A ‘wordy’ send-off: our summer reading list

For a final send-off between us two seniors, we decided on giving you all homework for the summer… No, but really,we have great taste, and these indie bookstores are just a few of our favorites from our short time around the sun.

Additionally, as it was Independent Bookstore Day just a few weeks ago, we wanted to give you all recommendations to continue supporting your local(ish) indie bookstores. So, sit back, hike out that wallet and enjoy probably the nerdiest thing we’ve done on this page.

Macy’s Picks:

Libreria, London, UK

Libreria is an independent bookshop in London’s Shoreditch that I found by accident on my way to Brick Lane.

The curation of their collection is excellent, one the best I’ve seen — organized by broad themes like race,women’s rage and wanderlust.There are even some reading nooks embedded in the shelves, giving the sense that there is no rush to leave the small shop. And, to really convince you to go, they offer to stamp your new books with a Libreria logo and send you off with a bookmark.

Fair warning, though,parts of the ceiling and wall are actually mirrors, giving you the false sense that the store’s larger than it is, or, like a friend of mine, you’ll see a reflection of yourself and wonder why the person browsing ahead of you looks so much, well, like you.

Hatchards, London, UK

Hatchards is the oldest bookstore in London and really gives off a cozy kind of vibe. With its impressive five stories of books, this is a bookstore that you simply must experience for yourself.This is one of those bookstores that will make you gasp upon entering, wondering where the possibilities end.

Here, I found collector’s editions of one of my favorite series, and these copies are near impossible to find in the US. These books have sprayed edges and a foiled hardback, and they are even signed by the author.

Gay’s the Word, London, UK

This is the UK’s oldest LGBTQ+ bookstore,inspired by the United States’ growth of gay bookstores. Fascinatingly, for a longtime this was England’s only LGBTQ+ bookstore. It’s an independent bookstore that has many readings and signings by well-known and emerging authors. Though they have faced homophobic attacks and almost had to shut down in 2007, Gay’s the Word is now doing well and was an absolute joy to visit.

T’s Picks:

Shakespeare & Co.,Vienna, Austria

Propped up in a little side alley I found with my friends while trying to escape the tourists by St. Stephen’s Cathedral, this Shakespeare& Co. is situated in one of the three cities worldwide that hold this independent bookstore (the other two are New York, United States, and Paris, France).

Vienna proves to be a special interest to me, as it was a hub of intercultural exchange during the Hapsburg empire; it makes sense that a world-renowned independent bookstore would also stand in the shadow of that history.The books are stacked, well, a little bit everywhere (watch your head when you walk in), and the ladders are a little wobbly when you’re reaching for a particularly thick novel. However, if you aren’t looking for the store, then you’ll pass by to see another Vienna attraction, so those inside the store are all wonderful nerds.

I do recommend buying a book, even if you won’t read it for a bit (re: a few years, apologies), as they stamp all the books with their signature— little memento you can carry around while watching the pigeons try to steal pastries. (Macy’s been to the Paris Shakespeare & Co. and seconds this).

Birchbark Books, Minneapolis, MN

Most independent bookstores aren’t owned by Indigenous peoples or award-winning authors, and the intersection of both is horrifically small.

This is where Birchbark Books differs; owned by Indigenous author Louise Erdrich, the store aims as an Indigenous locus of Native American thought,as Minneapolis and St.Paul have one of the largest concentrations of Urban Native people in the United States.

Open to all, the store offers a wide variety of Indigenous literature, as well as non-Native novels, focused both on fiction and social justice work.

The staff are wonderful,letting any customer wander for hours before finding the perfect book and checkout the interesting items within the store (yes, there is a confessional, termed a“Forgiveness Booth.” Wild, I know).