Book Nerds

10 Ways to Make Your Next Trip to the Bookstore Truly Epic

By Monique Alice / August 17, 2015 at 12:00 pm

All book nerds have at least one thing in common: a near-fanatical love of bookstores. While it’s true that trips to Barnes & Noble never get boring for a bona fide book nerd, that doesn’t mean your next visit couldn’t benefit from a shot in the arm. Read on for some ideas on how to make your next trip (ahem) one for the books!

  1. Use the buddy system. Bring a friend and shop for each other. Don’t reveal your picks to one another until your post-bookstore lunch date.
  1. Ask your eldest relative for the name of a favorite book, and buy it without so much as reading the back cover.
  1. Spend the entire trip in a section you’ve never been to before.
  1. Do an Internet search for “Author quotes about life,” find your favorite one, and then purchase that author’s most popular book.
  1. You know how people often say, “That’s on my list,” when talking about a book they’d like to read? Make an actual list! Keeping one in the notes app on your smartphone is particularly handy; you can add to it whenever you get a tip about a great read, and you’ll always have it with you for those spontaneous bookstore jaunts.
  1. At a loss about what to pick up? The clerk is your friend! Ask him or her what’s been flying off the shelves in your favorite genre.
  1. Let your book shopping be inspired by a favorite author or literary character. For example, what would Virginia Woolf or Jay Gatsby want to read?
  1. If you’ve been itching to start a book club, hold your first meeting at the bookstore! Give everyone some solo browsing time to choose a selection, and then come together and discuss each others’ picks.
  1. Have you always wanted to learn how to crochet, fly fish, or repair your own bike? Grab a how-to book and commit to reading one chapter per night. This works even better if you do it with a friend so you can keep one another motivated.
  1. Pay it forward by picking up a book for someone else. Maybe you have a niece who hasn’t yet discovered Judy Blume, or your dad might like a Cormac McCarthy audiobook that he can listen to while he tinkers around in the garage.

How will you make your next browsing excursion one to remember?