In recent years there has been good news and bad news for the U.S. books industry. First the good news: The number of independent bookstores in the U.S. is on the rise. But on the bad side, the number of books that have been banned through coordinated campaigns nationwide is growing even faster.
That’s why the producer of next weekend’s three-day San Diego Book Crawl say literary access and freedom is so important. Sponsored by the San Diego Library Foundation, the San Diego Book Crawl is one of nearly 100 such events kicking off Saturday on six continents as part of the Global Book Crawl.
6 Southern California independent bookstores first-ever Global Book Crawl
Saturday is also Independent Bookstore Day, which is always held on the last Saturday in April. More than 1,600 U.S. bookstore are scheduled to host events that day.
Book crawls don’t just celebrate the joy of reading, they also honor the important tradition of neighborhood bookshops that offer a rich variety of titles that serve and reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.
The San Diego Book Crawl, which runs Saturday through April 28 at 14 area bookstores, is sponsored by the San Diego Library Foundation, whose CEO Patrick Stewart is a prominent defender of the public’s right to choose the books they read.
In 2023, two local of the national conservative parents rights group Moms for Liberty checked out all of the books in an LGBTQ Pride display at the San Diego Public Library branch in Rancho Peñasquitos and then refused to return them. The Library Foundation worked with the city to purchase and replace all the books. Then, after a New York Times story was published about book bans at public and school libraries nationwide and the two women were named in the article, they returned the books.
“Last year there were over 4,000 titles challenged or banned. It was 2,500 a couple of years ago. Still, one is too many,” Stewart said. “They’re removing the choice for families and individuals to decide what to read. A lot of the books being challenged are about LGBTQ folks and people of color.”
Stewart said the foundation’s goal in this battle is to protect the freedom of information guaranteed by the First Amendment, and ensure the accessibility of reading materials for all.
“When individuals see themselves and their experiences removed from the public arena, what a horrible thing that is to say that you and your experience and your life and existence don’t matter,” Stewart said. “It’s not just a book. We have to the rights of individuals.”
Because book bans have become a growing problem nationwide, this year’s San Diego Book Crawl will have bestselling author Dave Eggers as its 2025 crawl ambassador. Eggers’ 2013 novel “The Circle” was one of five books banned and slated for destruction last year at a school library in South Dakota. His successful efforts to fight the ban were the subject of the 2024 documentary “To Be Destroyed.”
Eggers has written nearly 50 books, runs an international youth literacy organization and his many honors include a Newbery Medal, The American Book Award, the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Education and the TED Prize. He has also been a finalist for the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.
“To have a nationally recognized ambassador elevates the prominence of the San Diego Book Crawl,” Stewart said. “It’s a major coup and it really gives us the opportunity to shed some light on what we’re doing here in San Diego.”
Stewart said a key goal with the San Diego Book Crawl is to foster hope, joy and literacy, and book-positive events like this help expand the ranks of readers. He said city library visitorship has grown in recent years, some of it a direct result of the crawls.
On book crawl days, Stewart likes to man the crafts table at the Library Shop SD, where he works the button-pressing machine. That gives him time to meet and chat with crawlers and learn about their book-reading habits.
“It’s amazing how many people will say it’s been a year since I’ve been to the library,” he said of his chats with crawlers. “We’ve had people come into the book crawl and go shop and get their library card.”
Book-lovers who visit any of the stores listed below can pick up a free port/map to all 14 shops. Crawlers who spend $10 or more at any shop will receive a stamp on their port. Prizes will be awarded at different levels based on the number of stamps. Prizes will be revealed on Saturday, but last year’s prizes included tote bags, coffee cups, pins and drink coasters. A very popular feature added last year was the Book Crawl Shuttle, a bus that drove crawlers around to the different shops on different schedules. Unfortunately, all of the shuttle tours for this year sold out quickly.
Because the event is so popular, participating shop owners advise crawlers to have patience. Bookstores may have long lines, so plan to read the book you’re buying while you’re in line. If you plan to crawl all day, bring your own snacks and water. And to avoid the biggest crowds, spread your bookshop stops throughout the three-day event which includes Monday, April 28.
Participating bookstores
Bay Books Coronado
Located in Coronado, Bay Books really knows its audience. Find a military history section, lots of recommendations and great options for beach reads. Bay Books Cafe, next door to the shop, is a good place to stop for a coffee or pastry before carrying on with the crawl.
1007 Orange Ave., Coronado. baybookscoronado.com
The Book Catapult
For a true neighborhood bookstore experience, The Book Catapult in South Park does not disappoint. Outside, find it surrounded by local businesses selling records, beer, cocktails and Indian, Italian, French and Mexican food. Inside, discover the latest book releases and puzzles, hang out with kids or their book club. Specialty genres include children’s picture books and books on art and photography. The Book Catapult started out as a blog about books written by book industry worker Seth Marko. The unusual name came from a conversation Marko had with a fellow bookseller about how to deliver books more quickly or rid the shop of bad books (via catapult). In October 2017, Marko and his wife, Jen, purchased the former West Grove Collective shop in South Park and turned it into a bookstore.
3010-b Juniper St., San Diego. thebookcatapult.com
Bluestocking Books
Among a small stretch of other secondhand shops in Hillcrest, find the homey Bluestocking Books. Kris Nelson purchased the shop in 1999 and changed its name to Bluestocking Books, a reference to the 18th-century term “blue stocking,” which was used to refer to a woman with intellectual and literary interests. Before that, the Hillcrest location sold books and antiques under two different owners dating back to 1967. Warren said the shop carries used and new books of virtually every genre, with large collections of books on LGBTQ themes, sociology, women’s studies, Black studies and more.
3817 Fifth Ave., San Diego. bluestockingbooks.com
Camino Books
Formerly known as Diesel, a Bookstore, Camino Books recently relocated to a new location in Del Mar Plaza, where a ribbon-cutting celebration was held April 10. The business is owned by Alison Reid and John Evans, who lost their home in the L.A. Palisades Fire in January.
Thir new store has a wide range of offerings, including new books, cards and stationery. The store offers one or two book events each week, including book groups, author readings and children’s storytimes. The shop is located right next to An’s Hatmakers gelato shop and is open seven days a week.
Del Mar Plaza, Suite 114, 1555 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar. 858-925-7078, caminobks.com
Hey Books!
Just in time for San Diego Book Crawl, this brand new East Village bookstore opened its doors on April 9. Co-owned by book lovers Matthew Hein and Anika Omark, the 1,000-square-foot shop sells new and used books and offers book events, gifts, children’s books and more.
921 E St., San Diego. 619-693-4462, heybooksorelse.com
Joyride Bookshop
Susie Horn and Katie Turner started this children’s shop in a bookmobile in November 2021. A year later, they moved into a permanent shop space at Liberty Station. The shops sells a wide variety of books ranging from board books for toddlers to young-adult fiction. Although they carry books on a wide range of topics, they take special care to offer books that allow children to learn more and ask questions about their world.
2750 Historic Decatur Road #104, Liberty Station, San Diego. joyridebookshop.com
La Playa Books
This Point Loma bookstore, which underwent a major renovation last year, sells new, used and rare books, as well as specialty items like cards and gifts. The family behind La Playa Books has been living in San Diego since 1886.
1026 Rosecrans St., San Diego. 619-226-2601 laplayabooks.com
Libélula Books & Co.
Libélula Books is a 4-year-old community-centered shop launched four years ago in Barrio Logan by partners Jessie Gutierrez and Ariceli Hernandez. The shop sells new and used books and specializing in books with queer, trans, femme, BIPOC and other unrepresented voices.
950 S. 26th St., San Diego. libelulabooksandco.com
Library Shop SD
Only one location on the book crawl is housed inside a massive San Diego Public Library branch: The Library Shop. All proceeds from shop sales benefit the 37-branch San Diego library system. Crawlers can take part in button-making crafts or hang out in the Central Library for a break before or after their visit. The shop sells books for a wide range of interests as well as literary gifts and merchandise. Be aware, the San Diego Padres will be playing two home games next weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays at nearby Petco Park. Usually, the library offers two hours of free parking to visitors, but on Padres game days, the parking is restricted and subject to a special event fee (up to $55). Saturday’s ballgame is at 5:40 p.m., so parking in the library’s garage from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. will be subject to the fee. The game on April 27 is at 1:10 p.m., so parking there from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. will also be fee-restricted.
330 Park Blvd., San Diego. libraryshopsd.org
Meet Cute Romance Bookshop
Meet Cute, a queer- and woman-owned feminist bookshop, focuses on genre romance. Meet Cute, owned by Becca Title, outgrew its North Park shop space last year and has relocated to a new space that’s twice as large in La Mesa. The books in this shop are likely to include a central romance and a happy ending, and it has an operating belief that there’s a romance book for everyone, including a section of “mostly queer, mostly nonfiction” books and other unique categories.
8235 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa. meetcutebookshop.com
Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore
This Midway area shop was founded in 1992 but has been owned since 2020 by Matt Berger and Jenni Marchisotto. Fans of horror, science fiction, fantasy, romance and young adult novels will feel right at home, surrounded by book covers illustrating warriors, dragons, monsters and magical lands. It’s the type of place to find Dungeon and Dragons meetups, midnight release parties, lots of author visits and events and writer’s groups.
3555 Rosecrans St. #107, San Diego. mystgalaxy.com
UC San Diego Bookstore
While the UC San Diego Bookstore does sell Triton merchandise, textbooks, laptops and other products for a university community, it’s also an independent bookstore with children’s books, science fiction, books from local authors and many other categories. It specializes in science, climate, nature, social science and medicine.
9500 Gilman Drive, San Diego. ucsandiegobookstore.com
Verbatim Books
In the heart of North Park, this 10-year-old shop owned by Justine Epstein is filled with curiosities and nostalgic bits and bobs. This is one of the larger independent bookstores in San Diego County and is filled with shelves of all shapes and sizes and cozy book nooks where readers can relax and thumb through their latest purchase. Some of the shop’s specialties are manga, graphic novels, classic literature and poetry, including books by local poets. On Saturday, the shop will be one of eight on the Crawl being visited by Book Crawl Ambassador Dave Eggers.
3793 30th St., San Diego. verbatimbooks.com
Warwick’s
Warwick’s, billed as America’s oldest family-owned and operated bookshop since 1896, is a general bookstore known for its jam-packed calendar of events. It’s a great option for picking up the latest bestsellers. On the Saturday of the crawl, which is Independent Bookstore Day, Warwick’s will also celebrate St. Jordi’s Day, a Catalonian tradition of books, roses and romance. Events from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day including a bilingual story time, live music by Annela Flores, raffles, treats and more.
7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. warwicks.com
San Diego Book Crawl
When: April 26-28, during store hours (which vary by location)
Where: Bay Books Coronado, Bluestocking Books, The Book Catapult, Camino Books, Hey Books!, Joyride Bookshop, La Playa Books, Libélula Books & Co., Library Shop SD, Meet Cute Romance Bookshop, Mysterious Galaxy, UC San Diego Bookstore, Verbatim Books, Warwick’s
ission: Free to participate, but participants who spend at least $10 at each shop are eligible for prizes
Online: https://www.sdbookcrawl.com/home
U-T staff writer Abby Hamblin contributed to this report.
