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9. Independent Bookstore Day
14 Plays1 month ago
A short episode in celebration of US booklovers’ favorite holiday, Independent Bookstore Day. It’s an inspiring day that I recommend to all booklovers.
Currently reading books mentioned:
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Find me on Instagram: @KristinsNextChapter
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Transcript
Introduction to Kristen's Podcast
00:00:01
Kristin Paulin
Hi, I'm Kristin, the host of Kristin's Next Chapter, a podcast to help you find your next read and introduce you to debut authors. Today I wanted to talk about Independent Bookstore Day, which took place on April 25th this year, but first I wanted to share what I'm currently reading.
Current Read: 'White Nights' by Dostoyevsky
00:00:17
Kristin Paulin
The bookish moments segment will be wrapped right into the main topic today because it's all about what I've been up to and I'm so excited to share all about it. So for what I'm currently reading, this has been such a fun year of exploration for me. I'm currently reading a short novella, White Nights, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
00:00:40
Kristin Paulin
It was recommended to me as a first foray into Russian literature to see how I like the
Anticipation for 'Her Body and Other Parties'
00:00:46
Kristin Paulin
genre. And honestly, i really love it. And honestly, I'm also pretty surprised that that is the case.
00:00:54
Kristin Paulin
It is short, but I've been really busy, so I haven't yet finished it. It's a story of loneliness and love, two things that I think all of us identify within ourselves. And so far, it's a beautiful story.
00:01:08
Kristin Paulin
And when I finish that, I'm starting Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. I'm really into stories about women and feminism right now for some reason. And this book sounds like a pretty big stretch outside of my comfort zone, but I'm also really excited for it. It's described as demolishing the borders between psychological realism and science fiction Comedy and Horror, Fantasy and Fabulism.
00:01:39
Kristin Paulin
It is eight startling stories that map the realities of women's lives and the violence visited upon their bodies. Earthly and otherworldly, Antic and Sexy, Queer and Caustic, Comic and Deadly Serious, Her Body and Other Parties enlarges the Possibilities of Contemporary Fiction." But what really intrigued me was part of the blurb from the Boston Globe.
00:02:05
Kristin Paulin
A muscular strain of feminism runs through this book, whose contemplation of the female body is bound up in sex, power, pleasure, pain, and the fitful struggle against self-loathing.
Independent Bookstore Day Explained
00:02:19
Kristin Paulin
w I'll leave that there for the moment, but doesn't that sound like a really powerful story? And now for the topic of the day, Independent Bookstore Day.
00:02:30
Kristin Paulin
This is where I picked up the book, Her Body, and i guess I should start right at the beginning. It's an annual event in the U.S. every April. It started back in 2014 as California Bookstore Day, having been inspired by Independent Record Store Day.
00:02:50
Kristin Paulin
For brevity in this discussion, I'm just going to call Independent Bookstore Day, IBD.
Book Crawl Adventures
00:02:56
Kristin Paulin
So IBD expanded nationally in 2015, and it's been growing bigger and bigger every year.
00:03:04
Kristin Paulin
There are bookstores in every state that participate, and this year it was over 2,000 stores across the U.S. Since 2019, it's been managed by the America Booksellers Association, and the participating bookstores all make a really special day of it with giveaways like prizes and raffles, tote bags, ARCs, stickers, etc. And they also host a lot of special in-store events like author signings.
00:03:32
Kristin Paulin
And book lovers love this holiday. Many of us try to visit as many stores as possible, and there are various organized crawls to do this. So a friend of mine organized the local book crawl and asked me to co-host on the day, and we just invited all of our local Bookstagram followers to join us.
00:03:53
Kristin Paulin
And we went to 11 stores along the North Shore in Chicagoland. The stores we went to all participated in a program called Shy Loves Books. It's an indie bookstore passport program.
00:04:08
Kristin Paulin
Anyone who visits 10 participating stores on IBD and receives stamps in their little passport receives 10% off for a full year at all 83 participating stores in Chicagoland.
00:04:23
Kristin Paulin
And anyone who makes it to 15 stores gets 15% off for the year.
Goal of Visiting New Bookstores
00:04:29
Kristin Paulin
We made it to 11 stores, so we all got an eleven i'm sorry a discount card.
00:04:36
Kristin Paulin
I had also never been to most of the stores that we went to, which means I also found some new favorite stores. And i want to brag, I've now been to 24 different bookstores so far in 2026. It was one of my goals to visit a different bookstore every month and seeing you as I've already made it to 24, I've I think I've exceeded that goal, of course.
00:05:03
Kristin Paulin
um So our crawl ended up being a group of 11 ladies, most of us meeting one another in person for the first time. And it was really an amazing side effect being able to meet new book friends in the area.
Community Benefits of Buying Local
00:05:17
Kristin Paulin
We had so much fun chatting and getting book recommendations from each other throughout the day. And then just to wrap up the discussion on IBD, one store shared a really neat flyer thanking shoppers for buying local with reminders that in doing so, you keep that you keep dollars in the local community, you embrace the store's uniqueness, you created local jobs, you conserved excess packaging, you nurtured in-person community, you contributed local tax dollars,
00:05:53
Kristin Paulin
You supported the store's expertise and curation. You invested in entrepreneurship. And you made each town a destination. And these are really good reminders, in my opinion.
00:06:07
Kristin Paulin
And what a fun day it was for booksellers and book lovers alike. i really I really honestly cannot wait for next year.
Conclusion and Instagram Invite
00:06:15
Kristin Paulin
But since I did come home with 25 books, my wallet can definitely wait. But...
00:06:22
Kristin Paulin
but As for my reading intentions, until the next time we meet, honestly, i am still really overstimulated with my stack of 25 books that I picked up on Independent Bookstore Day.
00:06:36
Kristin Paulin
So I would just really like to mood read for a while now. I picked up such a variety of books and I just can't wait to dive into all the different genres.
00:06:47
Kristin Paulin
And that's it for today. Thank you for listening. If you liked this episode, please tell a friend. In the meantime, you can find me on Instagram at kristinsnextchapter, all one word.
00:06:59
Kristin Paulin
I'd love to hear from you. Did you go to your local indie bookstores for Independent Bookstore Day? I hope this episode inspired you. Happy reading.