Cellar Door Books

05/23/2026

Loveis Wise! Today at 1:00pm!!! We'll see you all very soon!!!

05/22/2026

Inland Empire Pride Festival 2026 is on May 30th from 12pm to 9pm at White Park in Downtown Riverside! Join Justine Pucella Winans, Shelly Page and Zachary Sergi in conversation with Jesse Gasca Rebollar of Cellar Door Bookstore for a panel on q***r joy as resistance. They'll explore why q***r representation in fiction must go beyond struggle to celebrate authentic happiness and diverse narratives, challenging historical erasure and censorship while affirming the power of inclusive storytelling. Head to the Stonewall Stage at 3:00 pm for the panel!!!

05/01/2026

We'll see you here at Cellar Door tomorrow 5/2 at 12:00pm for a special event with Marie Chan, author of Mamie Takes a Stand: The True Story of Mamie Tape, a Chinese American Girl's Fight for School Rights! Buy your book now, or at the event tomorrow, and she'll sign for you!

04/19/2026

Indie Bookstore Day is next Saturday, April 25th! We're open during our usual hours, 10am-6pm!

It's time to really ponder what having indie bookstores in your community means. How does their presence affect community conversations? What is the impact on our schools, on underserved communities? I realize that huge online stores are incredibly convenient, that we've come to believe it isn't possible to not buy from them, but if you are unhappy about the way things are right now, a good portion of the blame sits at the feet of huge corporations like Amazon. The convenience they've taught us to crave costs us in health, political strength, and community. Bookstores you can walk into where you can have a conversation with people about what's happening in the world, about a favorite or least favorite book you've just read, or about the grief you are feeling for our world or a loved one in your life, offer us something that no website (not even ours) or algorithm ever will. As for Barnes and Noble, they are aggressively and literally taking over the indie bookstore market. I used to send folks to them, but not anymore. We have four brick and mortar indie bookstores in Riverside: Cellar Door, Downtown Books, Renaissance and Get Lit Books and Things (Moreno Valley but close enough). Each store offers its own personality, some used books, some new, and we may not have everything you want, but I bet, between all of us, we can usually get it for you. Neighboring communities hold even more wealth for book lovers. The Frugal Frigate has been a solid cornerstone of Redlands' kids lives for many years, Quiet Quail Books is an indigenous owned bookstore in San Bernardino, Page 78 in Redlands and there are more coming all the time. We know times are tough and are only going go get tougher, but if you are going to buy a book, but it from one of these stores, and for your own mental health, don't do it online. Go in, have a conversation, learn something new, share our humanity. - Linda

04/07/2026

Today at 4:00pm!!!!!!!! He's celebrating the release of his book WITH US! Don't miss it! Rex Ogle is so amazing!

04/04/2026

One hour til storytime with illustrator Raissa Figueroa! We’ll see you at 2:00pm!

03/11/2026

Thank you so much, Ernesto Cisneros, for coming to Cellar Door Bookstore last night and sharing your stories with our community!!! Ernesto talked to us about his newest book, Queso, Just in Time (just released yesterday!), but we also discussed the necessary work of storytelling, and we listened to Ernesto tell us his memories from his own childhood. Thanks for sharing your experiences and for making us laugh, Ernesto! We have copies of Queso, Just in Time here at Cellar Door and they are SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR! Come in now to grab yours!

03/10/2026

See you at 6:00pm to celebrate the release of Ernesto Cisneros’s newest book Queso, Just in Time!!!

03/07/2026

See everyone at 4:00 pm!!!!

02/26/2026

🚨NATIONWIDE BOOK BAN ALERT🚨 A nationwide book ban bill has been introduced (HR 7661) that would throw schools and school libraries into chaos. In the name of persecuting LGBTQ+ voices — especially transgender people — it would force massive book removals in schools nationwide. Your House Representative needs to hear from you now so they know supporting this bill will have political consequences.

Under this broad, badly written law, it would be impossible for schools to know if they're safe from liability. The law:

-Prohibits funding from a law that has stood since 1965 from being used to "provide or promote literature or other materials to children under the age of 18 that includes sexually oriented material"
-Defines "sexually oriented material" to include "n**e adults, individuals who are stripping, or lewd or lascivious dancing" as well as "involves gender dysphoria or transgenderism"
-Limits carveouts to classic literature as defined by Compass Classroom, an organization whose mission is to "teach...kids to think Biblically about the world" - Philomena Polefrone, Associate Director ABFE, Advocacy & Public Policy from the American Booksellers Association

As a bookstore, we are concerned by the impact this will have on literacy, schools' acquisitions of books, and the reputational harm to books and authors that would result. Show your support for authors like Ernesto Cisneros and Rex Ogle, both of whom have been banned!

Click the link to leave a message for your elected reps:

This is the big one. A nationwide book ban bill has been introduced (HR 7661) that would throw schools and school libraries into chaos. In the name of persecuting LGBTQ+ voices — especially transgender people — it would force massive...