I know what my plans are this Saturday: visiting one of our local independent bookstores.
For folks in the United States, April 26, 2025 marks the 12th annual Independent Bookstore Day.
Held the last Saturday in April, Independent Bookstore Day is a one-day national celebration where independent bookstores have special events, exclusive books, author talks, cupcakes, contests, tote bags, and raffles.
Every store and celebration is different; here’s a map to find participating independent bookstores in your area.
I contacted our local store, Elephant Ear Books in Plymouth, Michigan to find out if they’re participating. And they are!
If you’re in the United States, I hope you’ll join me for Independent Bookstore Day.
For folks in Michigan, there’s another independent bookstore event you can participate in, starting on Independent Bookstore Day.
MI Book Hop
I only learned about MI Book Hop this week, but it looks like a lot of fun!
MI Book Hop launches the same day as Independent Bookstore Day and continues through Memorial Day on May 26, 2025.
The idea behind MI Book Hop is to visit independent Michigan bookstores to complete squares on bingo cards.
And win prizes!
Visit an independent bookstore participating in MI Book Hop to pick up a bingo card. (Or, if you have a printer, download and print a bingo card from MI Book Hop.)
Each participating bookstore has a special bingo square they’ll mark with their logo when you visit their bookstore.
You can also complete special book activities to get checked off for that square. The MI Book Hop Frequently Asked Questions provides more details on how to participate.
One thing stood out for me: MI Book Hop is divided into 10 different Michigan regions.
For folks in southeast Michigan, note there’s a Detroit, Metro Detroit (which includes Plymouth), and Southeast (which includes Ann Arbor) region.
So it can be tricky to complete your bingo card if you’re crossing regions to visit bookstores.
Once you complete your card, turn it in at any participating store for a chance to win a grand prize $500 gift card to Bookshop.org.
Or a regional prize of a $25 gift card to a participating indie bookstore of your choice!
