by Noella Noelophile®
(Photograph courtesy of Skylight Books.)
Words close over your head, and you’re immersed in a different world.
The clock says it’s past midnight, but maybe just a few more pages?
Excitedly, you share a snippet of a story you loved, and watch someone’s eyes light up as they eagerly reach for a new book.
If all three of these experiences sound familiar to you, books and reading may well be among the loves of your life.
And from Friday, July 24th, through Sunday, July 26th, a brand-new event, happening in Los Angeles, was created with you in mind.
(Map courtesy of Los Angeles Indie Book Crawl.)
A multifaceted “crawl”
The inaugural Los Angeles Indie Book Crawl invites you to find some new favorites, both in the “authors” category and among their 13 participating independent bookstores. This is a free event, open to everyone and modeled after popular book crawls in San Diego and Seattle.
How the book crawl works: visit any of the participating bookstores, during their regular hours, from that Friday, the 24th through Sunday, the 26th. Make a purchase of at least $10 at each.
At the first bookstore, you’ll receive your Book Crawl Passport and your first passport stamp.
(Photograph courtesy of DIESEL, A Bookstore, Brentwood County Mart
Then, off you go to the next bookstore of your choice, from among the participants.
Prizes and exclusive merchandise are available at each–and the more stores you visit, the more prizes you receive.
And plan on a weekend excursion: each store has listed their most iconic Los Angeles landmarks and neighborhood points of interest you might like to visit.
Best of all, you’ll be supporting independent business owners, as you discover the richness and variety of LA’s literary scene.
(Photo courtesy of Chevalier’s Larchmont Village.)
An added incentive
However, there’s also another incentive.
Get your passport stamped at all 13 stores, over that weekend of July 24th-26th, to be entered to win a grand prize: $25 gift cards at each store.
“Independent bookstores are having a resurgence,” says Jennifer Caspar, founder and owner of Village Well Books & Coffee in Culver City, in a recent press release.
““They are the third places people need more than ever in this era of digital optimization which can be very alienating and lead to loneliness. People still like to browse, touch and see physical books, and hang out in stores that are third places, where community and culture – and sometimes coffee! – meet.”
(Photograph courtesy of The Book Jewel, Westchester.)
The participants
OK, just in case I haven’t tempted you enough–here are the participants of the first L.A. Indie Book Crawl.
Annabelle’s Book Club LA, Studio City;
The Book Jewel, in the heart of Westchester;
Book Soup, West Hollywood;
Chevalier’s Books, Larchmont Village;
Children’s Book World & CBW Teens & Adults, West Los Angeles;
Diesel, A Book Store, Santa Monica;
Malik Books, Culver City;
(Photograph courtesy of Chandra Wicke Photography.)
Once Upon A Time, Montrose; (they’re America’s oldest children’s bookstore, established in 1966!)
Pages: a bookstore, Manhattan Beach;
The Ripped Bodice, A Romantic Bookstore, Culver City;
Skylight Books, Hollywood/Los Feliz;
Village Well Books & Coffee, Culver City;
Vroman’s Bookstore, Pasadena.
(Photograph courtesy of Annabelle’s Book Club, L.A. Studio City)
A potential gift list
Also, if you’re already thinking in terms of no-stress Christmas shopping, here is the perfect opportunity.
I’d give any bibliophile on my list a novel by Fannie Flagg, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni or Lisa See. But there’s also Philippa Gregory for historic fiction. For romance, Nora Roberts’ Midnight Bayou was a fun blend of romance with the supernatural, and the flavor of New Orleans. I couldn’t put down gothic novel Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, or Paula Hawkins’ suspenseful The Girl on the Train. For a classic read, Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a favorite.
(Logo courtesy of Los Angeles Indie Book Crawl.)
For younger bibliophiles, anything by P.L. Travers, Astrid Lindgren, E.B. White (Charlotte’s Web was a favorite for me, although it was also heartbreaking when I was eight!), Ruth Sawyer’s Roller Skates and any of Marguerite Henry’s books are classics to read more than once.
And–that’s before we get to the scented candles, coffee, journals and other gift items (I know from experience that Vroman’s Christmas ornaments and cards are a don’t-miss during the Christmas season!).
Have fun, and let’s hope this becomes a summertime tradition in L.A.!