Alexandria's new neighborhood bookstore!
Join us on August 3rd for an in-store conversation and book signing with Anna Todd for the release of THE BURNING. ✨ Heat up the summer with the second book in The Brightest Stars trilogy! 📚
📲 Tickets available on our website and Eventbrite. Please note that if the in-store reading sells out, we will sell tickets for a live audio listening party. 🎧
Thank you for all of your kindness and empathy during this time. We are so excited to announce that were soft reopening tomorrow ✨ We are taking good care of Ally, and she will be documenting her journey on Thread if you'd like to follow along. Feel free to reach out to her via email at [email protected].
The best way you can support is by showing up to our event THIS THURSDAY for an in-store conversation with Nicole Flattery and Karin Tanabe as they discuss NOTHING SPECIAL 📚✨
📲 Tickets available on our website and Eventbrite. If it's sold out, just wait for tickets at the door and we will make sure everyone is taken care of 📚 See you there!
Hello bookstore friends! I am experiencing sudden vision loss. I suddenly have a very small field of vision. It’s been over a matter of weeks as a result of what might be a TBI. Not sure. I had severe preeclampsia and had a near death experience delivering my last baby. I’m going to close the bookstore indefinitely effective immediately so I can focus on my health and my three little girls, Fiona (6), Mabel (2.5), and Audrey (6 months.) But I’ll be back better and blinder than ever in a little while. And everyone who works here and has decided to keep working here has their job and will be paid during this mini sabbatical. I’m working with a new store manager and two consultants who are helping me figure out how to adapt to being a blind small business owner. The transition is super hard! I’m crying at work a lot. Many of our booksellers are spooked. I get it it’s weird! I don’t think there’s an ideal way to go blind, but the way I have gone blind has involved a lot of interpersonal conflict. I am so grateful for the smart and beautiful women who helped me grow this store! I am *especially* grateful to Rachel and Jackie, Su and Nicole. You are seeing me, holding me, helping me find my vision for the future of Old Town Books. 👁️ 👁️
Yes, we’re open today and have a bunch of new books for you guys! From signed copies of Patrick DeWitt’s newest novel to the first taste of Halloween for the kiddos, and of course plenty of summer reading suggestions on top of all of that! Check out our stories for more details!
Ring ring ☎️ It’s Tuesday new day calling!
Debuts, store favorites, and research pools to dive into. What more could you ask for on this sunny day?
P.s. We firmly believe that ALL ages deserve a super cute (and sparkly) sticker book for their summer activities. And yes we did find the perfect one for you, you’re welcome.
Stay cool this July by joining us in store and virtually for author events with the perfect summer reads! ☀️ Tickets available on our website and Eventbrite.
Ps. We’ve got kombuchas, teas, and more to keep you well refreshed too!
Saturday, July 8 at 10 am
ELLE EVERHART - Wanderlust
In conversation with Jenny L. Howe. Virtual.
Sunday, July 9 at 7 pm
KATIE SIEGEL - Charlotte Illes is not a Detective
In conversation with Olivia Blacke. In store.
Thursday, July 13 at 7 pm
NICOLE FLATTERY - Nothing Special
In conversation with Karin Tanabe. In store.
Sunday, July 30 at 7 pm
WENDY WALKER - What Remains
In conversation with Angie Kim. In store.
Determined to get your kiddos reading more this summer? Visit Melissa LaSalle, our kids book extraordinaire, in store tomorrow from 10 am to 4 pm for personalized recommendations.
Don’t forget to grab our bingo reading challenge while you’re here! Nothing gets a kid to read more like free pizza! ☀️🍕
Wishing you could spend this rainy day binging The Twilight Saga? You’re not alone, friend!
Here’s some staff favorites that will give you similar vibes. Maybe less vampires… but definitely the perfect ~ I wish I was living in Forks today ~ vibes.
☔️ Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. Athena’s all-time favorite (after Twilight) YA romantasy series. An emotional rollercoaster of will they-won’t.
☔️ The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland. Abby called it “A gorgeous and sad story of immortality and one of the most refreshing additions to vampire lore.”
☔️ Play For Me by Libby Hubscher. The perfect rom-com for both the sport-loving and literature-loving readers. Rachel and Athena both flew through it and can attest to its New Girl semblance.
☔️ Greenwild by Pari Thomas. The middle grade fantasy that our booksellers have fought over because it’s that good!!! Don’t be deterred by the reading age - you’re bound to fall in love with it like we did.
☔️ Shady Hollow by Juneau Black. Who doesn’t want to read a cozy Murder mystery featuring talking animals who live in the forest? The perfect series to have on hand for rainy day reading.
Celebrate the summer solstice with us on Thursday, June 22 at 6 pm for a yoga and journaling session led by Kris Zory King.
Ticket required. Link in stories.
Please note that this is may be postponed due to the weather. ☔️
Books and flowers. Flowers and gnomes.
It’s a beautiful new release Tuesday here at the shop. We’ve got an abundance of new recommendations for the perfect summer reads.
The smoke has cleared and we’re ready to celebrate another New Release Tuesday with you all! We’ve got more Summer Reading Guide picks for both adults and kids, so be sure to check out our stories for all the details!
We’re celebrating the first Tuesday of Pride month with a rainbow of new releases! Check out our stories for more details and we have very limited signed copies of memoir, so grab it while you can!
🚨🚨WE WILL BE CLOSED ALL DAY TOMORROW TO PREP AND HOST OUR EVENT WITH DAVID SEDARIS 🚨🚨
We’re open until 7 pm today for all your bookish needs and will reopen at 10 am on Thursday, June 1.
They delayed New Release stack is here as we’re all getting ready for David Sedaris’s visit tomorrow! Reminder that the shop will be closed tomorrow as we work on the finishing touches, so be sure to swing by today to get these new releases!
Look who stopped by! ✨We have freshly signed copies of Allergic, Squished, and Super Pancake by the wonderful .
Keep an eye out for our 2023 Summer Kids Reading Guide announcement next week… you might see one or more of these books on it. 🤫
Thriller lovers unite for a night with Nora Murphy and Alex Finlay!
These two local authors will be discussing Murphy's latest "The New Mother". It's the perfect eerie quick read for your summer travels, capturing the thrills of motherhood and suburbia as a new mother befriends a neighbor who may not be all that he seems.
Tickets available on our website!
Are you enjoying this weather as much as we are? Why not pick up a book to enjoy while you’re enjoying the sun! Check out our stories for your next summer read!
We've been known to lose a bookseller under cardboard from time to time. ;)
Have your kids ever wondered how a book gets from the printing press to a
bookstore's shelves? How many hands touch it before it touches ours and then yours? Who these hands belong to and, most importantly, what they're DRIVING?
For budding bookworms who are keen to understand how things work, we're partial to the new release, SPECIAL DELIVERY: A BOOK'S JOURNEY AROUND
THE WORLD (ages 2-5), which follows one book as it makes its way from an overseas factory to a bookstore via container ship, crane, train, and truck, before a
grandmother buys it as a present for her favorite little boy.
Science! Technology! Engineering! Math! This month in the kids section, we are celebrating an array of fantastic new STEM-themed releases for curious kids.
Have a kid who likes to tinker? A kid whose MO is asking questions? A kid whose knowledge is quickly surpassing yours? We've got 'em covered.
Mom’s and other strong female role models have played such a role in shaping the members of our staff into the book-loving awesome humans they are today.
Ally says: My mom has always been my safety net. She is the reason I was able to take a big risk and open a brick and mortar bookstore. I knew she'd have my back.
Jen, Acacia and Melissa were quick to send pictures of their Moms, wanting to share their love with the OTB community.
Rachel shared a photo with her late high school English teacher, who encouraged her love of reading and writing and even recommended the college Rachel attended.
Still looking for a book for that special role model in your life? We have some suggestions on our blog.
Still looking for something do to celebrate on Sunday? If we say so ourselves, the bookstore is always a hit.
How many books fit inside an Easter basket? Next to it? Should we ask the Easter Bunny to hide books instead of eggs? We’re going to work on that. 🐇
In the meantime, we invite you to stop by and shop our Spring Kids’ Display, with new favorites about Easter, Passover, baby chicks, budding trees, flowering gardens, rainy puddles, squirmy worms, and other things that mean SPRING IS FINALLY HERE!
It’s International Children’s Book Day! To celebrate, our kids’ buyer, , is sharing a few of her all-time favorite read alouds. What’s the most important criteria for a successful read aloud? YOU need to enjoy it as much as your kids! Whether that means funny world play, dramatic voices, gorgeous art, or a storyline that cuts straight to the heart, your enjoyment will be infectious.
All of these (and more!) can be found in our newly-categorized picture books under Favorite Read Alouds. Stop by and grab one of these surefire hits, and we promise you won’t tire of reading it again and again…and again. ;)
THE LEGEND OF ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, by Drew Daywalt & Adam Rex
THE CIRCUS SHIP, by Chris Van Dusen
THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF, by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen
A VISITOR FOR BEAR, by Bonnie Becker & Kady MacDonald Denton
A SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE, by Philip C. Stead & Erin E. Stead
It’s week and we’ve got stacks of recommendations! 🏳️⚧️
Join us in reading trans books from March 20-27. Check out for more details and links for donations.
March is flying by which means it’s time to announce our April book club picks. As always, be sure to mention “book club” at checkout to get 10% off your purchase. 🌸
Saturday, April 8 at 5:00 pm
A GOOD YARN BOOK CLUB - KICK-OFF: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. In person at Fibre Space.
Monday, April 10 at 7:00 pm
TRUE STORY! BOOK CLUB: Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. In person.
Tuesday, April 18 at 7:00 pm
FICTION BOOK CLUB: What Happened to Ruth’s Ramirez by Claire Jiménez. In person.
Friday, April 21 at 7:30 pm
BAD ROMANCE BOOK CLUB: Solomon’s Crown by Natasha Siegel. Virtual.
Tuesday, April 25 at 7:00 on
MURDER BY THE BOOK CLUB: Stolen by Ann-Helén Laestadius. In person.
Friday, April 28 at 7:00 pm
SCI-FI/FANTASY BOOK CLUB: The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz. In person.
Sunday, April 30 at 7:00 pm
GOOD YARN BOOK CLUB - BOOK DISCUSSION: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. In person at Old Town Books.
stopped by to sign copies of her new book Mourning The Presidents, as well as The Cabinet which has become an Old Town favorite. Stop by today or call to snag your signed copy!
Puzzled by what to do this weekend? Stop by to check out all our new books and puzzles!
It may not feel like spring today… and we might be dreading the time change tomorrow… but surely a cute new puzzle and the perfect book will bring some sunshine your way.
Not only is it another New Release Tuesday but it’s the first Tuesday of the month, meaning books, books, books galore! We’ve got signed copies, special gifts and more so come check them out! And we’re so excited to see all you teachers at our Teacher Takeover tonight from 5-7:30!
Calling all teachers! 🍎 Join us tomorrow night from 5 to 7:30 pm for a special teacher takeover event. You’ll get 20% off the whole store AND our kids book buyer Melissa () will be there to give you one-on-one book recommendations for your kiddos. She also has amazing adult recommendations so don’t forget to treat yourself too because you deserve it!!
Check out our website for more information (link in our events highlight too).
We are big fans of Megan Wagner Lloyd's graphic novels, so we are thrilled she stopped by today to sign stock! SUPER PANCAKE is her hilarious new graphic novel for emerging readers (we're here for all the breakfast pastry puns 🥞🥐). And this Tuesday, her new middle-grade graphic novel, SQUISHED, will be out, written with Michelle Mee Nutter, her co-creator from ALLERGIC. Word has it that ‘s daughter adored the ARC of SQUISHED--the story of 11-year-old Avery Lee who is tired of feeling squished by her six siblings--and you don't get a better endorsement than that!
The sun is out and the store is glowing. ☀️ What are you reading this weekend?
We're ~marching into March~ with a great stack of book club picks - each thought provoking and loveable in their own way which means lots to chat about!
P.S. Don't forget to mention "book club" at checkout to get 10% off your purchase.
Monday, March 13 at 7:00 pm
TRUE STORY! BOOK CLUB: Solito by Javier Zamora. In person.
Friday, March 17 at 7:30 pm
BAD ROMANCE BOOK CLUB: Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews. Virtual.
Tuesday, March 21 at 7:00 pm
FICTION BOOK CLUB: I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai. In person.
Friday, March 24 at 7:00 pm
SCI-FI/FANTASY BOOK CLUB: Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes. In person.
Tuesday, March 28 at 7:00 pm
MURDER BY THE BOOK CLUB: Rogues by Patrick Radden Keefe. In person.
What type of OTB merch would you love for us to sell?
It’s snowing here in Old Town which means it’s the perfect day to snuggle up in one of our OTB sweatshirts and read for hours. Stay warm, friends!
Ps. Don’t worry, we’ll bring these cuties back next year!
Black history, Black joy, and Black girl magic are front and center in our kids’ section this month. Stop by to purchase some of our favorites for your home and school libraries!
We’re so excited to have Christine Grillo in conversation with Kristen Zory King on Saturday, April 22 to celebrate the release of Hestia Strikes a Match. Grillo’s debut quickly became a staff favorite after causing us many laughs as we shared around the ARC.
About the book: Hestia Strikes a Match is the slyly funny story of a woman looking
for love and friendship in the midst of a new American civil war.
It just seemed right to “Welcome” you to check out this week’s new releases daily from 10-7, and always open online.
If you stopped by the store this long weekend, you may not have noticed our door’s new accessories done by earlier this month, because the door was open all weekend enjoying the unseasonably warm weather!
Don’t miss signed copies of March’s Fiction Book club pick, I Have Some Questions For You from , ’s Arch Conspirator and the next installment in FunJungle series, Whale Done.
As always, check out our stories for more info on these new releases and more!
Looking for an excuse to read all weekend long? Join Rachel for our Romance Readathon starting February 18 at 9 am. ❤️
Our stories will be full of prompts and reading updates. Each prompt that you take part in and share will enter you in a gift card giveaway. So basically, read with us and you might get book money. Can it get any better?!
Check out our stories highlight for more details and updates! We can’t wait to read with you.
What 2023 releases are you most excited for? We rallied our team and made a 2023 top picks tbr, now live on our blog. Yellowface by was a highlight across the board - can you blame us?
We know new releases aren’t really a rarity around here, but we’ve definitely got some rare books in the shop right now! Our safe is open and celebrating the early days of romance novels, in honor of Valentine’s Day and our general love (heh) of the genre! Stop by the shop this week to check it out, along with all the new books filing the rest of our shelves! And check out our stories for more details on this weeks new releases!
We’ve got some “heart stopping” news! With every Heartstopper universe purchase you can get one sheet of these adorable Nick and Charlie Valentine’s Day cards.
If you already purchased any of the Heartstopper books from us, you’re welcome to stop by and get a sheet too.
We’ve got lots of love to give - while quantities last!
This Tuesday may feel like a Monday for some of us but it’s new release Tuesday which always feels like a hug… from a beautiful stack of books.
We are delighted to have signed posters from and for the release of Once Upon a Book. We have a limited quantity so be sure to stop by soon or reserve your copy online.
130 South Royal Street
Alexandria, VA
22314
| Monday | 10am - 7pm |
| Tuesday | 10am - 7pm |
| Wednesday | 10am - 7pm |
| Thursday | 10am - 7pm |
| Friday | 10am - 7pm |
| Saturday | 10am - 7pm |
| Sunday | 10am - 7pm |
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Can you tell we’re excited for this event next week?? Join us Wednesday, 3/9 at 7 pm for our first IN PERSON event of the year, where @sarahpekkanen will be in conversation with @alexfinlayauthor to celebrate the release of The Golden Couple. . . Tickets at oldtownbooks.com
Meet our new honorary bookseller! 🎉 When I saw that @sophie.skelton was on Cameo fundraising for a mental health nonprofit, I couldn't think of a better cause to get behind. Opening a bookstore was part of my own mental health journey, so it feels very full circle to contribute to Sophie's fundraiser and to celebrate our Outlander event with this video. Thank you so much Sophie for this amazing campaign, and thank you to fans of @diana_gabaldon and @outlander_starz who have purchased tickets to this event. Like Sophie says, we're so honored to be taking this project on and can't wait to get your copies of Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone in the mail. We promise to get your books in the mail on time, but please note that shipping will take longer than usual due to ::gestures wildly at everything:: but dinna fash! We're already hard at work preparing to get books shipped out as soon as they arrive to our shop the week before the event. Stay tuned for Outlander updates by signing up for our email list on oldtownbooks.com !
✨ Gift card packaging glow up ✨ Purchase a $50+ gift card and get this pretty new gift box. I was about to buy some crinkle paper to use as filling before realizing we recycle lots of old ARCs (advance reader copies) that publishers send us. Why not make some bookish crinkle paper of our own? That’s the official name right, crinkle paper? Also, I should be a hand model right? (Where’s the emoji for *jazz hands* )
The bookstore is packed to listen to Jonathan Rosenberg’s book talk for Dangerous Melodies: Classical Music in America from the Great War to the Cold War. Pick up a signed copy in the store!
Live music in the shop for Jonathan Rosenberg’s book talk for Dangerous Melodies: Classical Music in American from the Great War through the Cold War. We have signed copies for the music loving history buff in your life!
Domenica Marchetti at Boxwood in Alexandria in partnership with Old Town Books. We have signed books in the store if you missed the event!
Local author of bestselling courtroom drama, Miracle Creek stopped by on small business Saturday for an impromptu reading! We have signed copies in store!
M Randal O’Wain reading from Meander Belt. Copies available in store!
Apply Yourself! panel at Emerging Writers Festival 2019
Continuing the #EWF19 reading series is Poets for RAICES!
Next up is Poets for RAICES! These talented poets are reading from their work and collecting donations to provide legal help and other services to detained migrants at the southern border. Listen to their powerful work and show your support for this important organization.
Randon Noble is here reading from her collection of essays “Be With Me Always” from University of Nebraska Press!
Please welcome Tyrese Coleman to the stand for the #EWF19 reading series! She is reading from her book “How to Sit: A Memoir in Stories” from Mason Jar Press!
Up next for our #EWF19 reading series is Rion Amilcar Scott, a Creative Writing at George Mason University alum, whose new book “The World Doesn’t Require You” from Barrelhouse comes out on Tuesday!
Our Emerging Writers Festival reading series is starting now! Please welcome Nicole Steinberg, who is reading from her new chapbook from Barrelhouse!
The Against the Algorithm panel is starting now! Join us in the main gallery at The Athenaeum to listen to Lupita Aquino, Amanda Nelson, and Kendra Winchester discuss how online book communities (aka the “Bookternet”) make space for discussion and discovery of new writing. #EWF19
Let’s talk books! Check out some of our favorite picks we’re sharing as part of the #HarperCollinsLovesIndies campaign! Book Studio 16 American Booksellers Association
Erickson & Ripper Framing Gallery
N Washington Street
Ten Thousand Villages of Alexandria
King Street
Mint Condition | Designer Consignment Boutiqu
South Royal Street
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