Though I still sometimes feel like an imposter in “serious” book conversations, it’s also hard not to feel like I’ve lost some of the magic and awe I once felt for books and reading. This is a phenomenon that often occurs when you make your passion your profession, and it’s certainly been the case for me: there are days when I feel like I’ve book personed a little too close to the sun. The good news is I know what to do when I feel like I’ve lost that lovin’ feelin’: I head to my local independent bookstore.
I walk into an indie and I am healed. Is that a touch dramatic? Sure it is; have you met me? There really is something a little bit magical about spending time in an indie, even for a semi-jaded 40-year-old. The piles and piles of books, the smell of paper and possibility, the shelf talkers from excited book lovers telling me a book dehydrated them from crying or kept them up all night in terror. It’s those shelf talkers for staff picks that bring me out of my existential spiral. They allow me to forget I’m a professional book person and just let myself be swayed by good old-fashioned enthusiasm.
You of course don’t have to be a cranky reader like me to experience this magic. Indie bookstores are great like that: they have something for you whether you’re a seasoned consumer of books or someone newly getting into the game. I’m lucky enough to have several fantastic indies to choose from here in Portland, Oregon, so I’ve rounded up some staff picks from four of them today. If you’re participating in the 2025 Read Harder Challenge, each of these picks will satisfy Task #12: Read a staff pick from an indie bookstore (Preferably, from your local indie bookstore). These may not be local to you, but I won’t tell if you count them.
Powell’s Books
Ah, Powell’s, City of Books. It probably needs no introduction as the largest independent bookstore in the world. The flagship location spans four whole city blocks and is a must-see when in Portland, with two smaller locations in different parts of town. The picks I have from Powell’s are from their online staff picks and from shelf talkers at their Southeast Portland location on Hawthorne.
The Queer Revolt: Poetry for Revolution by Timothy Arliss OBrienNicholas Y. at Powell’s starts this recommendation by asking, “Need some queer anger?” and, well, yes! This pamphlet poetry collection is from the founder of The Poet Heroic, a podcast and small-press poetry publishing house. The format of this collection sounds so cool, including a mini-zine essay, poems in envelopes, and a pop-out waterfall poem. If you’ve been looking for some queer poetry to dive into for Pride, check this one out! |
The Cozy Cosmic edited by Frances Lu Pai Ippolito and Mark TeppoJubel at the Hawthorne Powell’s has this to say about The Cozy Cosmic: “This is like one of those cozy mystery books for lovers of horror! Fun, bite-sized stories and poetry from 33 contributors. You won’t find this much fun along with the scares in any anthology in recent memory!” Cozy is really having a moment right now, and as a bit of a horror weenie, I’m very intrigued by a cozier approach to scares. |
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