| We Love Bookstores |
Sisters in Crime loves Bookstores!Since 2015, Sisters in Crime has given over $30,000 in grants to bookstores in recognition of the role they play in introducing authors to readers and building a community of booklovers. Six grants of $500 each will be made this year. Click here for more information and a link to apply. Feel free to explore our website and see all we have to offer: an author search tool to help you find crime writers in your area; a full library of webinars from engaging experts in writing, forensics, and publishing; and more. Sign up here for the bi-monthly Sisters in Crime Newsletter, full of information and news you can share with your patrons. Membership in SinC is open to all readers, writers, librarians, and of course, booksellers, though you do not have to be a member to apply for an award, or sign up for our newsletter. Thank you for all you do and remember – Sisters in Crime Loves Bookstores! Enter your bookstores by accessing this form!2024 WinnersNovember 2024
The November Winner of the We Love Bookstores Award – Shelf Life Bookshop in Barbourville, Kentucky September 2024
The September Winner of the We Love Bookstores Award – BumbleBooks at The Amana Colonies in Iowa. July 2024
The July We Love Bookstores Award winner is Blacksburg Books in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo caption: Manager Ellen Woodall is pictured with Sisters in Crime member-author books.) May 2024
The May winner of the We Love Bookstores grant is Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Washington. Events manager Spencer Ruchti (pictured above) shared this about the store: “Third Place Books is the deliberate and intentional creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, we opened a store in the Ravenna neighborhood of Seattle in 2002 and another in the Seward Park neighborhood in 2016. Third Place Books is a general interest bookstore with over 200,000 new, used, and bargain books in Lake Forest Park and over 40,000 books in Ravenna. It is a fun, comfortable, and safe place to browse, linger, lounge, relax, read, eat, laugh, play, talk, listen, and just watch the world go by." March 2024
The Mystery Lovers BookshopOakmont, PAOwners Kristy Bodnar and Tara Goldberg-DeLeo (pictured above) took over the shop in 2018. "Mystery Lovers Bookshop has been an independent bookstore specializing in the mystery genre since 1990,” said Tara. “We carry over 6,000 titles of books for children and adults. We are dedicated to offering a wide range of books from the mystery genre, including thrillers, noir, suspense, and cozies, too. We also have a large children's selection and popular general fiction. We are located just 20 minutes east of downtown Pittsburgh in the charming retail district of Oakmont, PA." Tara Goldberg-DeLeo added, "We truly appreciate the grant and the support from Sisters in Crime.” Support The Mystery Lovers Bookshop Address: 514 Allegheny River Blvd, Oakmont, PA 15139 Website: https://www.mysterylovers.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mysterylovers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mysteryloversbookshop January 2024
Bright Side BookshopFlagstaff, AZ(Photo: Bright Side Bookshop booksellers, Allison and Maddox, are pictured with books by SinC member author Mia Manansala.) Purchased in 2017 by local Flagstaff residents, Annette Avery, Ben Shaffer, and his wife, Lisa Lamberson, the website lists Bright Side Bookshop’s fitting motto as, “Local. Independent. Yours.” General manager Bianca Fahy said, “We strive to create a welcoming community space with a diverse selection of books and resources, representing local, national, and international identities, and stories that provide opportunities for discovery and open conversation.” The $500 WLB award will be used to provide student participants with books at an author event, co-hosted by Northern Arizona University! 2023 WinnersNovember 2023
Tall Tales Book ShopAtlanta, Georgia(Pictured is owner, Rebekah Hagedorn, with her back to the camera and Marlowe on her shoulder, and the Tale Tales’ youngest employee, Trisha.) Tall Tales Book Shop opened in 1979, and the present owner Rebekah Hagedorn bought it in 2013, when the original owner was 80 years old. Rebekah came to the store with five years of experience in bookselling at Tall Tales and with 20 years of overall retail experience. Rebekah kept on the staff working there at the time of the sale. For several years (until Covid) the original owner, Marlene, worked a day or so a week. The store has been in the same shopping plaza for its entire existence. They are a general interest, independent bookstore with a store cat named Marlowe, who joined the team in 2018 and "works" part-time. Tale Tales owner says she’s hoping to upgrade her ancient credit card machine with the WLB award money, and she hasn't done outside events since Covid, but winning the WLB award might be an incentive! September 2023
Page 158 BooksWake Forest, North CarolinaOwner Suzanne Lucey described the history of her ownership of the store to SinC WLB Coordinator Robin Agnew. Page 158 Books opened on July 1, 2015, exactly six weeks after Suzanne walked into the former Storytellers Bookstore and said she wanted to own a bookstore. She changed the name and gradually added more and more books. Two years later, she and her husband bought the space they are in now. Six years after that, they expanded the shop, (which opened just last week) and now have a well-established cafe in the new space, along with a non-fiction section. They are in the process of adding writing workshops, author events, and live music. Many people ask about the origin of the bookstore’s name. Possible answers are:
(Despite our best efforts, Suzanne would not provide the answer to the question and left it a mystery for all of us mystery lovers to figure out.) The $500 WLB award will go towards “putting books in the hands of kids.” Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Page158Books Twitter/X: http://www.twitter.com/Page158Books Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/Page158Books July 2023
Wordsmith BookshoppeGalesburg, IllinoisPer the owner Teri Parks, "Wordsmith Bookshoppe carries 18,000 titles of new books, 1500 titles of magazines, and literary-themed gifts. We cater to book lovers. And we absolutely LOVE our local authors—carrying about 75 authors with close to 200 titles. We are living our dream and believe that any author should have the same opportunity.” Pictured: Owner Teri Parks Website: www.wordsmithbookshoppe.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/Wordsmith-Bookshoppe-2301479029928311/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/wordsmithbookshoppe/ May 2023
Marcus BooksOakland, CAThe bookstore’s founders, Drs. Raye and Julian Richardson met at Tuskegee University which they both attended. In 1946 Julian started Success Printing Co. in the Fillmore District of San Francisco and in 1960, the two founded Marcus Books (named after political activist and author Marcus Garvey). Together — and through both the publishing press and bookstore — they fiercely advocated for Black history, exchange, and knowledge of self. They published now canonical books (that had before their resurrection gone out of print) and work by independent authors, poets, and artists. Marcus Books is an institution where those who have written books, produced visual work and more can see themselves on a shelf, wall or counter surrounded by other Black makers. 60 years since its opening, the bookstore has become a literary and cultural hallmark that has hosted iconic authors including Toni Morrison, Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Walter Mosley, Angela Davis, Terry McMillan, Chaka Khan, Michael Eric Dyson, Iyanla Vanzant, Sister Souljah, Nikki Giovanni, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Patti LaBelle and so many more of our treasured voices. Just as important are the bookclubs, intimate poetry readings, and countless customer conversations that unfold at Marcus. Alongside Marcus Books’ legacy of Black publishing is an investment in nourishing Black readership, no matter what age. Generations of families have grown up in the store: the student coming to find course material, our incarcerated brothers and sisters writing to put in book orders, the parents who bring their children to the store much like their parents did for/with them. World renowned author or prophetic local poet, elder or toddler, Marcus Books has provided something for you. Website: www.marcusbooks.com March 2023January 20232022 WinnersNovember 2022
Owner Joshua Rigsby says about his store: “Pretty Good Books started out as a tiny consignment shelf at a local thrift store. The demand was so strong at that location we opened a full brick and mortar store in December 2019. We’ve weathered the pandemic, moved to a grander location near downtown LaGrange, GA, and have been slinging books ever since! We are a general bookstore, with both new and used books, and do our best to have a little bit for everyone. We pride ourselves in our local history selection, as well as hosting events for authors, educational series, and community programs. We will put these funds to good use, adding additional shelves to our kids’ section upstairs!” Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrettyGoodBookstore Instagram: http://instagram.com/PrettyGoodBookstore TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@prettygoodbooks YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8H6J9XKRj8ZRFTIXYTUaxw July 2022
The July winner of the We Love Bookstores award is the vital independent Inklings Bookshop in Yakima, Washington. Owner Susan Richmond plans to use the award to encourage her hardworking staff, many of whom are pictured reading in the attached photo! "We are encouraged as we go into the future. Kids are reading, Adults are reading. There is still nothing as magical or mysterious as a good book. Books are here to stay. By the way, the only dream that didn’t come true was the crackling fireplace. We do have an electric one that puts out a paltry amount of heat, but the emotional warmth it creates is lovely," says Susan Richmond. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inklingsbookshop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inklingsbookshop/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/inklingsbooks May 2022
Books are Awesome! in Parker Colorado is the May winner of the We Love Bookstores grant. Pictured are owners Wendy Withers and Danean Wisley. They opened the store a little over two years ago, and "love being Parker's local bookstore." Both women are long time Parker residents, and Danean says "we LONGED for a local indie bookstore, and finally decided that if it was going to happen, we had to be the ones to do it!" They don't specialize in any one genre, but sell everything, all new books. They operate SIX book clubs out of the store including a Transcendentalist Book Club that started in February of '22. Facebook @booksareawesomeparker March 2022
Located in Alberta, Canada, Owl’s Nest Books is a 47-year-old landmark. Owners Susan & Michael Hare say that their store mission is to be “the city’s most informed bookstore. That’s because all of us at the store grew up with books, and our lives are better because of it. We take seriously our responsibility to pass on that love of books to a whole new generation of readers.” The store hosts three book clubs and offers discounts on book club selections, as well as hosting book launches, readings, signings, and open mic nights. Finally: “Great books make for a healthy community. And having a good bookstore around makes that happen.” Website: http://www.owlsnestbooks.com/ Photo: Stacey Kondla poses with books by Sisters in Crime member authors, Murder in Bel-Air by Cara Black, A Better Man by Louise Penny, Haunting the Haunted by E.C. Bell, and When the Flood Falls, by J. E. Barnard.
January 2022
The we Love Bookstores winner for January is Blair Books & More in Chester, Vermont.
2021 WinnersNovember 2021
Owner Lisa Deyo reports: This crazy venture into the world of book and candy selling was first initiated by [her] husband in November of 2015 as a “You’ve always wanted to do this and now there’s a storefront available across from the brand-new Spam Museum...why not?” September 2021
Pictured is A Freethinkers' Corner Bookstore owner Chris Upton, holding books by members of his local New England Sisters in Crime chapter. The store will be expanding to a larger space this fall. July 2021Joseph-Beth Booksellers has been in operation since 1986. The first store was opened in Lexington, KY. The 2nd location was opened in Cincinnati, OH in 1993. Both locations also have the Bronte Bistro, a casual dining restaurant. facebook @JosephBethCincy
May 2021Mystery Ink Bookstore owner Debbie Mitsch has been an independent bookseller since 1991, specializing in author events. Over the past 25+ years, she has hosted many best-selling authors, including Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver, T. Jefferson Parker, Rhys Bowen, Cara Black and many more. Mystery Ink is also the bookseller for numerous outside events including the Ladies of Intrigue Conference, the Literary Guild of Orange County, annual fundraising author luncheons for several different libraries, and is a regular participant at the LA Times Festival of Books. They also provide the books bi-yearly for the UCR Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA (Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts) conferences. Debbie Mitsch is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
8907 Warner Ave. #150 Website: http://www.mysteryink.com/home.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MysteryInkBooks/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mysteryink_hb Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/mysteryink March 2021The winner of the We Love Bookstores grant for March is Whodunit Mystery Bookstore in Winnepeg, Manitoba. Owners Jack and Wendy Bumsted bought the store from the original owners in 2004, and the store has been operating since 1994. They were able to pivot during the pandemic and rely on their revamped website, online sales, and neighborhood pick ups and deliveries. Owner Wendy Bumsted says they've actually found new customers and the store is thriving. 
2020 Winners
Prior Year Winners |
1/6/2025 » 1/31/2025
SinC January Jumpstart
1/29/2025
Creating a Community of Practice
