October weekends tend to fill themselves. Football, fall festivals, school events and dinner plans can turn a supposedly free afternoon into another schedule to manage.
A bookstore afternoon asks very little of you. Pick a neighborhood, give yourself time to browse and leave with something you’re excited to read. Coffee helps. So does putting your phone away long enough to get through the first few pages.
These three Birmingham-area shops offer different ways to spend that time. Choose one and build your afternoon around it. There’s plenty to discover without driving across town to visit them all.
For Books and a Homewood Stroll: Little Professor
Little Professor, at 2738 18th Street South, makes a convenient starting point for an afternoon in downtown Homewood. Browse first, then leave yourself time to explore the surrounding shops or get something to eat.
The store offers staff recommendations and serves locally roasted June coffee. That combination is useful when you know you want a book but have no particular title in mind. Tell a bookseller what you recently enjoyed, what you abandoned halfway through or what kind of story you’re in the mood for. Those details give them more to work with than “something good.”
If you usually head straight for fiction, spend a few minutes looking at something else. A cookbook, design book or biography might be the purchase you return to most often. You can also make this a low-pressure gift-shopping stop. Little Professor offers complimentary gift wrapping, so a book for a friend can leave the store ready to give.
Make an afternoon of it: Allow time for browsing before your next commitment. A bookstore visit gets much better when you aren’t checking the clock every five minutes.
For Browsing and Literary Events: Thank You Books
Thank You Books, at 5502 Crestwood Boulevard, is a good reason to spend part of an afternoon in Crestwood. Its events calendar includes author conversations, book clubs and story times, giving you ways to return after that first browse.
Start with a subject that already interests you, then let yourself wander. Reading the opening page can tell you more about your interest in a novel than its jacket description. For nonfiction, look through the contents and sample a section. You’re choosing something you’ll spend time with, so give yourself permission to be particular.
If you’re visiting with a friend, try picking a book for each other. Set a budget, explain your choices and accept that the results may say something amusing about your friendship. Or choose the same title and make plans to talk about it over dinner once you’ve both finished.
Before you go: Check the shop’s current events calendar. Confirm the location and any RSVP requirements for the specific event you’re considering, since some programs take place away from the store.
For Coffee, a Cookie and a New Read: Church Street Coffee & Books
Church Street Coffee & Books, at 81 Church Street in Mountain Brook, brings the book-and-coffee plan together in one stop. Its Breakup Cookie gives you a perfectly reasonable excuse to add something sweet.
Ask for a recommendation if you’re having trouble choosing, then order your coffee. If a seat is available, spend a little time with your new purchase before moving on. Even twenty minutes of reading can make the afternoon feel different from a quick shopping errand.
This is also an easy outing to suggest when meeting a friend. You have something to browse together, something to talk about and the option to keep the visit short or linger a little.
Church Street lists daily hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., so plan your afternoon with closing time in mind.
Leave Some Time to Read
The most satisfying part of a bookstore afternoon may happen after you get home. Put your new book somewhere you’ll reach for it, make another cup of coffee or tea and start while you’re still interested.
You don’t need to finish a chapter, join a challenge or turn reading into another task. A few pages are enough to begin.
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