March’s Books and Bookstore Roundup
This week’s host is Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect. Go visit the roundup there.
24 Bookstores in 2024: March Report
It’s been an incredibly busy month of travel, and I visited many more bookstores than I realized!
10. Middleburg Books, Middleburg, Virginia
Visited on February 24, 2024
I went to Middleburg Books with my friends Pat and Ann. The booksellers at this store were awesome! We stayed a lot longer than planned because we chatted about all kinds of books. I bought several of their recommendations.
This isn’t a big bookstore, but they make excellent use of space. It’s packed with all kinds of books. Plus they have a Secret Garden themed bathroom.
11. Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, Virginia
Visited on February 25, 2024
This is the bookstore I always visit when I go to Richmond. It’s in the Shockoe Slip neighborhood. I’ve spent so much money there, I had a coupon to spend this time! They have great poetry and science sections. I also always find good local history books there.
12. bbgb Richmond, Virginia
Visited on March 9, 2024
This charming bookstore in Carytown is a bookstore for kids (with a few books for grownups).
13. Riverby Book, Fredericksburg,Virginia
Visited on March 9, 2024
This is a multi-level used bookstore. It’s a gem in downtown historic Fredericksburg.
14. Scrawl Books, Reston, Virginia
Visited on March 16, 2024
I participated in our local library’s winter reading program and received a $10 coupon for this bookstore, so I was happy to go spend it before it expired in a few days.
15. A Thousand Stories, Herndon, Virginia
Visited on March 16, 2024
This little store is inside of an arts center and is the smallest bookstore I’ve visited, but I still found lots of things packed into their tiny space.
16. Papercut Books, Wilmington, NC
Visited on March 28, 2024
17. Quarter Moon Books and Gifts, Topsail Island, NC
Visited on March 28, 2024
What I’ve Been Reading
Two of my favorite books of the year (so far), I read this week! I really loved The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride and Soil by Camille T. Dungy. I bought Ms. Dungy’s book’s at the National Book Festival after hearing her speak, and it’s been on my TBR pile for too long. It has amazing nature writing mixed with history from a black mother’s perspective. Highly recommend for people who love nature writing and poetry.
Haiku of the Week
city petals
weighed down with rain—
concrete garden
Photo Taken: March 9, 2024 Downtown Richmond, Virginia
Haiku Written: March 12, 2024
Grow
We are on vacation this week. I have committed to mostly not working–expect for reading for research. It has been an amazing gift.
20 Comments
Carol Varsalona
Marcie, I am in awe of the fabulous books you purchased during your bookstore excursion. Your haiku has now become one of my favorites in your collection. Next Wednesday our community is cruising around the Potomac to see the cherry blossoms. I hope that they are still there.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Carol! I hope that your Potomac cruise is awesome and that there’s still a few cherry blossoms around. They were earlier than expected this year!
Liz Garton Scanlon
Oh, I feel like I just visited the bookstores myself — thank you!
And that haiku is word perfect.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Liz!
Rose Cappelli
What wonderful suggestions you always make, Marcie.Thanks for sharing them. I’m almost through The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. The town and general area where it takes place is here in Chester County which makes it even more interesting. I think I will have to pick up Sy Montgomery’s book. And I love those “city petals.”
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh, I hope you love THE HEAVEN AND EARTH GROCERY STORE. How cool that it’s local.
PATRICIA J FRANZ
I’m reading SOIL now, too. The workshop you pointed me to inspired me. I may craft my NPM project around SOIL and TROPHIC CASCADE.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh my gosh! I have to hear more about it! I couldn’t put SOIL down.
Sarah Grace Tuttle
So many wonderful bookish adventures! Wishing you lots more in the year to come.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you so much, Sarah Grace!
Karin Fisher-Golton
Wonderful poem/photo pairing! I love the surprise of the last line suggesting something out of the picture, which I can picture vividly in my mind’s eye.
Yay indie bookstores! I enjoyed all your photos.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Karin!
Linda Baie
I love your ‘concrete garden’, Marcie, and the peek inside all those wonderful bookstores! I wish you could visit the one where I work! And I loved The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, too, a marvelous tale! And, I bookmarked a few of the books you shared that you purchased. Thanks for every bit!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
I would love to visit your bookstore one day, Linda!
Mary Lee
I love living vicariously through your bookstore visits! And your haiku is spot-on. Three cheers for the street trees that keep blooming no matter the amount of concrete we surround them with.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
These street trees were so beautiful!!!
Denise Krebs
Marcie, what a collection of books you’ve been reading! I’m so impressed. I have starts and stops with my reading. I just finished The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois. Now I’m starting on The 57 Bus. All those book shops look delectable! How nice! You are way ahead of schedule for hitting 24 in 2024, aren’t you? I was in northern San Diego County last week, and we visited a couple of fun bookshops. I never thought to make a goal of visiting bookstores (but I’m not a librarian, so there’s that.) Your haiku is precious. I love the photo and the words that show “weighed down from rain”
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
The 57 Bus was so powerful. Reads like fiction but is nonfiction. I am ahead of schedule for visiting bookstores so far–but I’ve been doing a lot of traveling. I imagine it will slow down once I’m not traveling much. I’m a bit of a sucker for a challenge. Last summer I visited every single library branch in my county (23!).
Laura Purdie Salas
Gorgeous haiku, Marcie. Concrete garden is such a different perspective than concrete jungle. Enjoy your vacation!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Laura! It was so great to see you on Zoom the other night.