This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bowling Green chapter.

A perk of being a new graduate is that I have free time to read! This is an important activity to me as a general reader and as an aspiring writer/author. My to-be-read list is HUGE, so I was eager to start reading for fun again and buying new books. Today, I’m going to talk about my favorite places to get new books, my recent reads, and some books on my TBR list that you may want to add to yours too. Links to all books and bookstores will be listed at the end in the order of when they were mentioned. Happy reading!

Book shopping

I’m someone who likes to own physical copies of my books, but I keep in mind that purchasing a book means I’ll own it indefinitely. Therefore, I ask for books as gifts and purchase books that I think I’ll really like and want to keep on my shelf. Plus, when I already own a book that I want to read, it’s there and ready for me to pick up whenever i have time to read with no deadline to finish it. As a creative writing major, my professors talked about the importance of building our personal libraries, so that’s another thing I think about when buying books.

A favorite place to shop for books is Target. I vividly remember venturing to the YA section in middle school with Target gift cards that relatives had given me for Christmas, so there’s a bit of nostalgia when I browse for books at Target. I’d find a book that seemed interesting, give it a quick Google search to see its ratings, and then happily take it to the checkout. The Target books are decently priced and they acquire new titles often.

Of course, Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million are great options for book shopping. These chain bookstores are massive and sell more things beyond books, such as records, movies, games, stationery, plushies, etc. These stores sell some signed books and even have author events and book launches. However, buying books at these stores is probably the most expensive route, so I prefer going here if they have a special edition (some new releases include additional chapters, for example) I’m looking for or if I have a gift card to spend.

If you want to read more books and not break the bank, take advantage of your local library. I grew up going to the library closest to my house. I went to story-time as a kid, checked out book series, and played on the computers. In Bowling Green, I mostly utilize the Wood County Library for movies and have attended several of their book-related events for my classes, such as the Mock Caldecott and an author-illustrator presentation. The library is within walking distance from campus and has a quiet study area with huge desks for your convenience. When using any library, you are supporting the local community!

Speaking of local communities, the following four stores are local/indie booksellers! These retailers are independently owned and typically only have one storefront. Local authors can more easily get their books featured at indie bookstores, which is an easy way to support indie- and self-publishers. Your purchases will go into the local economy and directly support the book-lovers running the store. By definition, local/indie bookstores are dependent are whatever area you’re in, but here are four that I have gone to:

Last summer, I went to The Book Loft in the German Village of Columbus for the first time. The store takes up a whole city block and consists of 32 rooms! It was like a maze to get through and they had any genre you could think of. When I went, I bought Book Lovers by Emily Henry and Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn, both on sale! By the way, if you follow this link, you’ll find a page of coupons to print off prior to your visit.

Another local bookstore I like is Grounds for Thought. If you’re in the Bowling Green area, I’m sure you’ve heard lots about this bookstore and coffee shop because it’s a favorite study and social spot for many students and townies. Although it’s the only bookstore on my list without an online inventory to order from, the shelves are lined with gently-used books sold at discounted prices. After watching Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, I had to get the book by Louisa May Alcott and scored a copy from the 1960s for $2! Recently, I picked up Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 for $6 too. You never know what you’ll find at Grounds for Thought, so get yourself a coffee and wander around!

The Learned Owl Book Shop in Hudson, Ohio is in a historical building on main street, carrying books for all ages and genres. I didn’t know this bookstore to had an upper floor and basement, so it was fun to discover new rooms, notably a local authors section on the upper floor. I did not get any books during my trip, but I did add some that seemed interesting to my TBR list for future reference.

I checked out Left Bank Books when I went to Seattle. It’s located in the Pike Place Market, and they sell new and used books. They specialize in small-press titles and providing a diverse collection, but they do carry well-known books as well. Some fun facts about Left Bank Books is that they sponsor the Books for Prisoners program and the store doesn’t have bosses or managers; instead, it’s collectively owned and operated by its workers. This is another bookstore that I didn’t purchase from but had a fun time exploring.

MY recent reads

It’s been about a year since I read and watched Daisy Jones and The Six, but I had to include it on this list because it’s by my current favorite author. Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid is about the rise and fall of the fictional 1970s band with the same name. It draws inspiration from Fleetwood Mac but is not entirely based on that real band’s story. Something I love about this novel is that it is told in an oral history format, meaning the characters recount events as they remember them. This gives all of them strong, individual voices and leaves room for some things to be read between the lines.

I picked up And Now I Spill the Family Secrets by Margot Kimball because not only did she speak at BGSU, but I was also invited to a private lunch with her and some fellow students. Kimball’s illustrated memoir pieces together the parts of her childhood that her family didn’t like to talk about. It’s a story of growing up and dealing with intergenerational family trauma and mental illness. If you enjoyed Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and/or Are You My Mother? then I encourage you to check out Margot Kimball as well. I’m so glad to have a personalized signed copy!

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith is a wonderful memoir that touches on Smith’s love for her children, her divorce from her husband, and her rise in popularity as an American poet. The theme is making something beautiful out of struggles and loss. The sections about her growth as a writer were inspirational to me, and it was fascinating to see the family’s struggles through the mother’s eyes. The memoir is told through short vignettes, which I loved because it better incorporated Smith’s poetic voice and due to my preference for short chapters.

I’m currently reading Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll. It’s about an American sorority that was targeted by a serial killer. It focuses on the women determined to get answers and look past the media’s glorification of the killer. I like how it switches between two point-of-view characters in different places and years that were both impacted by the tragedies, and I flew through the first hundred pages. It’s based on a true story, so I recommend it to true-crime junkies or those who enjoy thrillers.

TBR List highlights

From 1992, The Secret History by Donna Tartt follows a group of students at a New England boarding school and their involvement in the death of a classmate. I’ve heard it’s a staple of the dark academia style and has been regarded as a modern classic. I got the 30th anniversary edition for Christmas.

Girls of a Certain Age by Maria Adelmann is a book of short stories following 21st century women of all ages and the impossible choices they have to make, such as regarding toxic friendships, abortions, and a family member going to war. The 13 stories are said to be darkly playful as they dive deeply into women’s psyches.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson is a popular YA murder-mystery series that is being made into a TV show. I’ve heard great things about the books being hard to put down and having unexpected twists, so I think it’s about time I got my hands on the series.

The last TBR title I’d like to share is The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters. I discovered it at Barnes and Noble because it won the 2023 Discover Prize. The mystery and domestic-fiction novel centers on indigenous family separation and intergenerational trauma over fifty years.