As a child, I loved my small independent bookstore. I rode my bike there and used my allowance to buy novels. As I grew, I would go to borders with my dad on Friday nights to pick a new book. It was an event and not just a “Bookstore Aesthetic.”
This is my mother's and my aesthetic
I see more people talking about bookstores for a Bookstore Aesthetic and less for actual shopping. While it’s true that books online are cheaper, you lose so much by shopping only online.
Find a bookstore near your home or while out traveling!
I truly believe there is nothing like shopping for books in person. (and I hate shopping). Whenever I go, I follow a few rules:
- Go early, not right before it closes because bookstores eat time.
- Try to find one with a cute little cafe in it that you can read your books in after buying them.
- Bring a large empty bag or plan to buy a tote.
I live in Portland, so I have Powells Bookstore as a necessary favorite. Back in Oak Park, I had The Book Table. When in doubt, find a Barnes and Noble, they are basically indie at this point.
Want to make the most of your shopping experience? Here are some tips:
Tip 1: Enter without an agenda.
To begin, walk around the store, the whole store, and take it in; Let that Bookstore Aesthetic bring you in.
Look in the sections you avoid (Hello Poetry), and absorb the topics covered. Also, look where people congregate. If something looks different, stop, look at it. Even if it’s the notebook section or the sports history section, stop and look at it.
Really check in with yourself throughout the walk, how do you feel? Are you feeling drawn anywhere new? Are you feeling drawn to your favorite section? HOW DOES IT SMELL?
I know at Powell’s I walk through the whole store. Sometimes, I see nothing outside of my favorite sections, but sometimes I find a weird cookbook, or I’ll learn that people write books on something I never knew about before (Hello Cult Section). The last time I went to Powells, I ended up with a book about people who stole a million chickens.
Tip #2: Look for recommended notes.
A lot of bookstores do these.
Bookstores are stores. They want to sell. They want to sell you GOOD books. Unlike most marketing, they are trustworthy marketers. Usually, you will see small handwritten notes where people recommend specific reads based on popular books. In some bookstores, you may just see books in a recommended section. Read them, read why they are recommended. Again ask yourself, does it resonate?
I have bought so many books just because someone wrote out a little card saying it was good. I don’t know the person, but some random bookseller HANDWRITES A CARD, and I buy it.
Some amazing books have come from this, and some truly bonkers ones as well.
Tip #3: The best “Bookstore Aesthetic” are book covers.
Whoever said don’t judge a book by its cover must have meant don’t judge a movie by its poster.
Book covers are amazing, and I have very rarely felt misled by a book cover. If I see dark art with strong lines, then I know we are going dramatic here. If I see bright pastels with two people looking like cartoons with tilted heads, I know there is love. If I see strange shapes, I may be going sci-fi.
I 100% pick up books cause the cover is pretty, and then I read the back, the flap, and the author bio.
In publishing, the covers are hotly debated, they are tested, and they are designed with love. Respect them, trust them. (However, to me: the cover means: the jacket, the title page, the copywriter, the publisher, etc. Take it all in).
Most romance books I buy have cartoon covers. I know that cartoon covers on romance novels are lighter and more silly than the covers of Fabio holding a large busted woman, so that’s what I go for. When it comes to fantasy, I love pages that are unique; give me a rough edge book. When it comes to a thriller, the title has to stick out and the cover has to be textured.
FIND YOUR COVER PREFERENCE FOR EACH GENRE, that’s a real “bookstore aesthetic.”
Tip #4 Pick the one that you’re most excited by (or more)
I read How To Decide a few years ago, and I learned something that made my life easier.
If multiple things sound equally enticing, there isn’t a wrong decision.
If they are all equally enticing, you can’t make the wrong choice.
Your choice may have a bad outcome, but the choice itself won’t be bad. There is no way you could have known. If you look through things and you have two things and both seem equally as promising, then choose something random. Say “I will pick the greener cover” or “I will pick the one that’s cheaper” Or “I will pick the one whose author’s name has the most vowels.”
Pick something random and go with it.
If you didn’t love it, then find a little free library and trade it out. BOOM – you didn’t lose a book. Little free libraries are like the world’s money-back guarantee for bookstores.
Well, there you go. Post in the comments below what books you bought most recently!
