Borrowed Copy

The Secret Behind Indie Bookstores

Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association announced an upcoming Zoom education session titled “The Secret Behind Indie Bookstores.” This opportunity will be open to the general public as well as store owners and booksellers from member stores. The panel will address how independent bookstores, once thought to be an endangered business species, are now thriving. How did these stores survive the threats of big box stores and mega online retail? While a Harvard Business School study by Ryan Raffaeli from 2020 discovered …

Apr 1, 2026

what's new

Mar

31

2026

Borrowed Copy

Seattle Independent Bookstore Day/ Independent Bookstore Day Saturday 4/25/26

Seattle Independent Bookstore Day is BACK! And so is our favorite glasses-wearing marmot! Join the celebration of local bookstores, local economies, local literature, and keeping your hard-earned dollars in your neighborhood. Activities and special giveaways to be announced! And, of course, Seattle-area indie bookstores are once again celebrating Indie Bookstore Day with the popular Bookstore Day …

Mar

30

2026

Face Out

The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco

If you have never experienced Joe Sacco’s incredible comics journalism, his newest book is a great place to start. Follow Joe as he travels to Northern India to investigate the roots of a 2013 riot between Muslims and Hindus and discovers the political fictions that both sides told themselves to justify their violent actions. The …

Mar

27

2026

Face Out

Exophony: Voyages Outside the Mother Tongue by Yoko Tawada, translated by Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda

I love reading. I love language. I love reading about language and there are few people whose thoughts on language I’d rather read than Yoko Tawada’s. She writes in both Japanese and German and I’ve long been a fan of her fiction, which uses language creatively and often explores it thematically. To me, these essays …

Mar

26

2026

Thursday Themes

Bestseller Spotlight: Good Night, Goodnight, Good Night

On Wednesdays, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Bestseller List is published. Every week, we love to see what books have been most popular in independent bookstores around our region. As we peruse the list, we look for something special to showcase. Then we present this weekly feature: Thursday Themes. Look at the similar start to these bestselling Children’s …

Mar

25

2026

Face Out

Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane by Lindy West

Oh, Lindy. This is SO good! Laugh out loud funny, but also touching and insightful. Feminist and vulnerable, badass and brave. What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. –Carrie K., Powell’s on Hawthorne, Portland, OR Explore different lives with books from Powell’s on Hawthorne and other independent bookstores.

Mar

24

2026

Borrowed Copy

Four Questions for Donna Barba Higuera

by Amanda Ramierez for Publishers Weekly Newbery Medalist Donna Barba Higuera retells the Aztec myth of creation, casting Xolotl, the dog-headed god of lighting, death, and misfortune, as the hero in her middle grade work Xolo, illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson. When all life on Earth perishes and the immortal gods must throw themselves into a …

Mar

23

2026

Face Out

This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman

Each chapter of this book is a glimpse into the Rubinstein family and how it works and sometimes doesn’t (see the feud started by an apple cake). It is full of heart, conflict, forgiveness, laughter, and the complexities of parenting. An authentic portrayal of enduring, messy love. – Julie, Browsers Books, Olympia, WA Have your …

Mar

20

2026

Face Out

Is This a Cry for Help?: A Novel by Emily Austin

How will Darcy — a public librarian — manage to reckon with her own personal woes when access to the written word hangs precariously in the balance? A wonderful, hopeful fiction for our trying times. —Celina Munoz, Brick & Mortar Books, Redmond, WA Find hopeful stories at Brick & Mortar Books and other independent bookstores.

Mar

19

2026

Thursday Themes

Bestseller Spotlight: Neighborly and New

Every Wednesday, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association publishes the regional bestseller list. On Thursdays, we celebrate Thursday Themes to shine a spotlight on some of the books from the list and give our brains a different way of thinking about books. This week, several books have a Pacific Northwest connection and are new to Thursday Themes. Whidbey T …

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