Fully Booked

Ten must-visit independent bookstores
2031
sundog books

Seaside® Visitors Bureau

  1. Square Books
    Oxford, Mississippi
    So integral is this legendary bookshop to the lives of local writers, both Barry Hannah and Larry Brown received their mail here. squarebooks.com
  2. Faulkner House Books
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    If walls could talk, these would drawl with bourbon breath. Formerly an apartment, this is where William Faulkner wrote his first book, Soldier’s Pay. faulknerhousebooks.com
  3. Lemuria Books
    Jackson, Mississippi
    Kids rule at this charmingly cluttered shop, which has a dedicated children’s book buyer and some discerning youngsters on call to make recommendations. lemuriabooks.com
  4. A Cappella Books
    Atlanta, Georgia
    When the economy tanked, this fixture doubled down on author events, partnering with the Carter Center to bring marquee names such as Salman Rushdie. acappellabooks.com
  5. Blue Bicycle Books
    Charleston, South Carolina
    Providing a smart, cathartic outlet for teen angst, this shop hosts YALLFest, a young adult book festival the second weekend of November. bluebicyclebooks.com
  6. Books and Books
    Coral Gables, Florida
    An aesthete’s delight, this genteel landmark is housed in a 1927 Mediterranean-style building listed in the Coral Gables Register of Historic Places. booksandbooks.com
  7. Malaprop’s
    Asheville, North Carolina
    This institution strives to redeem the history of its building, which once served as a men-only club, by stocking the same number of titles by male and female authors. malaprops.com
  8. Alabama Booksmith
    Birmingham, Alabama
    This is the world’s only store that sells a variety of books with one thing in common: They all are signed by their authors. alabamabooksmith.com
  9. Maple Street Book shop
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    This store—the first in the Crescent City to specialize in paperbacks—opened in 1964 and quickly became a meeting place for civil rights crusaders. maplestreetbookshop.com
  10. Sundog Books
    Seaside, Florida
    This coastal gem takes advantage of the ocean breeze with a spacious porch where visiting authors sign books. A blue heeler pooch greets shoppers. sundogbooks.com

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