in the Book Passport program.
Daybreak Global Bookshop | Minneapolis
• Nonfiction: "I am Malala" by Malala Yousafzai
• Nonfiction: "Eyes Wide Open" by Mariana Caplan
• Nonfiction: "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Daybreak will have a raffle all day and live Irish music at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Daybreak is one of the 10 bookstores participating in the Book Passport program.
DreamHaven Books and Comics | Minneapolis
• Graphic novels: "Saga" by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples
• Fantasy: "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
• Sci-fi: "Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen" by Lois McMaster Bujold
DreamHaven is one of the 10 bookstores participating in the Book Passport program.
Eat My Words | Minneapolis
• Fiction: "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" by Sherman Alexie
• Fiction: "The City and the City" by China Mieville
• Nonfiction: "Assassination Vacation" by Sarah Vowell
Eat My Words will have live music and sales all day on Saturday.
Excelsior Bay Books | Excelsior
• Nonfiction: "Lab Girl" by Hope Jahren
• Fiction: "LaRose" by Louise Erdrich - coming in May
• Middle grade: "Hour of the Bees" by Lindsay Eagar
The Bookstore at Fitger's | Duluth
• Nonfiction: "Hillsider" by former Duluth mayor Don Ness
• Fiction: "Goodbye to the Dead" by Brian Freeman
• Fiction: "Kitchens of the Great Midwest" by J. Ryan Stradal
Lake Country Booksellers | White Bear Lake
• Fiction: "Lilac Girls" by Martha Hall Kelly
• Fiction: "Ordinary Grace" by William Kent Krueger
• Fiction: "Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League" by Jonathan Odell
Longitude Books | Plymouth
• Nonfiction: "Deep South" by Paul Theroux
• Nonfiction: "The Lonely City" by Olivia Laing
• Nonfiction: "The Elephant Complex: Travels in Sri Lanka" by John Gimlette
Moon Palace | Minneapolis
• Nonfiction: "Evicted" by Matthew Desmond
• Nonfiction: "A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota," edited by Sun Yung Shin
• Fiction: "The Story of My Teeth" by Valeria Luiselli
Moon Palace is among the 10 bookstores participating in the Book Passport program.
Once Upon a Crime | Minneapolis
• Fiction: "Monkeewrench" by P.J. Tracy
• Fiction: "The Keeper of Lost Causes" by Jussi Adler-Olsen
• Fiction: "The Drifter" by Nicholas Petrie
Author John Sandford will be at the store for a discussion and book signing at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Paperbacks and Pieces Bookstore | Winona
• Nonfiction: "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
• Fiction: "The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion
• Young adult: "Illuminae" by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Red Balloon Bookshop | St. Paul
• Poetry for young readers: "Booked" by Kwame Alexaner
• Poetry for young readers: "Guess Who, Haiku" by Deanna Caswell and Bob Shea
• Middle grade: "The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse" by Brian Farrey
Red Balloon's Saturday celebrations include story time, face painting, the Ramsey Middle School jazz band and more. A full schedule is available online. Red Balloon is among the 10 bookstores participating in the Book Passport program.
Scout & Morgan Books | Cambridge
• Nonfiction: "Portage: A Family, A Canoe, and the Search for the Good Life" by Sue Leaf
• Fiction: "Britt-Marie was Here" by Fredrik Backman
• Picture book: "Wake Up, Island" by Mary Casanova
Scout & Morgan will celebrate on Saturday with sales and book giveaways.
Sixth Chamber Used Books | St. Paul
• Nonfiction: "Children: The Challenge" by Rudolf Dreikurs
• Fiction: "The Riddle of the Sands" by Erskine Childers
• Drama: "King Lear" by William Shakespeare
Sixth Chamber will have music, games and special rewards for customers on Saturday.
SubText Bookstore | St. Paul
• Nonfiction: "A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota," edited by Sun Yung Shin
• Nonfiction: "Pretentiousness: Why it Matters" by Dan Fox
• Fiction: "Mothering Sunday: A Romance" by Graham Smith
SubText is among the 10 bookstores participating in the Book Passport program.
Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore & Uncle Edgar's Mystery Bookstore | Minneapolis
• Sci-fi: "Leviathan Wakes" by James S. A. Corey
• Fantasy: "Fantasy: The Lies of Locke Lamora" by Scott Lynch
• Nonfiction: "Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture" by Ytasha L. Womack
• Mystery: "Midnight Riot" by Ben Aaronovitch
• Mystery: "Twin Cities Noir," edited by Julie Schaper and Steven Horwitz
• Nonfiction: "The Invention of Murder" by Judith Flanders
Valley Bookseller | Stillwater
• Nonfiction: "Growing Tomorrow: A Farm-to-Table Journey in Photos and Recipes" by Forrest Pritchard
• Fiction: "Life We Bury" by Allen Eskens
• Fiction: "Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman
Valley Bookseller's Saturday festivities include treats and book giveaways.
Village Bookstore | Grand Rapids
• Nonfiction: "Locally Laid: How We Built a Plucky, Industry-Changing Egg Farm — From Scratch" by Lucie B. Amundsen.
• Fiction: "I'm Traveling Alone" by Samuel Bjork
• Fiction: "Lord Grizzly" by Frederick Manfred
Village Bookstore will celebrate Independent Bookstore Day with discounts and free calendar for customers.
Wild Rumpus | Minneapolis
• Picture book: "Wake Up, Island" by Mary Casanova
• Middle grade: "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
• Young adult: "The Smell of Other People's Houses" by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
On Saturday, Wild Rumpus will have a carnival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., including games, a fishing pond, face painting and more.