Happy Independent Bookstore Day, New Jersey readers!
Hi Jersey Collective readers,
In lieu of our monthly book club pick + author interview this month, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate some of our favorite local indie bookstores and the indie booksellers whose recommendations always make for a great season of reading!
Today is Independent Bookstore Day, and New Jersey boasts an impressive roster of indie shops in every corner of the state. Here, we featured three shops (and sellers) we love for a quick Q+A on some of their practices, recommendations, and more.
Indie bookstores are cornerstones in our communities and we love to celebrate them year-round, but if you have a chance to get out to your local store this weekend and are looking for a good place to start, look no further!
Kate, from Thunder Road Books in Spring Lake
Most anticipated books launching this spring:
The Half Moon by Mary Beth Kean
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Silent Came the Monster: A Novel of the 1916 Jersey Shore Shark Attacks by Amy Hill Hearth (We’re hosting her for Shark week!)
The Wager by David Grann
Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Crosby
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
Favorite books set in NJ or written by NJ authors:
Greetings from Asbury Park by Daniel Turtel*
The Brief and Wondrous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz*
Sloppy Firsts (Young Adult series) by Megan McCafferty*
The Stranger by Harlan Coben*
Are you there God, It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume*
Silent Came the Monster: A Novel of the 1916 Jersey Shore Shark Attacks by Amy Hill Hearth*
Looker by Laura Sims**
Hurricane Girl by Marcy Dermansky*
*NJ Author and takes place in NJ
** NJ Author
Backlist books that can’t be missed on IBD (or any other day!):
Kitchens of the Great Midwest and/or The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
Anything by Anne Tyler and Ali Smith
A Little Hope by Ethan Joella
Favorite part about being an indie bookstore seller: The best part of being an indie bookseller is the community. We have customers that have become part of our family and we’ve been taken in to theirs as well. Nothing brings me more joy as a bookseller than a reader saying how much they loved a staff recommendation or that a book moved them in ways they didn’t know were possible. This especially rings true when our young readers share a passion for books—it’s a feeling that is irreplaceable.
Ideal reading setup: I have an unconventional place I love to read—in bars–and not for the reason you would think. Yes, I love a good cocktail, don’t get me wrong, but I get my best reading down in loud, chaotic bars. It’s something about the chaos around me–I am so laser focused on reading. Most of my event-prep reading is done at a local watering hole!
Thunder Road Books
1108 3rd Avenue
Spring Lake, NJ 07762
@thunderroadbooks
Asia, from Watchung Booksellers in Montclair
Most anticipated books launching this spring: I’ve got a long (basically endless) TBR but the bulk of it is definitely upcoming spring titles: The Guest by Emma Cline, The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor, Dykette by Jenny Fran Davis, and Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott!
Favorite books set in NJ or written by NJ authors: I’m really excited about Go Back and Get It by Montclair’s very own Dionne Ford! I was lucky enough to attend her book launch event at our bookstore and it was so enriching and inspiring — it really got me thinking about my own ancestry and family history. She’s such an amazing writer and an amazing woman overall.
Backlist books that can’t be missed on IBD (or any other day!): Educated by Tara Westover is always at the top of my recommendation list. In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado and The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson if you’re looking for something heartwrenching. Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino if you’re looking for something funny and witty. If you’re looking for a band of characters to root for from beginning to end – a recent addition that I just read for the first time and fell in love with – Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo!
Favorite part of being an indie bookstore seller: Definitely the conversations with customers. We meet so many interesting people at the bookstore day to day and it’s really amazing to hear stories from their lives, what they’re loving reading at the moment, and what they’d like to see more of in the literary world. We’ve had so many instances where we just stand back with customers and think, “this is a great moment that you could only have in the middle of a bookstore.”
Ideal reading setup: I’m super easily distracted so I can’t read at home at all. I love to take my books with me to the park or to a bench, somewhere where I can just hang out and really just immerse myself in being outdoors and in the outside world. It always makes me feel like I have a little corner of the universe to myself for as long as I spend flipping the pages!
Watchung Booksellers
54 Fairfield Street
Montclair, NJ 07042
@watchungbooksellers
Emily, from The Dune Market in Beach Haven
Most anticipated books launching this spring: I think our customers are most excited for Emily Henry’s new book, Happy Place, but I myself am most excited for Joie: A Parisian’s Guide to Celebrating the Good Life by Ajiri Aki. I know, a bit unexpected to pick a coffee table book but I am so excited to have this beautiful book in my home and I can’t wait to read it. I’ve loved following Ajiri for a long time so this one has a special place in my heart.
Favorite books set in NJ or written by NJ authors: I vividly remember reading Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret as a kid and it feeling extra special that it took place in New Jersey. I think that’ll forever be my favorite because of the sentimentality!
Backlist books that can’t be missed on IBD (or any other day!): Oh my gosh, I could name you 20! Maybe even more! I would say Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein (she was instrumental in the development of our bookshop!), Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, Finding Me by Viola Davis, Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand, and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
Favorite part of being an indie bookstore seller: My favorite moment is when a multi-generational group of women come into my shop together and start talking about books with each other. It’s just this beautiful, happy family moment and I love seeing different generations share their favorite books and pass them amongst each other. Books bring us together and bond us in such a unique way. I love seeing that among friends and family, and it’s an honor to see them doing that in my shop.
Ideal reading setup: I love when I get up to the beach nice and early, get my chair and umbrella set up, and open a new book, knowing I have the day to get lost in this story. That feeling is exactly why I wanted The Bookshop in The Dune Market. There is something so perfect about the pairing of a book and the beach. I don’t get to do it nearly as much now that I own a shop by the beach, but now I savor it even more!
The Dune Market
414 N Bay Avenue
Beach Haven, NJ 08008
@thedunemarket
Upcoming Jersey Collective Reads Selections
If you want to plan ahead, here are our next two upcoming picks. We are still hammering out the event details, so expect a full announcement email soon for May, but since this is a good time to shop for books, we figured we’d at least give you the titles now!
May: Teenager by Bud Smith
June: New Jersey Fan Club edited by (Jersey Collective founder) Kerri Sullivan