I Adore Ya, Astoria!
Hello crappers!
Yes, you're still a crapper even if I am reviewing.... A BOOKSTORE! That's right; I have been to at least one bookstore recently and you get to hear all about it!
We've shifted countries, continents; we're about as far from New Zealand's West Coast as you can get on this planet! Where are we now? New York City in the US of A! Specifically, Astoria; a lovely neighbourhood in the borough of Queens (yes, I get confused by all the different geographical subcategories too)!
Astoria is a middle class and commercial neighbourhood. It's named after John Jacob Astor who was the wealthiest man in America at one point. Despite the fact that he invested very little ($500) in the neighbourhood, he still somehow had it named after him and the name stuck.* Astoria boasts many interesting restaurants, shops and buildings including the Astoria Bookshop!
You can find this cute little haven at 31-29 31st St, Astoria!
This quaint little set up was a pleasure to be in! Cozy but not cluttered with clearly labelled sections and a sensible, easy to decipher layout. There was a great selection and it was one of my favourite types of bookstores; the type that is very open so you can look inside but, once you're in there, it feels like a whole different world. The staff were lovely and didn't intrude upon my browsing but felt welcoming. A few other fun quirks of the Astoria Bookshop were:
- it's proudly woman-owned (if you know me, you know this was a BIG DEAL)
- there was a dedicated Spanish literature section
- the Gender and Sexuality Studies section was fantastic
- the music was great (think the best of Motown)
A lovely added bonus was the only other customer; a funny old man, loudly and zealously singing along to The Supremes' "Heatwave" (he even went in for the vocal riffs).
Upon my return to Wifi, I checked out their website and fell even more in love. They have all sorts of cool events (Parenting for Social Justice Book Club, Creative Writing Workshops, 'Feminerdy' Book Club etc), a dedicated weekly storytime (Thursdays at 11am) and a 2019 Reading Challenge (complete with a bingo board to widen your reading horizons), among so many other things!
If you're in Astoria, you absolutely can't miss the Astoria Bookshop and honestly I think it's worth a special trip just to go there!
If you can't make it to Astoria, check out their website, subscribe to their newsletter and keep it in the back of your mind for if you're ever in the area!
Happy reading, folks! And happy crapping too!
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