A Few More Bookstores Worth Exploring Across the West
Don’t miss these independent bookstores in New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and Idaho that we love.
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ARIZONA: CHANGING HANDS BOOKSTORE
Changing Hands Bookstore has been a haven for Tempe, Arizona, book lovers since 1974. The independent store, located in a typical southwestern-style shopping center, sells new and used books and hosts hundreds of author events annually. Its second location, which includes the First Draft Book Bar, opened in a historic redbrick building in central Phoenix in 2014 and offers beer, wine, coffee, and, yes, more books. Tempe
ARIZONA: THE POISONED PEN BOOKSTORE
Behind the walls of a modest storefront in Old Town Scottsdale lurk murder, mayhem, and mystery. Fortunately, all this violence lies between the covers on the Poisoned Pen’s shelves. The longtime independent, which also offers historical fiction, science fiction, and Southwest-centric titles, hosts events both in-house and virtually. Scottsdale
IDAHO: REDISCOVERED BOOKS
To create “a place where books and people meet,” Boise’s downtown literary hub hosts more than 200 book events for adults and kids annually. This year, Rediscovered Books aims to give away 1,500 titles through the Read Freely Project, which provides 10 free copies of a featured book to individuals, to be distributed to whomever they choose. The only stipulation: the books must be handed out face-to-face. Two other locations exist in the Boise metropolitan area, one offering a riff of Rediscovered Books as its name: Once and Future Books. Boise
NEVADA: COPPER CAT BOOKS
You can see why this is among the few used bookshops left in the Las Vegas area. The selection is well organized and all over the map—from UFO studies to plump history shelves to Trump: Divine Intervention or Not? But it goes deep in surprising spots—so much Nabokov!—and, importantly, the inventory changes often. Only disappointment? Mickey, the bookstore cat, is black, not copper. Henderson
NEVADA: SUNDANCE BOOKS AND MUSIC
Sundance calls itself “a creative tavern of the soul”—and backs it up. The wow factor of its colonnaded exterior—it occupies a century-old mansion—is matched inside by two floors of books anchored by a robust section of Nevada-oriented titles. Its alcoves and chairs encourage dawdling and conversation, and it even operates a publishing imprint. Reno
NEW MEXICO: COLLECTED WORKS BOOKSTORE & COFFEEHOUSE
Founded in 1978, Collected Works is the oldest of Santa Fe’s 18 independent bookstores. Inside you’ll find a coffee shop, a fireplace, a patio, puzzle and chess tables, resident terrier Elizabeth Barrett Brownie, and multiple places to sit and browse any of the store’s 25,000 volumes (emphasis on southwestern literature, history, and cooking). Readings, book signings, and discussions occur regularly. Santa Fe
NEW MEXICO: GARCIA STREET BOOKS
Over 30 years in business, this cozy eastside shop has focused on community connection. Staff will happily place special orders, offer curbside pickup, and provide home delivery. Discount tables guard the portal leading to an eclectic selection of fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books plus cards and book-themed merchandise. Santa Fe
NEW MEXICO: OP.CIT. BOOKS
Op.Cit. is a bookhunter’s dream: 30,000-plus volumes—mostly used, some new—stacked and shelved in the flagship Santa Fe store (the Taos location is smaller and tidier). Prices range from free to over a thousand dollars for collectible titles. Author events are starting up again post-pandemic, and the Taos Op.Cit. hosts a monthly mystery book club. Santa Fe
UTAH: BACK OF BEYOND BOOKS
Owned by a former volunteer national park ranger, the premier bookstore in Utah’s red-rock canyon country is stocked with guidebooks, Native histories, environmental literature, and works by southwestern writers like Tony Hillerman, Barbara Kingsolver, and Edward Abbey. The name comes from Abbey’s classic novel of eco-sabotage The Monkey Wrench Gang, but it suits the entire region. Moab
UTAH: UNDER THE UMBRELLA
More than two dozen volunteers keep the wheels of Under the Umbrella turning. The store sells only titles by or about queer people and features a “give and take” wall, stocked with gift cards, concert tickets, prepurchased books, and more; a gender-affirming closet from which folks in need can take up to five clothing items per day; contraceptives in the bathrooms; and meeting spaces that can be reserved for events. Salt Lake City
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