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For the Chicago Review Press staff, bookstores aren’t simply buildings filled with books. They are reminders of the past, inevitable detours, homes away from home, and always great sources of comfort. Check out our favorite bookstores below and share yours below or on Twitter. #CRPreads
It might be a little biased to pick the bookshop that I work at, so instead I’ll mention a few of my favorites from college in Colorado. Old Firehouse is, as the name implies, in the old Fort Collins firehouse and adjoins to a tea shop called Happy Lucky’s. When I wasn’t able to make the celebrations for Independent Bookstore Day, they were kind enough to give me one of the blind date books that they had been handing out during the festivities. BookBar in Denver was the perfect hangout during the Denver Publishing Institute, and Tattered Cover is a national treasure. —Ashley Alfirevic, publicity associate
Chicago has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to great bookstores, but for today I’m going to say Myopic Bookstore, mostly because it gives me an excuse to also shout out one of my favorite American Music Club songs, “Myopic Books” If I have any reason to be in Wicker Park, I can’t leave the neighborhood without at least ducking into the shop. And when I have extra time to really dig in and nerd out, there’s few things I love more than settling into the big bay window on the second floor that looks out over Milwaukee Avenue. Spending any amount of time there is always a delightful, and, yes, wistful, reminder of how wonderfully weird that part of town used to be. —Allison Felus, production manager
Locally I love City Lit in Logan Square. Outside Chicago, Ann Arbor’s Literati Bookstore is pretty fantastic! —Ellen Hornor, project editor
I’m looking out of the city limits for my favorites. There are too many great bookstores in Chicago for me to make a call here. Chicago bookstores, I love you all! Although I’ve only ever visited the bookstore once in person, WORD in Brooklyn is a favorite of mine. One of the first big book marketing campaigns I did for Chicago Review Press was for Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure and I found out the store had the letter I’d included with the galley pinned up on the corkboard in their offices (because they liked it!). It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship with that store and the employees. Also, Powell’s in Portland for the many hours I’ve spent walking through the stacks and finding books—new and old—to read. —Mary Kravenas, marketing manager
January fog in Ann Arbor. A photo posted by Literati Bookstore (@literatibookstore) on
I can’t pick just one. Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is picture perfect and a fiction daydreamer’s paradise. City Lit in my Logan Square neighborhood in Chicago makes me feel so relaxed and serene when I shop there. And I’ve probably bought more books over the years at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square than anywhere else. It helps that they’ve always had a great kid’s book selection, and they serve wine. —Cynthia Sherry, Publisher
57th Street Books and the Seminary Co-op in Chicago. —Yuval Taylor, senior editor
Book Up! Look Up! Check out our #puppets at checkout! One of The Favorite Fixtures at @openbooksltd #westloop! A photo posted by Open Books (@openbooksltd) on
I’m rather fond of Chicago’s Open Books. I like supporting their literacy mission while getting a good deal on gently used children’s books that will be perhaps not-quite-so-gently used/loved-to-shabbiness at my home. —Michelle Williams, managing editor
I’m going to join Michelle and say Open Books. It’s so cozy, filled with quirky decorations, comfy reading nooks, and so many books. —Emily Lewis, editorial and marketing assistant
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[…] this year, we shared some our staff’s favorite bookstores. This week, we asked authors of our April titles to share what bookstores hold a place in their […]