Whether or not you are an avid reader or book fanatic, it can be difficult finding the books you want without knowing which ones you want! The possibilities are endless, and the options can often be overwhelming. Standing in the middle of a shelf with hundreds, maybe thousands, of titles in front of you.

So how do you narrow down the choices? Or find what you are looking for faster? I have three quick tips on what to search for when browsing bookstores.

1. Ask the staff!!

   While this may seem like the most obvious advice, I think I still need to say it. We are so often consumed in our own little worlds (and cellphones) that speaking to strangers, or asking for help has been lost as a first instinct. Our first instinct when we don’t know where to look or what to look for is to GOOGLE. And typing in a search bar is easy and produces fast results, but is of zero importance in bookstores. That is part of the reason I love them so much. No amount of googling will point you to where you need to be; you have to find the book(s) yourself. So asking an employee, even if they might seem preoccupied, you will not only make them happy (people who love books and love helping others) but also you get more insights more tips, more suggestions on what to read based on what you like.

2. Look for Book Tags

   Most Independent bookstores now have small notes, what I call Book tags, lining the shelves, giving a quick synopsis of a book or reasons the staff picked the work as one of their favorite. There are also book tags that point you in the direction of what you might like based off a past read “If you like this, you might like…” and I find these suggestions helpful and often accurate.

3. Know the Authors You Like

   Most bookshops are organized alphabetically, therefore don’t be disappointed when you searching for “The Shining” and it isn’t there- you would perhaps find it under “K”. Instead of finding books by title, if you know the authors you like or even if you don’t it is a good strategy to start with tops or bottoms of shelves and make your way to the middle.

Overall, there are ways to expedite the process of choosing a book, but part of the charm of bookshops is the wandering around, the absence of time. Most likely, you will spend a while browsing the shelves of a bookstore, which is after all, kind of the point.

Lastly, here is an excellent list of books and authors to start with, curated by the best at IndieBound.org.

To find your local independent bookstores search here!!