On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 13 indie bookstores across the city and beyond are joining forces for an inaugural celebration of local literary culture. While the lineup looked to be reduced after West Hollywood\u2019s iconic Book Soup closed indefinitely<\/a> due to a water main break, event organizers say they plan to reopen for the crawl.<\/p>\n Richard Turner, who owns Diesel in Brentwood, was among a small group of store owners who decided to organize the event.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d been talking about this for about a year,\u201d Turner said. \u201cThe goal is … to get real books in the hands of people who still want to read them.\u201d<\/p>\n Diesel owner and L.A. Indie Book Crawl co-organizer Richard Turner at his Brentwood shop.<\/p>\n (Jason Armond \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Turner and his peers originally drew inspiration from San Diego\u2019s book crawl<\/a>, which just had its ninth anniversary. Now, the event has 15 participating stores and a shuttle service to take participants to each location.<\/p>\n Similarly to that crawl, L.A.\u2019s will feature a passport system, which involves delegating stamps for every purchase of $10 or more at each stop. Shoppers will also win prizes along the way, such as tote bags, pins, stickers and a free audiobook.<\/p>\n For those who hit all bookstores \u2014 with stamps to show for it \u2014 the grand prize awaits: a raffle entry for a $325 gift card.<\/p>\n Some legacy institutions show up on the list of L.A.-area stores, such as Vroman\u2019s<\/a> in Pasadena and Chevalier\u2019s<\/a> in Larchmont, but there are also a few niche inclusions, like children\u2019s bookstores Once Upon A Time in Montrose and Children\u2019s Book World<\/a> in Cheviot Hills and Culver City\u2019s classic romance read haunt, the Ripped Bodice<\/a>.<\/p>\n Though the L.A. area is home to scores of bookstores, a crawl isn\u2019t exactly walker-friendly. For instance, if some bookworms want to stick to the west of downtown, they\u2019ll still be in for quite a trip. Diesel in Brentwood, Malik Books in Culver City, the Book Jewel in L.A.\u2019s Westchester neighborhood and Pages in Manhattan Beach are all near the coast, but to visit all would mean bouncing around in your car, inevitably hitting traffic along the way.<\/p>\n Chevalier\u2019s Books in Larchmont will participate in this weekend\u2019s L.A. Indie Book Crawl.<\/p>\n (Shelby Moore \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s such a big metro area, and the idea that you need to drive around and visit all the stores in a weekend \u2026 we\u2019re trying to make it an achievable goal,\u201d Turner said. He added that if folks visit at least more than one independent bookstore, that counts as a crawl.<\/p>\n Turner said that indie bookstores in L.A. are a closely knit group, one that is \u201cremarkably collaborative and collegial.\u201d They want each other to succeed, as they recognize the importance of the bookstore\u2019s role as a third space. Or a physical location where people can gather and connect, outside of home, work or school.<\/p>\n Rather than merely serving as an establishment where people are in and out the door, Turner said bookstores invite customers to stay.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not just selling books; we\u2019re a place where community gathers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n L.A. Indie Book Crawl<\/p>\n Where: 13 bookstores across the city, including Annabelle\u2019s Book Club LA (Studio City), The Book Jewel (Westchester), Book Soup, (West Hollywood), Chevalier\u2019s Books (Larchmont Village), Children\u2019s Book World & CBW Teens & Adults (West Los Angeles), Diesel (Brentwood), Malik Books (Culver City), Once Upon A Time, America\u2019s Oldest Children\u2019s Bookstore (Montrose), pages: a bookstore (Manhattan Beach), The Ripped Bodice, A Romantic Bookstore (Culver City), Skylight Books (Los Feliz), Village Well Books & Coffee (Culver City) and Vroman\u2019s Bookstore (Pasadena). <\/p>\n When: July 24 to 26, 2026<\/p>\n Cost: Free to attend<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784630949_229_.jpeg\")
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