Have you been to a bookstore lately? I’ve been to three new ones this month, four if you include the mobile bookstore Rae’s Reads. It’s pretty exciting. For a long time it seems that most bookstores had closed, there were few around, but that’s changing. I wondered if it was just my imagination. . . but no, it isn’t! The Guardian reports that 422 new independent bookstores opened in 2025; that’s a 31% increase over the previous year. Yay!

For me, it parallels my re-ignited interest in reading for pleasure. I know it’s strange for an author to not read much. It’s a shame really; reading is pretty much required for the job, but I’ve mostly read nonfiction, self-help type books for a long time—until now. Last week I told you about reading some Oliver Sacks just for pleasure. Last month I read Theo of Golden which has been talked about so much. I loved it! I was sad when I finished it. So I picked up another fiction read – Whistler by Ann Patchett. And once again, my happy place is being curled up on the sofa, wrapped in my blanket, reading. I like to think maybe that’s what is happening with this resurgence. Maybe lots of us are finding peace, calm, encouragement and comfort in new books—so it naturally figures that we need places to buy them, and to sit with a coffee or tea to enjoy them and share with others. Libraries are a great resource for this, too; but sometimes you just want to own a book, ready to read it again and again or share it with a friend.

A shout out to And Books, Too serving the Clarkston, Washington community. And to the new shops I’ve discovered: Kindred & Company in Post Falls, Beans & Bind in Spokane Valley, Raes Reads in the Lewis-Clark Valley, and Dayton Books & Gifts in Dayton, Washington. Plus, Rae’s Reads hosted a Fall Book Market in Lewiston, Idaho today. I was shocked and pleased to see such a great turnout. Makes me want to pick up a book and read . . . or maybe sit down and write some more of my own!