Race for Reading

Since I will be away from my office tomorrow, this is my final opportunity to remind everyone about Independent Bookstore Day, a delightful, all-day celebration of reading that’s scheduled to take place in various American cities on Saturday, April 28.

This will be the fourth year in a row my hometown of Seattle, Washington, has joined the festivities, and as I did in 2016 and again last year, I shall be taking part. There are 23 local-area retailers participating in 2018 (which does not include the terrific Seattle Mystery Bookshop, closed last September). People wishing to participate in this tourney can start at any one of those businesses. All you have to do is ask at the first stop for a free Passport Map, which provides the addresses of all 23 stores, and then have someone at each shop along the way stamp that passport. Everyone who can collect at least 19 such ink stamps during the day—thus finishing the “Champion Challenge”—will win a special card providing the holder with a 25-percent discount at all 23 bookshops for one year.

As The Seattle Times notes, folks who don’t think they’re up for the full competition can still benefit: “Visit three stores on the list on that day and get your passport stamped, and you’ll get a one-time 30 percent off coupon, good for any participating store.”

I’ve found this event to be most enjoyable over the years, even though it is also hectic and exhausting. (Last year, my favorite niece and I started the circuit at 6:30 a.m. and finished 12.5 hours later!) Like other repeat racers, I suspect, I have a route that works well for me—involving ferry trips across Puget Sound, a stop for pastries in the Kitsap County town of Poulsbo, and time enough to browse the shelves at each bookstore—and will be following that again on Saturday. I look forward to seeing many fellow Seattle bibliophiles over the course of the day. There were 340 “Champion Challenge” winners in 2017; I expect the route to be even more crowded this Saturday.

READ MORE: “Bookstore Mysteries: Independent Bookstore Day,” by Janet Rudolph (Mystery Fanfare).