Category Archives: Birmingham

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
Alabama, Birmingham, Bookstore Tourism, Bookstore Travels, Bookstores

Thank You Books – Birmingham, AL

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Thank You Books is one of Birmingham’s newest bookstores and an all around indie hot spot. This shop is a lot of fun and has so much energy for having just popped up in December 2019. I think this just shows how much care and consideration the owners are putting into their bookstore and the books they select. They’re selling new books and the care and consideration carries over into the way they deal with the shop’s visitors as well (both online and offline).

The seem to be most active on Instagram and I’ve enjoyed lurking during some of their “live” events online. Just good book people sharing the books they enjoy and doing what they can to foster a healthy book culture here in Birmingham.

I sure do miss visiting bookstores… but these photos will have to do, until the self-isolation period is over. Once it is, be sure to give them a visit, here’s some details (and I really do recommend following them on the social channels):

Thank You Books
5502 Crestwood Blvd, Unit B
Birmingham, AL 35212
205-202-3021
https://www.thankyoubookshop.com/
twitter: https://twitter.com/thankyou_bham
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thankyou_bham/

And here are the photos taken back, in 2019, soon after the opened. It seems like years ago. Notice how the stars on the front sign are carried on throughout the store across the floor? So fun!

Big feature wall inside Thank You Books.
inside Thank You Books in Birmingham, AL

UPDATE: here are some pictures of their new kids area.

Thank You Books new children's area
View of Thank You Books new children's area
Floor cushions in Thank You Books new children's area
Big windows in Thank You Books new children's area
Alabama, Birmingham, Book Talk, Events, library, On the Web

Science Fiction as Philosophy – Avondale Library

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Avondale Library

The Avondale Library is hosting a very interesting online video discussion group this week. Friday, April 3rd at 3pm, they will host and discuss Science Fiction as Philosophy, via the web and a Zoom video conference.

The video series discusses, “…how popular science fiction shows have tackled profound issues such as autonomy, sentience, pacifism, colonialism, racism, grief, morality, and much more.”

Which sounds pretty dang cool and everything that good speculative fiction works with. It has all the makings of a fun and informative online conversation. This new Sci-Phi Fridays series by the Avondale Library branch is based on The Great Courses materials.

The Great Courses has lots of videos and classes diving deep into topics like publishing, writing, genres, etc. It’s worth scanning their catalog to see if there is anything you’d enjoy. The post a lot of content on their YouTube channel. Most of it is medical and viral-related these days and some 5-minute teasers. But they have longer 30-minute videos (like this science vs. science fiction one on Doctor Who and Time Travel Paradoxes) as well as sharing the first video in a series they sell.

Doctor Who Avondale Sci Phi

You can get more information in the BPL Online post and do know that registration is required. It’s free, but I’m sure they have to be able to send out all of the zoom invites, etc. to facilitate the online video feeds and discussions.

With all that is going on in the world, I hope you are well and reading this post some place safe and able to stay isolated.