Dear Booksellers and SinC Members,

 

For the November issue, I thought you might like recommendations for bookstores that specialize in crime fiction to jump start your holiday shopping. For a complete list of bookstore recommendations from this year, and to see the full articles on The Raven Book Store and Centuries and Sleuths, please find the archived WLB issues here.

 

Booksellers, please reach out to me at librarian@sistersincrime.org if you are putting together a holiday display and would like to share photos in the December issue of We Love Bookstores News.

 

I am also pleased to announce the November We Love Bookstores Award winner is Pretty Good Books in LaGrange, Georgia.

Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore

7419 Madison Street

Forest Park, IL 60130

Website: https://www.centuriesandsleuths.com/

 

Centuries & Sleuths specializes in history and mystery books, as cleverly referenced by its name. Both the space and the booksellers are warm and inviting: shelves of books line the walls topped with fun historical and mystery-themed knickknacks; and there’s comfortable seating available; and Augie, his wife, Tracy, and their long-time employee, John Cline, are happy to chat about anything, including every mystery or history-related book in the store.

 

Recommended in the July issue by Mia Manansala 

 

Mysterious Bookshop

58 Warren Street

New York, NY 10007

Website: https://www.mysteriousbookshop.com/

 

The Mysterious Bookshop has survived Amazon’s competition, a Covid lockdown, and the high rents in Manhattan. It’s still a haven where you can talk to a person, surrounded by thousands, maybe tens of thousands of fictional murderers. During Edgar Week, award nominees and other writers party here. The store, at 58 Warren Street, often provides a venue for book launches. A photo gallery shows Isaac Asimov, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Joyce Carol Oates, and dozens of others penning autographs. Other specialties of the shop are rare books and the world’s largest Sherlockian collection, which covers a back wall. The website gives access to a newsletter, eight kinds of book clubs, and an estimated twelve-to-fifteen thousand books in the mystery field, which includes crime, espionage, suspense, and thrillers.

 

Recommended by Jenna Weart

Mystery Lovers Bookshop 

514 Allegheny River Blvd

Oakmont, PA 15139

Website: https://www.mysterylovers.com/

 

Mystery Lovers Bookshop in the heart of Oakmont, PA (near Pittsburgh), opened its doors in 1990. Owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Richard Goldman and Mary Alice Gorman, the store became almost legendary for its author events. Lisa Scottoline and Laura Lippman were longtime regulars.

 

Mary Alice, an avid supporter of mystery authors and readers, was vital to the launch of the Mary Roberts Rinehart Chapter of Sisters in Crime. She and Richard further supported the mystery community by creating the Festival of Mystery, which was held annually on the Monday following Malice Domestic.

 

Upon their retirement, the store changed hands several times before coming under the excellent guidance of current owners, Tara Goldberg-DeLeo and Kristy Bodnar. These hardy women took ownership mere months before the onset of the pandemic but pivoted mightily to an online sales model while hosting virtual author appearances.

 

Back in person, the store continues to thrive, and Tara and Kristy continue to support mystery (and all genres!) authors and fans by keeping the shelves stocked for browsers and offering an unending variety of options in their online store. I’m proud and honored to say Mystery Lovers Bookshop has hosted every one of my book launches.

 

Recommended by Annette Dashofy

The Raven Book Store

809 Massachusetts St

Lawrence, KS 66044

Website: https://www.ravenbookstore.com/

 

Danny Caine is the third owner of the Raven Book Store, which was named after Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “The Raven.” Danny bought the bookshop in 2017. When it was founded in 1987 by Mary Lou Wright and Pat Kehde, the bookstore specialized in mysteries and crime fiction. I learned in my discussion with Danny that Mary Lou Wright, a friend of Sara Paretsky, served as the first treasurer of Sisters in Crime, and the store’s address was the official address of Sisters in Crime. In 2018, the bookstore received a Raven Award at the Edgars. The award was given in recognition of the dedication the Raven Book Store has shown for crime and mystery writers and readers since 1987.

 

From Susan Hammerman’s interview with Danny Caine in the June issue of WLB.

Would you like to write an entry for We Love Bookstores News about your favorite shop or something else? Did you put together or see an amazing bookstore display? Submit your ideas to Susan Hammerman, Library and Bookstore Liaison at librarian@sistersincrime.org 

Joshua Rigsby pictured above with books by Sisters in Crime member authors.

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!”

 

 

It is easy to apply for the $500 Sisters in Crime We Love Bookstores award. Winners are selected every other month. Find details and the application here:  https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/WeLoveBookstores

 

Contact Robin Agnew (WLB@SistersinCrime.org) if you have questions about the application process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Library and Bookstore Liaison: Susan Hammerman, a former rare book librarian, is the Library and Bookstore Liaison and coordinator of the We Love Libraries program. Susan writes crime and neo-noir short stories. Her stories have appeared in Mystery Magazine, Dark City Mystery Magazine, Blood and Bourbon, Retreats From Oblivion, and the Stories (Within) anthology. Website: www.susanhammerman.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shammerman1

 

 

 

 

WLL and WLB News Editor: Gail Lukasik’s latest book, White Like Her: My Family’s Story of Race and Racial Passing, was named one of the most inspiring stories of the year by The Washington Post. She is also the author of the Leigh Girard Mystery series and the stand-alone mystery, The Lost Artist. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, such as The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, and The Georgia Review. Gail appeared in the documentary, History of Memory, which is available on Amazon Prime. Her fifth mystery, The Darkness Surrounds Us, a Gothic, historical mystery, will be released in Fall 2023. Website: www.gaillukasik.com