Bigger-than-ever San Diego Book Crawl returns for its ninth year

These 12 words - “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” - open English author Charles Dickens’ 1859 novel “A Tale of Two Cities.” But they also describe the ups and downs of today’s American libraries and bookstores.

Since 2021, PEN America has documented nearly 23,000 book bans in American public schools, with the rate of bans growing every year. But at the same time, there has been an major boom in reading and independent bookstore openings, in no small part due to the rising intolerance for books on sensitive topics like racism, people of color and LGBTQ themes.

Since 2020, the number of independent bookstores in the U.S. has grown by nearly 70%, with more than 400 new stores in 2025 alone, according to the business magazine Fast Company. Bookstores also broadening their appeal by becoming community gathering spaces for children’s events, author talks, writing seminars, gift-shopping, coffee and crafts.

San Diego is home to a growing community of independent bookstores that locals can explore next weekend at the three-day San Diego Book Crawl. Sponsored by the San Diego Library Foundation, the San Diego Book Crawl is one of more than 100 such events kicking off Saturday on six continents as part of the Global Book Crawl.

Saturday is the 13th annual Independent Bookstore Day, which is always held on the last Saturday in April. More than 2,000 U.S. bookstore are scheduled to host events that day.

Book crawls don't just celebrate the joy of reading, they also honor the important tradition of neighborhood bookshops that offer a rich variety of titles that serve and reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.

The San Diego Book Crawl, which runs Saturday through April 27 at 15 area bookstores, is sponsored by the San Diego Library Foundation, whose CEO Patrick Stewart is a prominent defender of the public's right to choose what they read.

Last year, the Library Foundation invited Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dave Eggers to serve as the San Diego crawl’s author ambassador. Eggers has been the target of a book ban and is an outspoken advocate for the importance of free thought. Last year he told the U-T that book bans “almost invariably have the opposite effect than the banners intend. The bans only make the books more intriguing, the readers more engaged, and the bookstores more committed to free speech and free reading.”

Stewart said San Diego readers are lucky to live in a state that’s not a book-banning hot spot like Florida, Texas, Tennessee and South Carolina. But he feels it’s important to spread awreness on the issue locally.

“I speak on the book ban issue consistently,” he said. “What I hear from people is their media feeds are being flooded more often with challenges happening to intellectual freedom and libraries and teachers being fired. People are saying to me ‘it's frightening to know that my child who I’m launching out in the world is going to be in a world where their very existence is being criminalized.’

“Places like independent bookstores are becoming safe havens for people to connect and rally around ideas, thoughts, narratives and stories in the mainstream, where we're criminalizing young people for being LGBTQ+ and marginalizing people in BIPOC communities. Libraries are safe spaces and independent bookstores are the places where booksellers are curators of what you see on the shelves. And they're saying your story is worth it and you're worth it and here's a great author you can connect with.”

Over the years, the San Diego Book Crawl has grown from nine stores to this year’s record of 15, including the San Diego Public Library’s new retail shop in Mission Hills, which opened four months ago. Last year’s book crawl drew an estimated 4,000 participants.

“The volume and popularity of the book crawl is growing significantly. This is the Super Bowl weekend for book nerds,” Stewart said. “We hear that the sales and visits seen during the crawl equal one month of more of regular sales. It's an economic boon for most of the bookstores. Certainly it is for us.”

This year’s crawl will have two new author ambassadors and two artist ambassadors, who will pop up at participating bookstores through the three-day event. This year’s ambassadors are all San Diego County residents, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of San Diego Public Library’s Local Author Showcase.

This year’s author ambassadors are Kiersten White, the bestselling author of the And I Darken book trilogy, Sinister Summer series and Camelot Rising trilogy among others, and Minh Lê, the author of the picture books “Drawn Together,” Real Me” and “Lift,” as well as several graphic novels.

The artist ambassadors are Holly Diamond, a multimedia artist and film director who works at Media Arts Center San Diego and is the co-founder of Cable Two, and Susie Ghahremani, a local author and illustrator for many books including “Celebrate Nowruz! A Persian New Year Holiday to Honor Spring.” Ghahremani created all of this year’s San Diego Book Crawl collectible pin designs.

Crawlers who visit any of the participating stores listed below can pick up a free passport/map. Crawlers who spend $10 or more at any shop will receive a stamp on their passport. Prizes will be awarded at different levels based on the number of stamps accumulated throughout the three-day event. The prizes will be revealed next weekend, but in past years they have included tote bags, coffee cups, pins and drink coasters.

Because the event is so popular, participating shop owners advise crawlers to have patience. Bookstores may have long lines, so plan to read the book you're buying while you're in line. If you plan to crawl all day, bring your own snacks and water. And to avoid the biggest crowds, spread your bookshop stops throughout the three-day event.

SAN DIEGO BOOK CRAWL

When: Saturday through April 27. Store hours vary by location.

Admission: Free to participate, but participants who spend at least $10 at participating shops are eligible for prizes

Online:sdbookcrawl.com/home, instagram.com/sdbookcrawl/

PARTICIPATING BOOKSTORES

Bay Books Coronado

Located in Coronado, Bay Books really knows its audience. Find a military history section, lots of recommendations and great options for beach reads. Bay Books Cafe, next door to the shop, is a good place to stop for a coffee or pastry before carrying on with the crawl. 1007 Orange Ave., Coronado. baybookscoronado.com

Bird Rock Bookshop

This 1-year-old “grandma-owned” children’s bookshop in La Jolla’s Bird Rock community joins the crawl for the first time this year. The book carries a large selection of books for kids and “kids at heart,” as well as children’s book bags, toys and book-themed merchandise. Every Saturday, it hosts an 11 a.m. storytime. 5604 La Jolla Blvd., Suite B, La Jolla. birdrockbookshop.com, instagram.com/BirdRockBookshop

Bluestocking Books

Open since 1967 and owned by Kris Nelson since 1999, Bluestocking Books, carries used and new books of virtually every genre, with large collections of books on LGBTQ themes, sociology, women's studies, Black studies and more. 3817 Fifth Ave., San Diego. bluestockingbooks.com, nstagram.com/blusoxsd

The Book Catapult

Owned by husband-and-wife book-lovers Seth and Jen Marko since 2017, the Book Catapult sells a general variety of books with specialties in children's picture books and books on art and photography. The shop’s unusual name comes from Seth Marko’s book blog where he talked about the fastest way to deliver or get rid of books (by catapult). The shop hosts a number of book clubs, free author events, poetry readings and coffee gatherings and more. 3010-B Juniper St., San Diego. thebookcatapult.com

The Book Place

This family-owned La Mesa shop has been in business for more thn 30 years. It specializes in used books for sale or rental, as well a puzzles, games, comics, graphic novels, collectibles and more. Although Book Place is usually closed on Sundays and Mondays, it will be open for all three days of the Crawl from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and it will be offering special event pricing and merchandise. 6122 Lake Murray Blvd., La Mesa. the-book-place.com, instagram.com/thebookplace_lamesa/

Camino Books: For the Road Ahead

Los Angeles residents Alison Reid and John Evans own this bookstore, which the last of a five-store chain of bookshops that were launched in Oakland in 1989. The Del Mar Plaza store, located near An’s Hatmakers gelato shop, sells new books, cards and stationery. The store offers one or two book events each week, including book groups, author readings and children's storytimes. Del Mar Plaza, Suite 114, 1555 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar. 858-925-7078, caminobks.com

Hey Books!

This East Village bookstore celebrates its first anniversary this week. Co-owned by book lovers Matthew Hein and Anika Omark, the 1,000-square-foot shop sells new and used books and offers book and poetry events, gifts, children's books and more. 921 E St., San Diego. 619-693-4462, heybooksorelse.com, instagram.com/heybooksorelse/

La Playa Books

This 10-year-old Point Loma bookstore sells new, used and rare books, as well as specialty items like cards and gifts. The family behind La Playa Books has been living in San Diego since 1886. 1026 Rosecrans St., San Diego. 619-226-2601 laplayabooks.com

Libélula Books & Co.

Libélula Books is a community-centered bilingual book shop launched five years ago in Barrio Logan by partners Jessie Gutierrez and Ariceli Hernandez. The shop sells new and used books and specializing in books with queer, trans, femme, BIPOC and other unrepresented voices. 950 S. 26th St., San Diego. libelulabooksandco.com, instagram.com/libelula_books_co/

Library Shop SD, downtown & Mission Hills

The San Diego Library Foundation’s retail bookshop inside the San Diego Central Library, and the stand-alone shop in Mission Hills that opened Dec. 1 will participate in this year’s crawl. All proceeds from shop sales benefit the 37-branch San Diego library system. The shops sells books for a wide range of interests as well as literary gifts and merchandise. At 6:40 p.m. April 27, the San Diego Padres will play the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park, so traffic congestion and higher parking rates will be enforced in the East Village area. A Central Library staff member will be stationed in the garage that afternoon to ensure 20 short-term spaces are reserved for Book Crawl participants. 330 Park Blvd., downtown; 925 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. libraryshopsd.org

Meet Cute Romance Bookshop

This queer- and woman-owned feminist bookshop focuses on genre romance. Owned by Becca Title, the La Mesa shop favors books that include a central romance and a happy ending, and it has an operating belief that there's a romance book for everyone, including a section of "mostly queer, mostly nonfiction" books and other unique categories. Besides author events and book-release parties, Meet Cute hosts book clubs and book-bedazzling craft events. 8235 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa. meetcutebookshop.com, instagram.com/meetcutebookshop

Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore

This Midway area shop was founded in 1992 but has been owned since 2020 by Matt Berger and Jenni Marchisotto. Fans of horror, science fiction, fantasy, romance and young adult novels will feel right at home, surrounded by book covers illustrating warriors, dragons, monsters and magical lands. It's the type of place to find Dungeon and Dragons meetups, midnight release parties, lots of author visits and events and writer's groups. 3555 Rosecrans St. #107, San Diego. mystgalaxy.com, instagram.com/mystgalaxybooks

UC San Diego Bookstore

While the UC San Diego Bookstore does sell Triton merchandise, textbooks, laptops and other products for a university community, it's also an independent bookstore with children's books, science fiction, books from local authors and many other categories. It specializes in science, climate, nature, social science and medicine. 9500 Gilman Drive, San Diego. ucsandiegobookstore.com

Verbatim Books

In the heart of North Park, this 11-year-old shop owned by Justine Epstein is filled with more than 40,000 gently-loved title, plus small press books, zines, stickers, art and more. Verbaitm is one of the larger independent bookstores in San Diego County and is filled with shelves of all shapes and sizes and cozy book nooks where readers can relax and thumb through their latest purchase. 3793 30th St., San Diego. verbatimbooks.com, instagram.com/verbatim.books

Warwick's

Billed as America's oldest family-owned and operated bookshop since 1896, Warwick’s is a general bookstore known for its jam-packed calendar of events. It's a great option for picking up the latest bestsellers. On the Saturday of the crawl, which is Independent Bookstore Day, Warwick's will once again celebrate St. Jordi's Day, a Catalonian tradition of books, roses and romance. Events from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday include a story time, live music by Annela Flores, a meet-and-greet with Crawl ambassador and author Minh Lê at 1 p.m., raffles, treats and more. At 4:30 p.m. April 26, Book Crawl Ambassador Kiersten White will discuss her latest book “The Fox and the Devil.” 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. warwicks.com, instagram.com/warwicksbooks

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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 6:19 AM.