By Sara Karlovitch
Quarantine has us all reading a lot. Personally, I’ve already devoured four since cooping up in my house and even though I have books pouring out of my shelf I feel like I have nothing to read.
Amazon seems like the cure to the book-shaped hole in my heart. Free two-day shipping is hard to resist. But here’s the thing, I love my local bookstores- and I want them to still be here when this is all over.
So, let’s all ditch Amazon. It will still be here when this is all over and agree to support our local bookstores who are probably going to have the hardest couple of months of their existence. So, I’ve put together a list of resources to make it a little easier.
BookShop is an online retailer by IndieBound- an online resource that promotes local bookstores. BookShop sources books from local stores and connects users to their favorite stores online. A portion of every sale goes directly to local bookstores.
2. Postmates.
Yes, you can Postmates that. Postmates delivers books and if you live in the D.C. area you can order from one of my favorite bookstore of all time- Kramerbooks and Afterwords. Get a new book with a side of fries in under an hour!
3. Politics and Prose’s Book of The Month Club
Another local legend, Politics and Prose has a book club! So, if you are unsure of what you want to read, Politics and Prose will send you a curated book every month. I just got my first and I’m super excited to read it. It’s like Christmas comes every month.
4. Capitol Hill BooksMystery Box
Capitol Hill Books in D.C. will send you a box of books wherever you live. Another great resource is you don’t know what you want to read and want a lot of great books for really cheap. Just email them about how much you want to spend and what you like.
One of the country’s most famous independent bookseller, The Strand is located in New York City and they are online! Check out their website. They will probably have what you’re looking for.
6. Buy a Gift Card
Already have enough to read? Buy yourself or someone else a gift card from your local bookstore. Think of it as a little microloan to be redeemed later in the form of books.
Remember, this isn’t forever. We will get through this. We owe it to the bookstores who have supported us for years to support them when they need it the most.
In the meantime, happy reading!
Featured Photo Credit: Courtesy of Wonderlane’s Flickr account.
Sara Karlovitch is a senior journalism and government and politics major and can be reached at skarlovi@terpmail.umd.edu.
