It’s Top Ten Tuesday time! The prompt was “Favorite Bookstores OR Bookstores I’d Love to Visit”. So I did both. I wanted to give a shoutout to my all time favorite store (E. Shaver’s), but don’t have 10 favorite bookstores, so I combined both parts of the prompt.

Favorite Bookstores:

1. E. Shaver’s Booksellers – Savannah, GA
   1. This is hands down my favorite bookstore. It’s quirky and unique while being organized and calm. It’s in an old 19th century building that used to be someone’s house. So the rooms are disjointed and it feels like you’re in a delightful maze made entirely out of books. They have a large selection of book clubs to join if you’re looking to meet people. Also, there are bookstore cats. I’m partial to Skimbleshanks, but the other 3 are also top shelf cats. If you ever find yourself in downtown Savannah, you should visit E. Shaver’s.
2. Mr. K’s Used Books – Greenville, SC
   1. I think this one makes the list because I lived near it when I lived in Greenville and they were the recipients of many of my used books. They give credit for your used books and that was a lifesaver for me.
3. Powell’s – Portland, OR
   1. I mean, who doesn’t love to get lost in Powell’s? It’s famous for a reason.

Three Local-ish Bookstores I want to go to:

1. Posman Books – Atlanta, GA
   1. It’s one in a chain, but everything I’ve read about this makes it sound like a must-see bookstore. I might try to fit in a visit during our next trip to Atlanta.
2. The Book Lady – Savannah, GA
   1. The Book Lady seems like a throwback a little bit, like a classic bookstore from back in the day. Cozy, you might say. They also have a large collection of antique books, which I adore. I don’t know how I haven’t made it over to Liberty Street yet.
3. Itinerant Literate Books – Charleston, SC
   1. This place looks like it has the quirky vibe I’m looking for in a place to visit. They have a “boozy book fair” and a book club called Crimes & Crafts. I enjoy independent bookstores and this one seems to be progressive, charming, and everything you could want from one.

Three Bookstores I want to go to:

1. Boekhandel Dominicanen, Maastricht, The Netherlands
   1. It’s a bookstore in an old medieval church. They have a 3D tour you can take as well, but I really want to go and just see it. It looks amazing and there’s a coffeeshop inside as well, so after a long morning of sightseeing, I could pop in for a coffee and browse the stacks. I wonder if it still has that old church feeling along side the indie bookstore vibe. I love interesting architecture, so this is a no-brainer for me.
2. Books & Books Key West, Key West, Florida
   1. Judy Blume founded this location of Books & Books and I must go pay my respects. It’s a cute bookstore with lots of events to check out, but I mostly want to go for the Judy Blume piece of it.
3. Blackwell’s – Oxford, UK
   1. Specifically the shop on Broad Street in Oxford – it’s been in operation since 1879 and looks like an amazing collection of books. There are a lot of Blackwell’s around, but as a history nerd, I really want to see where it all began.

So that’s it – 3 of my favorite bookstores and 6 I hope to visit some day. I want to visit The Netherlands for a whole bunch of reasons, so maybe I can swing by the Boekhandel Dominicanen if I ever make it over.

-S

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