All posts by trav

At the heart of it all, I’m a fan. A fan of books and bookstores. A fan of fiction and non-fiction. A fan of authors and publishers. And most of all I’m a fan of great conversations sparked by books. All that to say - I really need more bookshelves.
Alabama, Birmingham, Bookstore Travels

News Article on Alabama Indie Bookstores

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It’s always good when indie bookstores get a shout out in the media. It’s even better when they’re local and close by! A few weeks agao teh folks at AL.com did an article featuring 12 independent bookstores in Alabama to check out, and it was a pretty good slate of shops (though more photos of the indie stores would have been even better, but I digress…).

There are quite a few familiar names on there, but I was pleasnatly surprised to see two shops that I’ve not run across before.

Sweet Home Indie bookstore
Sweet Home Books offers lots of fun themed collections.

Sweet Home Books is just down I-65 in Wetumpka. Road trip anyone? The Al.com article says they are very new, but you can see they are on Instagram and facebook promoting their books and a celebrating a few authors. Their site also has a section called Middle Grade Books for Creators, which is a wonderfully curated list of kids’ titles. This looks like a shop that is worth checking out.

The other shop that is new to me is Shades Of Pemberley Bookstore, in Albertville, AL. It sounds like the perfect weekend stop to go through shelves of used and old books, looking for a unique read. They are on facebook as well.

Love the storefront at Shades of Pemberly!

The whole AL.com article is worth a scan and no doubt these shops are worth a visit. When you’re done with their article, be sure to check out all of the Birmingham-area bookstores.

Alabama, Birmingham, Bookstores, News

New Bookstore Opening at Pepper Place

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Birmingham is getting a new bookstore downtown! Today, Homewood’s Little Professor bookshop announced they are opening a second location at 2807 2nd Ave. South, in Pepper Place, this year.

They said they’ve been on the lookout for “an experimental space” in which to set up a new concept for them. They plan on having a coffee bar, light cafe fare and cocktails to offer during events and throughout the day, alongside all of their books and magazines.

Sipping a cocktail while looking for a good read? Sign me up!

On August 27th, from 8am-12pm, you can get a taste of what they have planned during their first “pop up” shop. They’re hoping to tap into the crowds and community vibe of the Pepper Place Farmer’s Market as they test out their ideas and begin outfitting their space.

I’m very excited about another bookstore opening downtown. It’s going to be fun to follow along and see what the folks at Little Professor have planned. Here’s a photo tour of what their Homewood space looked like back in 2017 when they opened and you can read their full statement here about their new Pepper Place location.

little professor and pepper place
Book Talk, Tools for Readers

Reading with Intent

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One of my biggest fears is wasting my time. That’s one reason I like following book bloggers and keeping up with readings and reviews. I’m trying to be pickier about my books these days and I’m trying to read at a pace where I can actually absorb and use what I’m reading, not just “read at it” and react to whatever is open on the page before me. There are just so many books!

Today I ran across this quote and wanted to leave it here. I may have to make myself a bookmark with this. It’s from Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations (that link is to one of the free digital versions on Project Gutenberg).

“…I learned to read carefully and not be satisfied with a rough understanding of the whole, and not to agree too quickly with those who have a lot to say about something.”

I love that about “those who have a lot to say about something”! Some of these modern histories and social science books appear more worthwhile than they are just because they weigh a ton.

Anyway, just wanted to share the quote. Reading Meditations is turning out to be a good (if slow) experience. Amazing to think that he wrote all of this for himself. All these lofty goals, thoughts, personal philosophies were not meant for the public eye. Pretty neat to think about.

Be well!