IBD 2019: More Plans for Bookstore Parties

The fifth annual Independent Bookstore Day is this coming Saturday, and the excitement is increasing as stores receive their IBD catalogue orders. IBD is hosting a Twitter party with Bookstore Day ambassador Tayari Jones on Thursday, April 25, at 10 a.m Pacific; join in using the hashtag #BookstoreDay

Here's another look at some of the activities indie bookstores around the country have planned for Saturday.

This month marks the 10th anniversary of Off the Beaten Path Bookstore in Lakewood, N.Y., and owner Bob Lingle has chosen to celebrate that anniversary in conjunction with Independent Bookstore Day. Plans for the day include giveaways of both books and audio books, as well as a party featuring baked goods and free hot dogs. Store founder Holly Richardson, who opened Off the Beaten Path in April 2009, will be working the grill.

An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Cafe in Plainville, Mass., is hosting a fundraiser for the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. The $10 ticketed event will feature authors, publisher reps and independent booksellers from across New England going head-to-head in a game show-style trivia contest. Authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, as well as children's book author and illustrator Raul the Third, are scheduled to participate. The event will feature complimentary snacks and a cash bar. All proceeds from tickets and drinks sold will go to Binc.

In St. Louis, Mo., Left Bank Books will be kicking off the festivities with an hourlong used book sale: buy one, get one free from 10 a.m to 11 a.m. Other plans for the day include IBD storytime, a happy hour during which a Left Bank bookseller will be previewing upcoming titles, a Left Bank Books 50th anniversary backdrop to use in photos, and a variety of giveaways and promotions. And anyone who donates any amount to the Left Bank Books Foundation will be able to choose one wrapped mystery book.

Papercuts J.P. in Boston, Mass., has a day of raffles and giveaways planned for IBD, along with visits from two local authors: Morris Collins, author of the novel Horse Latitudes, and Chaya Bhuvaneswar, author of the short story collection White Dancing Elephants.

At New Dominion Bookshop in Charlottesville, Va., IBD plans include guest booksellers, free balloons and snacks. And from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m., the store will be hosting its second annual Rose Garden Party in the rose garden outside the store.

In Pasadena, Calif., both Vroman's Bookstore locations will be hosting IBD events. At the flagship store on Colorado Blvd., children's book author and illustrator Antoinette Portis (Not a Box) will stop by for a reading and signing at 10:30 a.m. At 2 p.m., cookbook authors Marge Perry and David Bonom will present and sign their book Hero Dinners: Complete One-Pan Meals That Save the Day, and provide a sampling of some of their recipes. At the Hastings Ranch location, meanwhile, there will be an all-day Bookstore Scavenger Hunt, along with Seuss-a-bration storytime in the morning and a visit from author Veera Hiranandani in the afternoon.

Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Mass., will begin its IBD festivities with a visit from Heidi E.Y. Stemple and Jane Yolten, the mother/daughter team behind A Kite for Moon; in the afternoon, Natasha Lowe, author of Lucy Castor, and Youme Le, author and illustrator of Mail Under the Night Sky, will both drop by. Other planned activities include face painting, a photo booth, kids' arts and crafts, and homemade cupcakes.

And in St. Paul, Minn., Red Balloon Bookshop will start IBD off with a Sesame Street-inspired storytime session, along with snacks and kid-friendly activities. At 1 p.m., the store will be hosting the inaugural IBD Escape Room. Groups of puzzlers ages 8 and up will have 45 minutes to escape the room, and if successful they'll win a discount on an item of their choice. And at 3 p.m., musicians from the Ramsey Middle School Jazz Band will stop by to perform.

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