Alexandria's new neighborhood bookstore!
Need some help inspiring young readers in your life this summer?
Join Camp Bookworm!
We’re reading Katherine Marsh’s Medusa this summer, then meeting up Tuesday August 27th to talk with the author and discuss the book. Free RSVP!
Get the book in store for 10% off to pick up your reading guide and Camp Bookworm sticker.
🏃♀️ Welp, those tickets went fast! 🏃♀️
Next week on Thursday, July 18th we’re hosting a Book Club Social! Ticket holders will meet our book club leaders and mingle with your fellow club members.
📧 Make sure you sign up for our newsletter for first dibs on popular events like Book Club Social! 📧
Meet your club leaders!
Nicole - Fiction Book Club + A Good Yarn Book Club
Kim - Sci-fi Fantasy Book Club + Bad Romance Book Club
Kelli - Bad Romance Book Club
Cooper + Jessica (not pictured) - Murder By the Book Club
Join us for a special pop-up book club at
Georgetown on Friday, August 2nd at 6:30 pm. Free rsvp!
We’ll be reading All Fours by Miranda July.
Ps - How did we do matching Cate’s outfit to the book cover?
About the book:
In All Fours, a semi-famous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country, from LA to NY. Thirty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, checks into a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in an entirely different journey.
Olympic Games in Paris, you say? Oui! We have books all about it 📚 Come check out our new display, it’s a gold medal winner. 🥇
Comin in hot for your beach bag or pool tote! 📚 ☀️ Our July book club picks are here! ☀️ 📚
July Fiction Book Club: Real Americans by Rachel Khan
Tuesday July 16th, 2024 @ 7:00PM - 8:00PM
July Bad Romance Book Club: The 7-10 Split by Karmen Lee
Friday July 19th, 2024 @ 7:00PM - 8:00PM
A Good Yarn Book Club: A Better World by Sarah Langan
Monday July 22nd, 2024 @ 7:00PM - 8:00PM
Murder by the Book Club: Diavola by Jennifer Thorn
Tuesday July 23rd, 2024 @ 7:00PM - 8:00PM
July Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club: The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei
Friday July 26th, 2024 @ 7:00PM - 8:00PM
🌈 read q***r all year 🌈
Happy Pride from our team!
Here are some of our current favorites from LGBTQ+ authors!
***rbookstagram
🚨 This Saturday it’s HOT BOOK SUMMER! 🚨
9:30 am - 10 am
Author Story Time
Beloved local author will host our 9:30am storytime.
11 am - 11:30 am
Firefighter Story Time
Meet the firefighters from Station 201!
12 pm - 3 pm while supplies last
Free Ice Cream with Book Purchase 🍦 from
4 pm - 6 pm
Romance Book Fair - meet romance authors and !
7 pm - 8 pm
A Good Yarn Book Club with !
Like that? ⏩️ Try this!
~ Summer Reading Guide Edition ~
Check out some of our bookseller favorites from the summer guide!
Which one speaks to you?
🚨 Attention audiobook lovers. 🚨
Celebrate Libro.fm’s 10th anniversary with two new audiobook specials, all while supporting Old Town Books! 🥳
In 2014 Libro.fm launched with the goal to help indie bookshops across the globe sell audiobooks. Thanks to their hard work you can listen local! 📚
Head to our link in stories to:
▶️Grab an exclusive membership offer: When you sign up for a new monthly membership in support of Old Town Books using code SWITCH, you’ll receive three audiobooks to redeem from the start!
▶️Already a member? Take advantage of their members-only buy-one-get-one sale featuring bestselling audiobooks!
☀️ Ready tor a Hot Book Summer? ☀️
We’re all smiles over here anticipating HOT BOOK SUMMER on Saturday, June 29th. Check out the full schedule below ⬇️
9:30 - 10 am
Author Storytime
Storytime with beloved local author ! In addition to reading some of her bestselling books for the toddler set, including OTB bestsellers WHO LAID THESE EGGS? and ODD BIRDS, as well as her newest board book, YOU’RE THE SPRINKLES ON MY ICE CREAM Laura will autograph books and lead children in a few summer-related activities. Recommended for ages 0-4.
10 am - 3 pm
Summer Reading Picks for Kids
Shop our summer reading guide picks and get custom tailored recommendations for young readers from our resident kitlit experts. is ready to help plan your family’s summer reads!
11 - 11:30 am
Firefighter Storytime
Meet the firefighters of Station 201! 🔥
12-3 pm
Sweet Treats
Buy a book, get a free scoop of ice cream from 🍦
4-6 pm
Romance Book Fair 💕
Meet local romance authors, shop our favorite happy ever afters, and browse romance themed gifts - all book fair style! Meet and get books signed by + 📚
7 pm
Crafty Meet Up
Join A Good Yarn Book Club for a meet up and group craft project from our friends 🧶 Knit or crochet a beautiful basket or bag. Be sure to buy yours in advance to guarantee having a kit on the day of this event. Skills needed: basic knit or crochet skills are required.
See you there, book friends!
Bookseller band photo or Happy Pride post?
🌈 Can it be both? 🌈
Taking name submissions for the imaginary bookish band started by and ***rwithlane. ⬇️
***rallyear
🚨 June book club alert 🚨
Good Yarn Book Club: The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
Monday June 17, 2024 | 7:00PM - 8:00PM
Fiction Book Club: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Tuesday June 18, 2024 | 7:00PM - 8:00PM
Bad Romance Book Club: The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton
Friday June 21, 2024 | 7:00PM - 8:00PM
Murder by the Book Club: Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect
Tuesday June 25, 2024 | 7:00PM - 8:00PM
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club: The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste
Friday June 28, 2024 | 7:00PM - 8:00PM
Not sure what to read to your kids this summer?
Get personalized recommendations from our resident kid lit expert Melissa at these upcoming office hours at the shop:
• 📅 Saturday, June 1: 10-5
• 📅 Friday, June 14: 12-5
• 📅 Saturday, June 29: 10:30-3
🌟 BONUS: Grab your summer reading challenge Bingo card and earn a free slice of Andy’s Pizza with all that amazing reading! Don’t miss out—start your summer reading adventure today! 📚🍕
Thank you for including me in this year’s class of 40 under 40! What an honor to be included among this group of talented and community-minded individuals.
I snuck in just under the wire - this Thursday, May 23rd is my 40th birthday.
To celebrate, we’re hosting a special birthday promo: Get 5 books for the price of 4 all day!*
*Promo valid all day on Thursday, May 23rd. The promo will automatically apply to the book of lesser or equal value. Use the promo code 5for4 on our webstore. Valid on in-stock books only. Use the promo multiple times!
Please note: we are closing at 5:30 pm this Sunday, May 19th, for tacos!🌮
Well, for a staff training (that will include tacos). The training is on our SUMMER READING GUIDE, ahhhhh! So many good books we just can’t contain our excitement.
We’re hiring!
Seeking a full-time Receiver to accurately and efficiently receive all incoming inventory to our shop, organize the stockroom, and lead restocks and returns.
Learn more about joining the team at Old Town Books by visiting oldtownbooks.com, or visit the link in stories.
Happy Mothers Day 📚
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!
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!
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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Join us every Saturday morning at 9:30 am for story time!
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* )
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!
