There’s something about living through a pandemic that brings about reflection–especially about places we frequent (or used to be able to frequent more often).  Book stores are one of those places. They are the places we routinely frequent to feed the mind and the soul–they hold memories in our hearts.

When I began teaching twenty years ago, I was fortunate to become a member of the  Illinois Reading Council. Through the support of my principal and the curriculum department, I was able to attend the yearly conference in Springfield, IL.  It was there that I developed a love of book talks.  Becky Anderson, from Anderson’s Bookshop, continues to deliver book talks at the annual conference.  She also hauls a plethora of books to the conference hall for us all to indulge. Over the years, I have collected several of my favorite books and had them signed by the authors at the conference. They were the gifts I brought back to my children, my students, and my colleagues. They were gifts that opened us up to the world and brought a dialogue into our homes and community. The authors were also the ones we invited to visit the schools to talk to the children: Ben Mikaelsen, Neal Shusterman, and Jordan Sonnenblick were a few of my favorites.  

Upon returning from Springfield the first year, I started my long treks to Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville.  My love of the store and all it has to offer began. The events they offer are off the charts: from small author talks to full day conferences.  I’ve attended several over the years with my children and my friends. One of my favorite memories is Emma meeting Suzanne Collins during her middle school years: she was infatuated with the Hunger Games.  Because of these experiences, you can imagine my excitement when Anderson’s opened in LaGrange, just a few miles from my mother’s home.

While I truly love Anderson’s Bookshop, the time it takes to do the round trip is difficult to fit into my schedule. During my early years of teaching, independent book stores in McHenry County were hard to find.  It was a true celebration when Read Between the Lynes opened on the Woodstock Square. It became my new favorite place to routinely stop.  Arlene, the owner,  has been a wonderful support to our schools: helping us arrange author talks, offering author visits at the store, giving educator discounts, and ordering books for our students.  

Bookstores aren’t just part of my routine at home. My home away from home is our family cabin in Northern Wisconsin: a place I have frequented since birth. The closest town to our cabin for shopping is Minocqua. Growing up, Book World filled our summer reading lives.  Of course, the tradition of the trips to the cabin continued, and I brought my children to Book World. You can imagine my devastation when Book World closed in 2018. 

Our traditions of traveling to the cabin as adults has changed a bit. We began a new tradition of traveling to the cabin for Thanksgiving with our children. To kick off the holiday season, we attend the Boulder Junction Christmas Walk on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The walk through The Shade Tree is always my favorite. You can imagine the joy I felt when The Shade Tree moved to Minocqua to fill the void of Book World. With that, the selection of books has changed (and my spending budget increased!). 

I’ve come to realize that book stores are part of my reading life. I’m drawn to them wherever I go.  On my last vacation to Key West, FL, I wasn’t disappointed. After a stop at Hemmingway’s, Mike and I headed to Books & Books @ The Studios of Key West.  I purchased Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm, the sequel to the book my dear friend, Terry, gifted me to read as I traveled to Key West.  After reading it while lounging in the ocean, I found myself in need of another book the next day.  And so my routine of heading to the bookstore every morning while on vacation began . . .

As I reflect on the independent bookstores I have frequented, memories with my family and friends flood my mind. Each bookstore is curated by a local expert, and each one offers us an opportunity to indulge in books that offer us windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors into the world around us. Each independent bookstore opens a dialogue and experience to fill our minds and our hearts.  

Special thanks to Dr. A. Gruper for this week’s blog post.